其实我们没必要再因为Brian Molko那些微不足道的缺点而对他吹毛求癖，也不用太敏感Brian带领Placebo乐队制造出多少阴暗得有点让人战栗的音符。当然这种音乐会让人联想到Brian Molko的种种奇思异想和古怪癖好，而且这也被时下的评论界贬低得一无是处。
如果说最近的媒体对Placebo已然着墨过多，那么实际上有意义的评论很少在关注乐队这张新专辑《Sleeping With Ghosts》本身，而人们的兴趣总是过多纠缠于主音Brian Molko人品如何，磕了多少药以及他的性取向等问题上面。以此衡量音乐的水准当然是件穷极无聊的事情，如果要把玩音乐的“坏人”都扫进垃圾桶，那么我们的唱片架上至少能空出2/3的地方来摆放雷锋雕像。
1996年，当Brian Molko带着他跟现在一样阴阳怪气的嗓音和泛着黑色浪潮的音乐进占流行乐坛的时候，所有的媒体都跟乡巴佬进城一样先是目瞪口呆，然后像个痴心女歌迷一样开始对着偶像三呼万岁。那么由此想想，现在评论界的不屑反应是不是对当初自己失态的一种掩饰呢。反正是没人还记得自己当初扮演的女歌迷角色了。
当我们仔细听听万众瞩目的《Sleeping With Ghosts》里几首能让Placebo引以为荣的出色作品和几首糟泔曲目时，我们会发现一个有趣的事实：自从上张专辑之后，Placebo音乐里真正具有现时代精神的部分已经悄悄隐退于阴暗冰冷的角落里。Brian Molko现在能做到的也是Interpol这样的乐队能做到的，而原本重振80年代后朋克音乐的阴郁传奇则向来是Placebo所固守的阵地。如果说《Sleeping With Ghosts》还算一张与当前时代合拍的唱片，那么它更多的与被时尚俘获的主音Brian Molko有关，而非在冰冷的键盘音乐中与日俱增的自信心。
就《Sleeping With Ghosts》里的作品而言，它们还是瑕疵甚少的，你很难在这些具有张力的bassline推进的曲子中挑出什么毛病来，尤其是他们博后朋克年代众家之所长而完美融于一体的本事——《Songs Of Faith And
Devotion》年代的黑色Depeche Mode；Joy Division以及后继者New Order挽歌式的意乱神迷；The Cure凄切的吉他景致；Bauhaus的愤怒和怨气；Gary Numan的忧郁心绪……当然你要是仔细挖掘，缺点还是逃不过的，飘忽的合成器音色引导而出的同名曲《Sleeping With Ghosts》有点反(英国)政府的情调加上一些Robert Miles的恍惚Trcnce感觉。强劲节拍引导的《English Summer Rain》以及漂亮的钢琴曲《ECentrefol》让人感觉Brian Molko的嗓音更适合唱满腔愤怒的曲子而不是抒情民谣。《Plasticine》一曲也略显粗糙。当然专辑里也有几个特别出彩的片断：紧张强劲的开篇器乐曲《Bulletproof Cupid》；谈及S&M的《This Picture》韧性十足；鹤立鸡群的《The Bitter End》像接受了Iggy Pop《The Passenger》的感召力一般；《Second Sight》也足够迷人。
六年前，Placebo能用这样的音乐一时激起千层浪，但六年后同样的水准却只能让他们享有一张出色的专辑而非得以天才之头衔。
Due to their penchant for androgynous attire/makeup and raw guitar riffs, Placebo has been described by some as a glam version of Nirvana. The multi-national band was formed by singer/guitarist Brian Molko (part Scottish and American, but raised in Britain) and bassist Stefan Olsdal (originally from Sweden). Earlier, both had attended the same school in Luxembourg, but didn't cross paths properly until 1994 in London, England. Briefly called Ashtray Heart and influenced by the likes of Sonic Youth, the Pixies, the Smashing Pumpkins, and the aforementioned Nirvana, Placebo's drum slot was filled alternately early on by Robert Schultzberg and Steve Hewitt (the latter being the group's only member of British origin). Although Molko and Olsdal preferred Hewitt as their main man (it was this lineup that recorded several early demos), Hewitt opted to return to his other band at the time, Breed. With Schultzberg back on board, Placebo signed a recording contract with Caroline Records, which had issued the trio's self-titled debut in 1996. The album was a surprise hit in the U.K., where such singles as "Nancy Boy" and "Bruise Pristine" became hits, as the group became the toast of the British music weeklies and supported their debut with opening for such outfits as a the reunited Sex Pistols, U2, and Weezer.
Despite their success right off the bat, Schultzberg wasn't seeing eye to eye with the other bandmembers, who by this point were able to convince Hewitt to come back onboard full-time, prompting Schultzberg's exit from the band. One of Hewitt's first performances with Placebo upon returning proved to be a big one, as major fan David Bowie personally invited the trio to play at his 50th birthday bash at New York's Madison Square Garden in 1997. The following year, Placebo switched over to the major-label division of Caroline, Virgin Records, and issued Without You I'm Nothing in November. The album was another large seller in England and initially appeared to be the group's breakthrough in the U.S., where MTV embraced the album's leadoff single, "Pure Morning," but subsequent singles/videos failed to match the success of its predecessor. Around the same time, Placebo also recorded a cover version of T. Rex's classic "20th Century Boy" for the movie Velvet Goldmine, in which the trio appeared performing the song as well.
The relationship between Placebo and Bowie continued to blossom, as Bowie made a special appearance on-stage with the band during a tour stop in New York, in addition to both parties uniting for a re-recording of the title track from Without You I'm Nothing (issued as a single in 1999). Placebo's third release, Black Market Music added hip-hop and disco elements to the band's tense rock sound. The U.K. saw a release date in early 2000; stateside fans were treated to a resequenced version that fall. The U.S. version featured a slightly different track listing, adding the aforementioned Bowie version of "Without You I'm Nothing" and the band's cover of Depeche Mode's "I Feel You." The recording spawned additional U.K. hits such as "Taste in Men" and "Slave to the Wage."
In spring 2003, Placebo showcased a harder edge with the release of their fourth album, Sleeping with Ghosts. The album went Top Ten in the U.K. and sold 1.4 million copies worldwide. Australian tour dates with Elbow and U.K. shows with Har Mar Superstar followed in 2004. Placebo's singles collection, Once More with Feeling: Singles 1996-2004, was released before the year's end. The 19-song compilation included their biggest U.K. hits and the new track "Twenty Years." Frenchman Dimitri Tikovoi (Goldfrapp, the Cranes), who mixed select songs on Once More with Feeling, produced Placebo's fifth effort, 2006's Meds. In 2007, after scheduling to tour with Linkin Park and My Chemical Romance on the Projekt Revolution tour, Virgin released the Extended Play '07 EP as a simple introduction for new fans to the band's past decade of music.
