It appears that after a decade of albums, Placebo have gotten nostalgic.  The latest release from Molko and friends sees them shy away from the polished, radio-aware sound that rounded out 2003's 'Sleeping With Ghosts' and (to a lesser degree) 2000's 'Black Market Music', and give a quick nod to the raw, indy sound of their early years.

This is not to say that the band has ever bowed to label pressure, or conformed to Top 50 trends - far from it.  Simply put, their overall output has gone from mostly gritty to predominately clean, and 'Meds' gives the impression they've decided to get dirty again.  The distorted beats are more obvious, the tempo is more subdued, and the lyrics are as bleak as ever.

To the faithful fan, it will be immediately apparent that this is one that will burrow in the more you listen to it, as it doesn't really feature the obligatory trio of commercial singles - instead delivering a 13 track Placebo experience, similar (again) to 96's self titled debut.  However, there are a few stand-outs that'll have you reaching for the volume, including the unusually placed last track (and first single) Song To Say Goodbye, Post Blue (an awesome throwback to 'Black Market Music'), Infra-Red, and album opener (and title track) Meds.

Placebo have never been ones to disappoint their fans, and it's pretty safe to say that their newest installment is not going to be breaking that trend.  It might take an extra listen or two to really appreciate it's unique beauty, but 'Meds' is another fantastic addition to an already awesome catalogue.