Suede
Dog Man Star
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Suede
Dog Man Star
Nude/Columbia, 1994
RiYL: David Bowie, Gene, Radiohead |
A haunting double album that deals with death, drug addiction, dreams, and romance on dirty streets, Dog Man Star makes no attempt to "follow-up" or further explore the boisterous glam-rock themes of the group's highly successful debut. Instead, it highlights the romantic melancholy exemplified by the non-LP single "Stay Together," an epic paean to Butler's late father.
Anderson's characters are most usually depraved waifs yearning for an unattainable utopian life, such as the "aching" protagonist of "Heroine," yearning for the girl of his dreams, "pornographic and tragic in black and white," or the torn-apart lovers in "2 Of Us." In "Daddy's Speeding," Anderson takes his screen dreams to the ultimate, imagining an alternate reality in which he joins James Dean in his car right before the actor's fatal crash, musing on how the doomed, speeding vehicle will give birth to legend. His vocals are at their Broadway-queen best throughout the album, as Butler's tender and intricate arrangements flesh out each song in majestic fashion.
If all this sounds a bit pretentious, you are on the right track. But that, in essence, is what Suede does best -- living up to pretension -- and Dog Man Star is one of the best examples of how they can pull it off. Latter efforts such as 1999's Head Music suffer from too much repetition and electro-posturing, but the string-laden romantic epics on Dog Man Star sound genuine. It's not hard to believe Anderson as an anorexic, androgynous drug addict pining for unrequited love underneath London's full moon, which makes his typecasted first-person lyrics that much more effective.
Uptempo rockers are less prevalent on this record than the rest of the group's work, but "We Are The Pigs," "Heroine," and "The New Generation" work marvellously. The former's apocalyptic musings set the tone for the album's darkness, "as the smack cracks at your window / you wake up with a gun in your mouth / i'll let the nuclear wind blow away my sins / as I stay at home in my house" seeming to imply that those who ignore the evil side of life are as guilty as those perpetrating it. Doesn't seem these nice English boys were in good moods, does it?
Well, the facts bear that out, as Butler finished his work on the album and then promptly left the band, forcing them to replace him with 17-year-old prodigy Richard Oakes prior to touring in its support. While the group's next album, Coming Up, was very successful, Suede was definitely never the same band after Butler's departure (Butler without Suede is also somewhat disappointing). Still, this listener's glad to have two albums, an EP, and scores of b-sides that resulted from this volatile but fruitful creative partnership.
TROY CARPENTER | Troy Carpenter founded NATN from a Chicago apartment during the ambitious winter of 1998 with co-conspirators Ben French and Jonathan Cohen. After a five-year stint in New York, he and wife Lourdes have recently relocated to Indianapolis, where he spends days listening to music and nights in the kitchen at Elements restaurant. Musical heroes: Jimi Hendrix, Bob Marley, Super Furry Animals. What else makes life worth living: Sushi, Phucty, runs in the park, and the Atlanta Braves.