The key to Placebo's sound is singer/guitarist Brian Molko, whose impersonation of a woman goes far beyond his appearance and into his singing voice.
His trio brings together various influences -- the epic, noisy "Chicago sound," late-'70s prog rock, and late-'80s "college rock" -- but boils them down into fairly conventional, guitar-heavy melodrama, with the sort of opaque and angst-ridden lyrics usually found in that genre.
That's not to say that Placebo's sound is boring; churning guitars and direct, heavy basslines give the album a good deal of strength, and Molko is able to write moving, gritty melodies and fairly clever lyrics.
Placebo may sound like a mix between the Smashing Pumpkins and Rush -- and the levels of melodrama on the album may stretch far beyond most people's tolerance -- but it's well-written and performs enough variations on those genres to keep it interesting.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Come HomeBrian Molko, Stefan Olsdal, Robert Schultzberg | Placebo | Play | 05:09 | 11 MB | 35 MB |
| 2 | Teenage AngstBrian Molko, Stefan Olsdal, Robert Schultzberg | Placebo | Play | 02:42 | 6 MB | 18 MB |
| 3 | BionicBrian Molko, Stefan Olsdal, Robert Schultzberg | Placebo | Play | 05:00 | 11 MB | 34 MB |
| 4 | 36 DegreesBrian Molko, Stefan Olsdal, Robert Schultzberg | Placebo | Play | 03:05 | 7 MB | 21 MB |
| 5 | Hang on to Your IQPlacebo | Placebo | Play | 05:13 | 11 MB | 35 MB |
| 6 | Nancy BoyBrian Molko, Stefan Olsdal, Robert Schultzberg | Placebo | Play | 03:48 | 8 MB | 24 MB |
| 7 | I KnowBrian Molko, Stefan Olsdal, Robert Schultzberg | Placebo | Play | 04:44 | 10 MB | 29 MB |
| 8 | Bruise PristineBrian Molko, Stefan Olsdal, Robert Schultzberg | Placebo | Play | 03:35 | 8 MB | 25 MB |
| 9 | Lady of the FlowersBrian Molko, Stefan Olsdal, Robert Schultzberg | Placebo | Play | 04:47 | 10 MB | 31 MB |
| 10 | SwallowBrian Molko, Stefan Olsdal, Robert Schultzberg | Placebo | Play | 22:24 | 51 MB | 66 MB |
| 60 mins | 138 MB | |||||
| 60 mins | 323 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wendi Horowitz | Design |
| 2 | Ed Kenehan | Engineer |
| 3 | Ed Kennehan | Engineer |
| 4 | Brian Molko | Bass, Composer, Guitar, Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Electric), Keytar, Member of Attributed Artist, Vocals, Voices |
| 5 | Stefan Olsdal | Bass, Composer, Fender Rhodes, Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Electric), Member of Attributed Artist, Moog Synthesizer, Piano |
| 6 | Placebo | Composer, Primary Artist |
| 7 | Mary Scanlon | Photography |
| 8 | Mary Scanton | Photography |
| 9 | Robert Schultzberg | Composer, Didjeridu, Drums, Member of Attributed Artist, Percussion, Producer |
| 10 | Brad Wood | Producer |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |