Placebo, the debut full length record from The New Age, is nothing short of remarkable because of just how unique it feels. It’s a glimmering heavy soundscape with endless nooks and crannies to explore. The album has a remarkably varied texture; it ranges from heavy guitar work to occasional rap-style vocals. All of the variety on the album is tied together by the impassioned vocal work of singer Justin Cotton. The vocals are raw and emotional without being harsh. Cotton freely goes up and down his range while singing, making a work that is at once remarkably personal feeling and artistically unique.
It’s personal feeling because his vocals have, quite simply, personality, and it’s almost as if he’s talking to you yourself when you’re listening to his band’s new record because of the manner in which he sings at times.
At the same time, his vocals combine with the music on the album as a whole to make something that is artistically refreshing. The band seemingly felt free here to follow their artistic whims wherever they led when crafting this record, and in so doing they’ve set up a beacon of light for music lovers to find. Besides the traditional rock instrumentation on the album, The New Age include an array of other sounds on Placebo, from pianos to electronics.
Throughout the band’s experimentation, the band never musically loses sight of their core apparent vision to create an emotional, meaningful rock record. Thus, their experimentation is purposeful and fitting and goes along with the thematic presentations in their work; it doesn’t detract from them.
What the band members have accomplished here is summed up nicely by a point on the title track when Cotton sings that he will never be “heartless,” no matter how much life pushes him in that direction. Placebo is defined by experimentation with heart, and the album tells a story that’s very much worth listening to. The band blends together not just themes of love and loss but themes of utter failure and recovery. It’s overall a remarkably captivating and dynamic experience to listen to their new record.
