|
Singles
(1994) - Stay Together
"A four-act, eight-minute, fantastically ostentatious song that - as expected - speaks volumes about the vitality of at least three supposedly blighted forces: the guitar, the pop song and British music. 'Stay Together' begins as a doomy ballad, set in among the urban mess that provided the backdrop to 'Suede'. Four minutes later, it gives way to a puzzling cacophony, under cover of which Brett starts yelling, indecipherably. Then: calm, superseded by the part when horns start blaring, followed in turn by a theatrical coda in which you realise that there's a knowing playfulness among the grandiosity. Like most great things, it leaves you utterly silent. A classic." - Review by John Harris for New Musical Express.
(1996) - Trash
The following review is by the British band 'Dodgy' for Vox magazine.
Andy: "It sounds like Bernard Butler, only it's a different guitarist."
Mathew: "I don't like his voice, I can't get into it. It's more nasal now."
Nigel: "It's still very Bowie. Or Cast if you squint a bit."
Andy: "I like it, but I don't think it'll be a hit."
Nigel: "I don't like the way the guitarist just wants to be Bernard all the time."
Mathew: "I think it'll entertain Suede fans, but I don't think they're relevant anymore."
Nigel: "They haven't evolved enough."
"Without wanting to invoke any seizures among the legions of die-hards, maybe Bernard Butler leaving Suede was A GOOD THING. If he'd stayed put we wouldn't have 'Trash' - the most invigorated ass-kicking comeback since 'A Design For Life' and the best Suede single since 'So Young'. From the opening clash of drums and soaraway guitars, 'Trash' rockets into the ether with all engines blazing. It's a prime Bowie flash and Pulp pizzazz, melting into a profoundly elegant chorus, all echoing grandeur and powerful bite. No hanging about, no ten-minute bagpipe coda - just a swift shot of undiluted splendour to leave you mopping up your stereo. This is The Best New Line-Up In Britain calling..." - Review by Mark Beaumont for New Musical Express.
(1999) - She's In Fashion
"It's one of Suede's more brazen attempts to be a pop band. The very first demo that Neil (Codling) did was just this weird looped keyboard riff with a kind of Hawaiian bassline and acoustic guitar over the top. We spent months trying to make it dancey or a bit harsher or whatever and we ended up doing it pretty much exactly how we'd imagined it in the first place. Six months, three studios and eighty attempts. We got there in the end." - Review by Suede Bass player Mat Osman.
(1999) - Can't Get Enough
The following review is by XFM DJ's Claire Sturgess and Paul Anderson for Melody Maker magazine.
Claire: "I think this is the best track on the album, actually."
Paul: "It's all right. A good Suede record if you like Suede. They're big in Denmark. 'She's In Fashion' goes down very well over there."
Claire: "It's good because it's not them being too fey."
Paul: "Woohoo!"
Claire: "Going down the 'Song 2' road there a little bit."
(2002) - Positivity
"It's a good week for returning prodigal sons - as the familiar wavery tones of Brett Anderson surface once more. This time the glam rock leanings are laid to one side on a lush string-laden ballad of the kind last found in abundance on the 'Dog Man Star' album. Nothing we haven't heard before - but impeccably put together and awash with the kind of seedy melancholy Suede have long since made their own." - Review by Nigel Packer for BBC Ceefax.
"Put out the bunting, start the fanfare, shout to the world... Suede are back and as glorious as ever! 'Positivity' is the first release from the band's next album, 'A New Morning', and it is everything you've come to expect from one of the country's most consistently excellent bands. Sumptuous, sexy and superb, 'Positivity' is three minutes of totally gorgeous music, revolving as always around Brett's intoxicating vocal. It's one for the Suede anthem lovers, filed in the same box as 'She's In Fashion' and 'The Wild Ones' and it bodes well for the album. Indeed it instils a real sense of, well, positivity!" - Review by Chris Long for BBC Manchester.
(2002) - Obsessions
"Their recent live shows showed there's still fire in the band's collective bellies, and 'Obsessions' is one of the flames. A spanking, throbbing, harmonica-led stomper, it's by no means Suede's best work, but it does show they've not lost their ability to grab you and throw you about like a loony." - Review by BBC Manchester.
|
