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Britpop comebacks – you love ‘em, don’t you? Ever baying for Oasis to regroup as Pulp stomp the globe reminding us of their timeless vitality while Blur coyly tease the world about what might-never-be.
Now, Suede re-join the ranks of their former peers as the first of the reformed Britpop big boys to drop a full-length effort.
Bloodsports is a welcome return to form in the sense that it beats the drug-addled shambles of Suede prior to their 11 year hiatus, but what made the sound, image and overall package of Suede so compelling was that abrasive and confrontational over- sexualised approach. Along with the Manics and Pulp they were the camp crusaders that kicked hard against the prevailing baggy, lad-rock leanings of Britpop at the time. However, while that special melodramatic surge of raw and romantic emotion is still intact, it’s safe to say that 'polished' is definitely the best word for Bloodsports. So much so that the rumble and chiming echoes of the monolithic ‘Barriers’ make it more than a little bit U2 in its pomp, grandeur and stadium-tuned sound, and ‘It Starts And Ends With You’ has that sky-reaching indie anthem poetic swagger of latter-day Morrissey.
Album highlight ‘Snowblind’ is a dark little rocker with just as much hook-laden pop majesty as ‘Metal Mickey’ or ‘The Drowners’, and ‘Hit Me’ is an iridescent gem of wild-eyed blind optimism – complete with ‘la la’s, a searing guitar solo and heavenly chorus.
Beyond that, the album is kinda sexless, which is a shame.
All of the fire of a revitalised Anderson, Butler and co explodes in the first six tracks, but then fades to a dull glow in the four over-produced ballads that end the LP. Nothing sticks as memorable or remarkable other than the feeling that they’re desperately grasping for a sense of the epic.
Bloodsports states a clear benchmark of confidence and classic songcraftsmanship from Britpop’s Godfathers, but for all of its stately prowess and matured professionalism, it lacks the bristling power or grit that once made Suede so divisive.
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