Background - Britpop icons Suede are delighted to announce their eighth studio album, The Blue Hour. Produced and mixed by Alan Moulder at Assault & Battery Studios, The Blue Hour is the follow up to the band’s hugely acclaimed UK top ten 2016 LP, Night Thoughts.
The Blue Hour is an expansive, ambitious work which, like Night Thoughts, was written as a continuous piece, although there are fourteen distinct, thematically linked songs on the record. The album sees Suede continue to explore new ground sonically; featuring a choir and spoken word, as well as string arrangements from the band’s Neil Codling, and one from Craig Armstrong (The Invisibles). Armstrong previously worked with the band on their 1996 LP Coming Up, and on films such as Romeo + Juliet and The Bone Collector.
The stirring presence of the iconic City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra, which was integral to the recording of The Blue Hour, is one of the album’s most significant touches. The Blue Hour is the final part of the triptych of albums recorded by the band since they reformed and released 2013’s Bloodsports. The record is also complemented by some of the subject matter of Brett Anderson’s recent memoir, Coal Black Mornings.
The band explain: “The Blue Hour is the time of day when the light is fading and night is closing in. The songs hint at a narrative but never quite reveal it and never quite explain. But as with any Suede album, it’s always about the songwriting. The band, the passion and the noise: The Blue Hour.”
All the hallmarks of a classic Suede album are present on The Blue Hour, but everything seems to have opened up into a genuinely progressive, expansive and definitive body of work. Brett Anderson’s immediately recognisable vocal delivery and distinctive lyrics are more assured than ever, whilst the music sees the band play at the peak of their powers, with a visceral, brooding sense of dynamic and drama that is theirs alone. WEBSITE.
The final track on Suede's eighth studio album is 'Flytipping' a song that helps showcase 'The Blue Hour', the bands stunning new album. I've been a fan of the bands music since I first heard them back in 1993 (yep it's that long ago), and it's not that they particularly need Beehive Candy's support for any of their releases, but the sheer and consistent quality that is present continually across the new album is quite breathtaking. So much so, that I am excited and in turn compelled to run a feature.
It would be easy to write a cliche like "this is a real return to form from the band" however in fairness I don't think they have ever lost their creative instinct, rather with this collection of music, they have upped their game even further. At a time when many are questioning if whole albums are still relevant, Suede have produced one that really does deserve to be listened to in full, or as one whole piece. The above promotional background tells us more and it's a very fair & honest summary of the band and their work.
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