Review: Placebo - Jesus' Son

10/17/16 - If ever there was a polarizing single, this is it!  Love or hate it, one thing's for sure, Placebo's latest single will get a reaction, but it's not for the reasons you might think.  Placebo has evolved over the years & so has their music.  To quote Brian Molko in "The Making of Jesus' Son", this is possibly the band's most optimistic, life-affirming, positive & spiritual single they have yet to release.  It's precisely that which is causing fans to react so strongly.  Many of us grew up with the darker side of Placebo's music, so to see the band put out such an unabashedly light-hearted song may take some getting used to.

Equally divisive is the track's mixing levels.  What caused this one to be a slow burner for me is the fact the song feels as though it was produced with radio airplay in mind.  If they were to just turn the synth strings down a notch, this would've made a huge difference for me, making it less of a candidate to become part of an elevator muzak collection somewhere.  Despite that, it only took four days for me to fall in love with the melody & lyrics..."I am unafraid & blissful, here I come.  I am unashamed of getting nothing done".  This pretty much describes my life these days.  After being laid off in the middle of cancer treatment last year followed by a major recession this year, I have a whole lot of spare time on my hands.  I really should be a lot more stressed out about it than I am, but I'm learning to just go with the flow & accept that the universe will make things happen when they're meant to.  So, for now I am enjoying my time away from the rat race & taking advantage of all this extra spare time the universe has granted me.  Even more special is I can enjoy this Placebo tour without work interfering with my much needed dose of Placebo live!  :)  It is for this reason that I can relate to this song so much.  Although it's certainly not their best work, it's certainly not their worst either.  There aren't many Placebo songs I can't relate to on one level or another, and this song is no exception.

Personally, I don't mind the fact it's an upbeat song.  In fact, I love it for that & after everything I've been through the past year & coming out the other side, I'm all for happy.  Still, I have to wonder if there isn't at least a tiny grain of dark sand beneath this otherwise blissful song.  After a bit of Googling, it doesn't take long to discover there are a number of works that may have played an influence here, including lyrics by Lou Reed, as well as a book & film bearing the same title.  Perhaps Jesus' Son is a reaction to coming out the other side of a much darker period in time.  So, there you go...some potentially hidden darkness for you.  Once again, all is right with the Placebosphere!

While it may be a slow burner, once that melody hooks you, it'll be stuck in your head for days! I quite routinely find myself humming it, even now after the Life's What You Make It EP release featuring even stronger tracks.  More on that in a future review.  Meanwhile, if you haven't heard Placebo's latest single, give it a chance.  It's catchy & it's still a million times better than  having some god awful Justin Bieber song stuck in your head!  ;)  In addition to a limited edition US 7" vinyl, Jesus' Son can be heard on Placebo's latest EP "Life's What You Make It", along with their 20 year retrospective double album "A Place for Us to Dream".