Not Yet, But Close Enough

Suede is not a band that needs any introductions, as you've probably heard thousand of times things like "the resurrection of British music", "the band that appeared on a cover of a magazine before even releasing a single" or "the ones that started the Britpop movement". So I'll start this article by mentioning a simple fact. When they disbanded, back in 2003, Brett Anderson stated "There will be another Suede record. But not yet."

This year, Suede reformed and that made the hearts of many people beat faster. At this moment, however, it's still unclear if the above mentioned new record will ever see the light of day. What it's truly clear is that they still love each other, and if the gigs played until now weren't enough proof, the release of their new material surely is. "New" is perhaps an inappropriate way of describing it, as it seems to be a memento rather than a comeback. The material is called The Best of Suede and it's their first official release in seven years. Chris Potter was involved in the remastering of the songs, together with Brett Anderson and Bernard Butler. Yes, that Bernard Butler. Who said that miracles ceased to exist?

The album spans two discs. The first one features all of their singles, with the exception of Positivity (nothing surprising there, as Anderson talks about this song as being the one that destroyed the band) and Attitude. The second disc is a mix of various songs from their first three albums and several B-sides that also appeared on their Sci-Fi Lullabies compilation.

While it's true that Suede's lyrics were never too diversified (we all know Anderson's lyrical obsessions with drugs, relationships and fashion and how he could never get rid of them), it's also true the instrumentals are pure genius in all aspects, even after so many years. And that's it. No more words are needed, as it's impossible to properly describe songs like The Drowners, We Are the Pigs, Trash or Killing of a Flash Boy without writing in caps lock the word "epic" after each one of them. And honestly, reading a whole "epic" paragraph serves neither your purposes nor ours.

In more simple words, The Best of Suede is finger-licking and a wonderful way to (re)introduce the audience to their music. If you're familiar only with their singles and unfamiliar with the rest of their songs, this disc will serve as a perfect beginning for you. If you're a connoisseur, the best you can do is put your headphones, close your eyes and remember how damn good this band is. And who knows? Perhaps Anderson will remember his own words and in a few months we'll be able to write about the sixth Suede album.