Placebo

A Place for Us to Dream: 20 Years of Placebo celebrates the nihilistic English alt-rock veterans' first two decades via a handsome two-disc set that also boasts a 32-page book of pictures curated by co-founders Brian Molko and Stefan Olsdal. Opening with the band's propulsive 1998 hit "Pure Morning," the perfect distillation of Placebo's seedy Suede-meets-Harvey Danger brand of goth and Brit-pop-tinged glam rock, A Place for Us to Dream drops a little fan bait early on via the soaring new single "Jesus' Son." Less sordid than live staples like "Nancy Boy," "Taste in Men," and "The Bitter End," all three of which are included here, it retains the group's nervy energy, but leans harder on the anthemic side of things. Obviously, the collection's biggest selling point over 2004's Once More with Feeling: Singles 1996-2004, is the inclusion of post-Sleeping with Ghosts gems like "Meds," "Infra Red," "Too Many Friends," and Molko and Olsdal's brooding rendering of Kate Bush's "Running Up That Hill."

Placebo have never been a critic’s band. An outsider experience, being shunned by the cognoscenti probably suited them – it certainly hasn’t harmed them, building a two-decade catalogue of goth-tinged, eyeliner-strewn anthems that seem to speak directly to their dedicated, explicitly loyal fanbase…

Belgian keyboardist Marc Moulin has been a jazz craftsman for more than three decades. A leader in the field of acid jazz, he began his career by playing the piano in the '60s throughout Europe. During the following decade, he established a band known as Placebo. By 1974, he had made a trio of albums, influenced by such masters of jazz as Miles Davis and Herbie Hancock.

Marc Moulin started off playing piano in the 60's all over Europe and then started a band called Placebo. Influenced by Miles Davis and Herbie Hancock, he pushed the boundries of acid jazz in the 70's, and is still quite a force today. Lot's of breaks and beats, funky basslines, synths, horn arrangements and fender rhodes for days. So damn good.