Antidepressants: Expanded＜限定盤＞

Suedeが昨年9月に発表した第10作『Antidepressants(邦題:『Antidepressants - 抗鬱剤)』が、重要な関連音源を収録したボーナス・ディスク2枚を追加して再リリース!

『Antidepressants』は批評家から高い評価を受け、多くのレビューでSuedeが現代的なアプローチを取り入れたことが称賛され、複数の音楽メディアによる年間ベストアルバムにも選出されている。商業的にも成功を収め、全英アルバムチャートで最高2位を記録したほか、世界各国・地域のアルバムチャートでもトップ40入りを果たした。

DISC 2には、力強い新曲「Emotionally Unavailable」をはじめ、未発表曲「Medication」、さらに「Overload」「Sharpening Knives」「Dirty Looks」などの貴重なレア音源を収録している。

DISC 3には、本年4/18のRSDで限定発売された『Antidepressants (Demos)』をCDとして収録。アルバム収録曲全11曲のデモ音源が収められており、初期テイクやシンプルなアレンジによるバージョンを通して、アルバム制作過程をより深く知ることができる内容となっている。

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Its rare to find a legacy band over 30 years into their career who are able to conjure the striking urgency and stylism of their classic early work, which is what Suede ably accomplish on their thrilling, emotionally engaging tenth album, 2025s Antidepressants. The album follows 2022s Autofiction, a recording that brought the group full-circle as they abandoned the grandiose qualities of 2016s Night Thoughts and 2018s The Blue Hour and returned to the spiky post-punk guitar tumult of their 90s work; all while exploring fittingly middle-age themes of mortality, alienation, and reinvention. Once again produced by longtime collaborator Ed Buller, Suede build upon that raw, stripped-down energy, leaning even further into guitarist Richard Oakes angular guitar riffs. Its a sound that manages to feel fresh, even as it evokes a vivid combination of Brian Eno, Scary Monsters-era David Bowie, Joy Division, and even the earliest U2. Much of this fresh intensity is due to singer Brett Andersons soulful, poetic gravitas; few rock singers have aged as well, both vocally and with a sense of their place in the pop firmament. Though he still conjures a darkly romantic, gothic world view, its one where a youthful flirtation with drugs and death has been replaced by the wisdom that can come with age. He underscores the notion on "From an Atom to a Star," singing "I wish there was more of life than is given to us/Like the rain thats washed away, its almost gone now." The opening trilogy of "Disintegrate," "Dancing with the Europeans," and the title track alone are some of the most thrilling moments in Suedes discography, especially since their 2013 reunion on Bloodsports. Here, Anderson delves into his varied passions, whether it be espousing the abiding transcendence of punk ("Broken Music for Broken People"), decrying the over-reliance on drugs to manage our emotions and happiness ("Trance State"), or celebrating his relationship with his son ("Sweet Boy"). All of these are fitting sentiments for a rock idol in his mid-fifties and he and his bandmates wield them with an assured maturity, moving between moments of anthemic uplift and bittersweet lyricism. With Antidepressants, Suede embrace their station as unlikely alt-rock elder statesmen, crafting an album that embodies a life well lived. As Anderson sings on "Life is Endless," "Life is endless/And life is a moment...oh, what a moment." ~ Matt Collar

批評的/商業的に成功した前作『Autofiction』(2022年)以来となる通算10作目。手の合うエド・ブラーが引き続きプロデュースを担い、ブレット・アンダーソンいわく〈スウェードなりのポスト・パンク・アルバム〉に仕上げたらしいが、まず単純に中身が素晴らしい! 現代社会の不安や孤独という主題がライヴのフィーリングでパワフルに表現され、耽美な"Disintegrate"や、否応なく"Trash"を想起させる"Broken Music For Broken People"など、状態の良さはどこを切っても明らか。ここにきてまだ進化することへの驚きと、継続してきたことの尊さを感じさせる、控えめに言っても再結成後の最高傑作だ。
bounce (C)轟ひろみ