Search - London Suede :: Coming Up [ENHANCED CD]

You can always come back to this album

J. Egbuna | Canada | 06/15/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I'm not even really sure that this is a 5 star CD, probably a 4, but because it was released almost 10 years ago and I still pop it in every once in a while and still sing along to it, that had to give it an extra point. Before getting into the music, one of the things I love most about this CD is the cover artwork. It looks like a university project, kind of hastily put together, but with a certain amount of appeal.If you didn't have any idea what direction this CD was going to go in, "Trash" pretty much sets the tone. This is about as opposite of DogmanStar as you can get. While a few of the faster songs tend to blend together (why were "Filmstar" and "Lazy" put back to back?), they are written well. But let's be honest, the strength of this album rests in the ability of Suede to play those faster tracks and then stick a fabulous ballad in the middle, like they do with "By the Sea". The closing track, "Saturday Night" was also a good fit for that position and if you've seen the video, that was also well done. Although they may have more critically acclaimed releases, this one is my favourite, not because of its radio-friendly nature, but just because the whole album is worth listening to, something Suede has had a bit of trouble with on their previous recordings."

Never has mainstream success sounded so good

C.F. | California, USA | 08/07/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"After the gloomy and sprawling sounds of "Dog Man Star", and the new addition of guitarist Richard Oakes and keyboardist Neil Codling, most were concerned on how the "new Suede" would fare without departed guitarist Bernard Butler.



When the first single, "Trash", hit the airwaves, all doubts went out through the window. Few bands have the ability to change their image and sounds as rapid and effectively as Suede can. Richard Oakes fills in nicely for Butler here with more simplistic, riff-based guitar work that contrasts nicely with Anderson's nasally vocals. Codling also help fills the band's sound with bubbly synths that keeps things flowing.



Featuring five top 10 singles and five other songs equally worthy of being singles, "Coming Up" is how mainstream records should be done. Normally I would give this album a 4 star because in respect to intelligence, this album is sleazy and dumb fun which was missing in the first two classic albums.



It gets 5 stars, however, because as a stand alone pop record, it pleases in every way. The up-tempo tracks like "Beautiful Ones", "Filmstar", "Starcrazy", and "Lazy" are all drenched in catchy guitar riffs, singalong choruses, and thumping bass lines that will have you dancing through it all.



"Coming Up" was the high that Suede needed to bring them the attention they deserved. Sure, "Starcrazy" and "The Chemistry Between Us" may not be lyrically thoughtful, but the music and tone help carry it.



To keep things organic, the bouncy numbers are matched with equally stunning ballads like "By the Sea", "Saturday Night" and "Picnic by the Motorway", that will continue to tug on your emotional strings just as the previous releases did.



Suede did what other Britpop bands failed to do in the mid-90's, and that is to keep the public guessing and the fanbase enthralled with releases that defied their presumed image.



To sum things up, if you like pop, there is a good amount of it here, and chances are this will be the perfect soundtrack to your emotional highs and lows."

Original brit pop

Ploy | San Francisco, CA | 10/10/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"My favorite album since I was in high school . Every song is absolutely cool. Great for brit pop fans!"