I couldn't have been more wrong. Brett Anderson's last solo LP, Wilderness, was so dire, I concluded he should give up soft acoustic sounds and revert to fronting a proper noisy, nasty rock band, where his overly mannered vocals and overly stylised lyrics would fit nicely in with the grind and clatter, like they used to in Suede's heyday. Anderson ignored this advice, and on Slow Attack he continues to pursue a more pastoral sound. All credit to him: he's nailed it. By bringing in a richer, more varied backing, dialling back on the rock-star vocal tics, working a little harder on the lyrics and, crucially, by teaming up with the guitarist Leo Abrahams (probably Anderson's best collaborator since Bernard Butler left Suede), he has found his new niche. With Wheatfields, Pretty Widows, Ashes of Us and The Swans, he's writing his best songs in more than a decade.
BA Songs BAS002