Band : Brett Anderson
Album title : Slow Attack
Label : V2
Distributor : V2
Release date : 02/11/2009
Release : CD

Anyone remember BritPop monsters Suede (known as The London Suede in the USA due to copyright issues)? Well, I had already started to write down a “short” history of that band as an intro for this review…but finding it got too long, I scratched it all. Important to know is that among their 5 albums, 3 reached #1 on the UK albums charts. In the new millenium the band’s popularity waned, and after the saleswize disappointing 2002 release of A New Morning, the band was disillusioned enough to end their recording contract with the Singles compilation (issued October 2003), in spite of the fact that Anderson had already announced that work on new material (which he said to be “…much more aggressive and less song based than A New Morning…” and that the album would “…sound nothing like traditional Suede…”). That new material was never to see light of day, as the band played their last concert in mid December of 2003.

After a 10-years’ hiatus (and after resolving their differences), Anderson briefly reunited with his old guitarist Bernard Butler during 2004 to form The Tears, which released its only album Here Come The Tears in June 2005. the album, and the two singles culled from it, were rather successful (though neither broke the Top 10) and did a lot for the comeback of both musicians. During Summer 2005, Anderson announced he had started writing songs for his long-awaited solo album. He’d work on it in between The Tears’ touring to promote their debut album, and the release of their sophomore album. To the dismay of their fans, the band cancelled a planned October/ November tour in favour of working on new material, and shortly after they were dropped by their record label. April 2006 saw Anderson announcing The Tears were “on a temporary hiatus”, because none of them “…ever wanted this thing  to get caught in the drudgery of the whole tour/ record/ tour cycle anyway…”. In May he announced detailss of hi upcoming solo album, which was to contain 11 tracks…and in August 2006 the The Tears’ official forum and site were closed!

Brett Anderson was released in March 2007, preceeded by single “Love Is Dead”, the video of which debuted on UK television in late February. The single debuted at #42 in the UK singles charts, and the album (produced by Fred Ball of Norwegian band Pleasure, whom also played the keyboards) got to # 54 the following week. In the line-up of the band Anderson put together to tour in promotion of the album, we find his childhood friend Mat Osman, bassist throughout Suede’s career. Sophomore solo album Wilderness (issued Sept. 2008)was recorded in only 7 days with most tracks recorded as live tracks and Anderson accompanying himself on piano and acoustic guitar. The only other musicians involved are cellist Amy Langley, and French actress Emmanuelle Seigner, for guest vocals on the duet song “Back To You” (written with Fred Ball).

The new album was produced by Anderson’s new writing partner Leo Abrahams, and said to be influenced by movie soundtracks and the work of Mark Hollis (of Talk Talk). Far more orchestral, it also contains a great deal of woodwind instrumentation, which give the album an overall warmness. Not surprisingly, critics have been quite receptive of the album, even to the point of Andy Gill (The Independent) who’d been one of the harshest critics pf Anderson’s solo career writing “…this is by far his best solo effort…Anderson’s most interesting output since his alliance with Bernard Butler…”. Anderson himself sees the album as a turing point in his solo career. Former live sets would inevitably feature older Suede songs, and he now feels it’s time to turn a new page, to let the old days’ glories rest. Personally, I’ve found Slow Attack to contain intimate moments with intimate musical backings, rather atmospheric and thus best to be listened to in the late evening hours, when most people like to settle down in their most comfortable settees anyway.

To have his fans discover the new stylistic direction he’s takes in his solo career, Anderson has posted samples of three songs on the new album (along samples of 3 songs off Wilderness and a full-length track off the debut) at myspace.com/brettandersonofficial. If you’re into discovering stuff in live conditions, you may be interested to find out Anderson is taking his new album (no more Suede tracks, folks) on a short European tour, starting late January (for our personal neck-of-the-woods, that means he’ll be playing Antwerp’s Trix on Feb. 8; In Holland, he’ll play Utrecht’s Tivoli on jan. 24).

80/100

Tony.