Head Music

by Suede

Overview

Coming Up was every bit the triumphant comeback Brett Anderson and company were expecting and it was a terrific little record, but it did suggest that Suede had begun to reach the limits of Ed Buller's production ideas, while also feeling a little superficial. The very fact that its sequel was produced by Steve Osborne, the man behind classics LPs from New Order and Happy Mondays, suggested they were returning to the dark undercurrents of their first two records, yet Head Music is Coming Up, Pt. 2. Working with Osborne has added some vague elements of electronic and dance music to Suede's signature sound, but these primarily manifest themselves in the form of gurgling analog synths and canned, old-school drum machines. Essentially, they're just window dressing, since the songs themselves are extensions of the glam flash of Coming Up. While that hardly qualifies as an artistic progression, it hardly qualifies as a bad album either, and they've never sounded quite as unselfconscious as they do here. Suede even get downright silly at times, whether it's the goofy puns of the title track or the ridiculously intoxicating stomp "Elephant Man." It's hard not to miss early Suede -- the psychedelic "Indian Springs" comes close to capturing the feel, but it's bright, not menacing, and the ballads are pretty, not majestic -- but even in this streamlined incarnation, nobody does this kind of trash pop as alluringly as Suede. Nobody can turn out a single as thrilling as "Electricity," nobody can grind out sex'n'drugs anthems as electrifying as "Can't Get Enough," or swoon as fetchingly as "She's in Fashion." When it comes down to it, nobody makes cheap sleaze sound so alluring. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date:	09/10/2021
Label:	Demon Records / Edsel
UPC:	5014797906068
Rank:	54213

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Suede   Primary Artist
Raissa   Primary Artist,Featured Artist
Brett Anderson   Vocals
Neil Codling   Synthesizer
Mat Osman   Bass (Electric)
Mike Lipscombe   Director
Simon Gilbert   Drums,Director
Richard Oakes   Guitar
Howard Greenhalgh   Director
Johan Renck   Director
John Hillcoat   Director

Technical Credits

Steve Osborne   Mixing,Producer
Ian Caple   Producer
Ben Hillier   Engineer,Producer
Michael Ade   Producer
Danton Supple   Mixing,Mixing Engineer
Miti Adhikari   Engineer
Suede   Producer
Brett Anderson   Artwork,Composer
Paul Corkett   Engineer
Mick Glossop   Producer
Bruce Lampcov   Mixing,Engineer,Producer
Steven Osbourne   Mixing,Producer
Peter Saville   Artwork
Neil Codling   Composer
Mat Osman   Composer
Nick Knight   Artwork
Simon Gilbert   Composer
Richard Oakes   Composer
Howard Wakefield   Design
Paul Hetherington   Design
Val Jennings   Interviewer
Johnny Ogle   Sound Editing,Camera Operator
Neil Colding   Composer