Popular English rock band Placebo came out with their seventh studio album titled “Loud Like Love” on Sept. 17.  

With only 10 songs and one bonus track, the album is brief yet filled with large amounts of personality.  

The last album Placebo released was back in 2009, so many fans were eager to see what Placebo prepared after four years of waiting, and the “Loud Like Love” album certainly has its strong points. 

The first track which is actually titled “Loud Like Love” is probably the best track overall. 

It really sets the tone for the entire album featuring great instrumentals and of course the signature, although sometimes whiny, voice of lead singer, Brian Molko. 

What really stood out to me in this song and the overall album was the great talent of Placebo’s drummer, Steve Forrest who creates such bold and clear music that it’s hard to not individually praise his work. 

In the next track “Scene of the Crime” the song really speaks about some sort of sexual experience that seems to be happening even though the title doesn’t suggest it. 

“I’ve got a body to hide/ You’ve got a body on show/And with our bodies entwined / We will know paradise,” include some of the lyrics. 

The only issue I would have with this song and a few of the other songs in the album is that the lyrics tend to repeat over and over again. 

For example, in this song the words “scene of the crime” are repeated over ten times in one verse. 

The next song, “Too Many Friends,” is perhaps the weirdest and random of the album and had me raising my brows at a few points. 

The song starts out with the lyrics, “My computer thinks I’m gay / I threw that piece of junk away / On the Champs-Elysées / As I was walking home.” 

After listening a couple of times, however, it is easy to pick up that the lyrics are clearly talking about the negative side of the internet and the loneliness and sadness it can sometimes bring.

“Hold On To Me” is the next song on the album and is one of the more mellow tracks.

Although it does have the same repetitive lyric problem the instrumentals are again something to be noticed, the drums being my favorite part of the song. 

The fifth track on the album is probably my favorite. 

Even though it is basically about sex and rebellion the overall tone to it is really up beat and catchy. 

The lyrics are pretty great as well with the main phrase being, “Rob the bank then take me home/But take me home/And make love.” 

The song reminds me of some sort of great action movie that I would want to watch. 

The next song, “A Million Little Pieces” is a somber track about a failing relationship and maybe even a possible desire for suicide however. 

The instrumentals are great and the song features a really nice piano sound. 

“Exit Wounds,” the seventh track, has cool electronic drum sounds to it. 

Even though Placebo is considered an alternative rock group they are also pretty well known for incorporating some electronic elements to their sound which I was happy to hear being brought back into this album as well. 

Following that is the song, “Purify,” one of the louder and heavier rock tracks of the album. 

The lyrics definitely are attractive in the way that the lead singer describes his apparent lover: “You’re so my kind / Erotic and divine / I gotta testify to how you purify / To me you’re more than a human / You’re more complex.”

The next track “Begin The End,” is similar to the track “A Million Little Pieces” in that it has a more somber sound and is about a rocky relationship. 

A decent song, but easily not one of the more memorable tracks of the album.

The last song on the album, “Bosco,” closes out the album in a mellow tone and is more romantic than a lot of the other tracks. 

It is interesting the band chose such a strong song to open up the album with and then picked such a soft track to close it out with, but it seemed to work for the album itself and its overall personality. 

“Loud Like Love” proves to be a solid album for Placebo and is genuinely great to listen to. 

Despite the occasional repetitiveness of lyrics and sometimes whiny lead vocals, the album is a big win for Placebo and their winter tour of Europe is sure to be a success.