CD Review: The Tears "Here Come The Tears"

Before Oasis and Blur brought about the Britpop revolution of the ’90s, Suede ruled the UK airwaves. The group’s self-titled debut gave us glam guitar hooks from Bernard Butler and the sultry voice of Brett Anderson. After two successful albums and accolades from every UK music press outlet, however, it became clear not all was pretty for Suede, as Anderson and Butler were newly dubbed the “Morrissey and Marr of the ’90s.”

Anderson and Butler’s relationship grew sour during the recording of Suede’s sophomore effort, Dog Man Star, and Butler soon left to embark on a solo career. Instead of breaking up the band, Anderson kept the Suede name, brought on guitarist Richard Oakes and kept issuing more Suede releases with its remaining members, bassist Mat Osman and drummer Simon Gilbert. However, those subsequent Suede albums didn’t quite hit the mark. The same could be said for Butler’s solo career, which spanned two mildly lauded albums.

After the release of Suede’s fifth and last album, A New Morning, the band broke up. Then rumors surfaced that Anderson and Butler had buried the hatchet and were talking about recording together again. Fans rejoiced at some recent UK shows, and now the fruits of this duo’s labor have arrived in the form of The Tears—and their arrival is more than welcome.

But was the return of Brett and Bernard worth the wait? It depends on how you look at it. Since they are the only remaining Suede members on this release, some might view it as a Suede album, despite the Tears namesake. Judgment of Here Come the Tears will certainly differ for the hardcore fan versus the casual listener.

Opening song “Refugees” features the signature Brett/Bernard sound with its glam slide guitars, string sections and Anderson singing, “You are the dust and I am the rain/Let’s go out in the rust and let’s gather the change,” with as much theatrical adoration as on Suede’s debut.

Other songs have similar melodrama, such as the opening symphonic chords in “Imperfection,” the sadness conveyed in Brett’s voice during “The Ghost in You” and Bernard’s dark guitar handiwork in “Brave New Century.”

The album continues with more of the same lush style fans have come to expect from this dynamic duo, and the songs are beautiful in their own right, but the punch has lost some of its power. Here Come the Tears is a good release with some beautiful moments, yet marred by some flaws. The reunion might have come too quickly, but hopefully, it holds strong and their musical palette remains colorful. If the next release has a little more effort, the real gifts can be bestowed upon the masses.

Rating: 4.5 out of 6 stars

Taken From: http://www.ambitious-outsiders.com/reviews/thetears.html