Rocktrospectiva: The Conceptual "Night Thoughts" Turns 10

Released on 22 January 2016, "Night Thoughts" was the 7th., studio album by English alternative rock band Suede, the album was by a feature film, directed by Roger Sargent. The album spawned three singles "Outsiders", "Like Kids", & "What I'm Trying To Tell You", and was considered by many critics to be the band's finest work since 1994's Dog Man Star.

Again produced by regular collaborator Ed Buller, Night Thoughts was not just an album, but also the soundtrack to a film of the same name directed by Roger Sergeant. And right from the opening strings of  "When You Are Young", it’s appeared that the band are very much shooting Suede through a cinematic filter. "I Can't Give Her What She Wants" had an almost baroque elegance to it, "Tightrope" continued some of the lyrical themes of Bloodsports with its positioning of love as a dark metaphor before culminating in disembodied voices, as does whilst the orchestrally integrated "The Fur & The Feathers" and was regarded the best closing song that the band have given us since ‘Still Life’.

In the album the was enough upbeat music on here to satiated the more pop-inclined fans. With its punchy basslines, "What I’m Trying To Tell You" appeared to be a very successful attempt at filtering Franz Ferdinand through the eyes of Brett Anderson, whilst "No Tomorrow" had the swagger and insistancy of Suede in their prime.

There were very few songs on this album that can be directly compared to their previous tracks. Unlike Bloodsports, where most songs seemed to be like a combination of two or more songs from their back catalogue, the only song that seemed overly indebted to their past is "Like Kids", a song that appeared to crib chord sequences and production from the singles from Coming Up and the outro from "We Are the Pigs". Even more intriguing was "Outsiders", one of the most urgent sounding songs that band had released since "Can't Get Enough".

Night Thoughts allowed the bank to add another string to their metaphorical bow - soundtrack-rock. The band have taken on an ambitious project, and have pulled it off with much aplomb. Even when at their lowest ebb, Suede have always made music that is worth taking notice of, but with Night Thoughts the band have given us their first essential album in 20 years. 

The album  received positive reviews from music critics, praising the album by stating: "With that past behind them, Suede can still dwell on big issues of love and mortality, but now that the past is in perspective, it all means a little bit more and what lies ahead is a little more precious, and that wide view makes Night Thoughts all the more moving. The record found a middleground between the guitar pop of the Coming Up era and the moodier textures of Dog Man Star," and regarded it as a fine entry in their already strong discography.

 

Night Thoughts Track List: 

 

1.  When You Are Young

2. Outsiders

3. No Tomorrow

4. Pale Snow

5. I Don't Know How To Reach You

6. What I'm Trying To Tell You

7. Tightrope

8. Learning To Be

9. Like Kids

10. I Can't Give Her What She Wants

11. When You Were Young

12. The Fur And The Feathers

 

Disc Two: Film

 

1. Film

2. Trailer

3. Teaser

4. Outsiders (music video)