"There was this huge bronze statue of Churchill, and the kids had put this piece of green grass of on its head so it looked like some green Mohican. It was really inspirational."

 

 

And there's a confessional quality, too – atonement, perhaps, for some of the reckless things they’ve done over the years. The change is evident in the lyrics to "Days Before You Came":

Days before you came
It always seemed enticing
To be naked and profane
There is no denying
Days before you came
Thunderbolts and lightning
Each day a brand new vein
Each tourniquet colliding

Molko refers to his past misdeeds with some regret. In "Black Eyed," he takes a winking jab at his American peers’ tendency to blame their selfish behavior on their upbringing, rather than taking some responsibility themselves. "I was never grateful, that’s why I spend my days alone/ I’m forever black-eyed, a product of a broken home."

Black Market Music shows a marked extroversion compared to the self-analysis of Placebo past – an enhanced storytelling quality and a new interest in social injustice and actual issues. The song "Haemoglobin" tells of a lynching from the point of view of the victim, as he looks down from the tree from which he is hanging. And on "Blue American," Molko humorously examines bits of American culture, including religion, his own mom, the obsession with pop psychology, and race relations:

I read the book about Uncle Tom
Those whitey bastards made a bomb
And now Ebonics rule our song
Those motherfuckers got it wrong

Hewitt says that the influences for the album were a result of the things that were going on around the band while they were recording, including the Mayday riots, which created the backdrop for the song "Revolution," which features an appearance by American rapper Justin Warfield (formerly of One Inch Punch). Watching young people protesting the influence of multinational corporations had an impact on Hewitt and the rest of the band.

"There was this huge bronze statue of Churchill, and the kids had put this piece of green grass of on its head so it looked like some green Mohican," he chuckles. "It was really inspirational. It’s amazing to see the youth being concerned, and being all en masse, and saying, ‘fuck this,’ and making a statement. It does give hope that people on this earth do give a fuck about what’s going on…. It’s all changeable."

Beginning this new chapter was easy. Keeping it up – as everyone who’s studied the Cliff's Notes to rock’n’roll legendhood knows – is the hard part. Keeping your vulnerability without being devoured. Learning to be careful without losing your connection with the fans. Being smart without becoming world-weary. Changing without losing your edge. But so far, Placebo has delighted in challenging their own clichés – and so far, they seem to be winning.

 

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Illustrations from Placebo Picture Gallery
Photomodified by Oates

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