B3

Since forming in 1994, British band Placebo have garnered a strong and highly loyal following.

While clearly influenced by the likes of both David Bowie and Marc Bolan, the band have cut a highly original musical path of their own.

After six albums which have sold over ten million copies worldwide, it seems a somewhat curious move for the band to release an EP at this juncture in their timeline.

Is it a teaser of things to come or a cautious dip of the toe in the current musical waters to see if they still hold currency and relevance?

Happily, the material on B3 holds up very strongly with some of the high points of times past.

Kicking off with the striking title track, the five cuts presented here illustrate a band that are definitely moving forward.  “The Extra”, with its electronic edge,  has a spiky quality to it that very much cements it in the here and now.

For the Placebo purists, there is still a strong sense of life and potential left in the way that they make music. They haven’t lost their knack for having  darkness skewer its way through their take on pop music. Hopefully, the tracks on B3 are a hint of what is to come on the band’s next long player.