New Morning [Extra tracks, Import]

Suede | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 29, 2002)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Extra tracks, Import
• Label: Sbme Import
• ASIN: B00006NSG4
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (42 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #228,043 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Positivity

2. Obsessions

3. Lonely Girls

4. Lost in TV

5. Beautiful Loser

6. Streetlife

7. Astrogirl

8. One Hit to the Body

9. When the Rain Falls

10. You Belong to Me [*]

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Although more up and poppy, this is still a beautiful album, October 16, 2002

By 

L. Furr II (Mechanicsbug, PA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: New Morning (Audio CD)

After several years of waiting, Suede finally gives us their fifth studio album and, I'm happy to say, "A New Morning" was worth the wait. Track 1.) Positivity is pure pop brilliance that gets instantly stuck in your head. Producer Steven Street adds just enough strings to make respectable an otherwise poppy Tony Hoffer (the first producer) production. Track 2.) Obsessions is like a "Coming Up" version of "New Generation" with Alex Lee on harmonica for good measure. You'll be humming the chorus all day. Track 3.) Lonely Girls begins with a Simon & Garfunkel style, strummed acoustic guitar, piano and viola, then later bongos and full strings come in to fill out the sound for an over-all Bowie-esque feel. Track 4.) Lost in TV is a great song made up of acoustic guitars and organs that has a poppy melody reminiscent of a Lightning Seeds songs and chorus vocals that allude to Queen. Track 5.) Beautiful Loser is a disappointing song for me and is in stark contrast to the lovely, mellow Lost in TV that precedes it. It's written in the gritty and raunchy fashion of "She" or the b-side "Bored," but not nearly as catchy or addictive as either of those. The really interesting thing is Brett sings on this song in a style I haven't heard him use before. Toward the end his vocals take on a raspy, throaty quality that I can only compare to Paul McCartney. Weird. Nonetheless, it's probably my least favorite song on the album, followed by my second least favorite song on the album, Track 6.) Street Life. This is more rehashed "Head Music" era Suede. Fast tempo with typical Suede-styled vocal distortion like the chorus on the b-side "Together," only not nearly as technically well done. This one is growing on me though.

Then comes the second half of the album, where things get really interesting. While the first half is very poppy, after the style of "Coming Up," the second half sees Suede exploring new territory and sounding like they never have before-and the result is fabulous. Track 7.) Astrogirl is an interesting song. It makes full use of strings and lounge-style piano. The chorus is full of chords and key changes that bring Pulp to mind, and the song in general sounds like Bowie-always a good thing. Track 8 includes two songs on one track, "Untitled" and "Morning." Track 8a.) Untitled is a lovely little song that is atmospheric and melodic from start to finish. Richard and Alex sing lovely backing vocal harmonies throughout. Track 8b.) Morning is another simple song using acoustic guitar complete with finger-sliding squeaks and a cheesy synthesizer. If Michael Stipe sang this song it could be easily mistaken as an R.E.M. song-that's a fist for Suede. Track 9.) One Hit to the Body starts out nice and mellow then picks up a little momentum in the chorus. I hate to keep comparing these songs to other groups, but if Martin Rossiter sang this one it would be a Gene song. Which perhaps doesn't say much considering that Gene sound a lot like Suede in the first place. Track 10.) When the Rain Falls uses a funky bass and lounge piano for a sound that I instantly liked. The harmonies have a 70s feel to them and Brett speaks some of the lyrics toward the end, which is also a first for Suede. After a short break, Track 11 begins, which, like Track 8, includes two songs on one. Track 11a.) You Belong to Me is a bonus track included only on the limited edition, first pressing of "A New Morning." It's a poppy piece with synthesized strings and Brett falsettos, not nearly as prevalent on this album as normal. Brett kind of sing-speaks the lyrics in a Kevin Rowland of Dexy's Midnight Runners style. After about 10 minutes of silence, Track 11b.) Oceans begins with a crackly recording that sounds like vinyl. This is a hidden track and a gem of a song that would be right at home on "Dog Man Star." The annoying thing is you have to either wait or fast-forward through "You Belong to Me" and the 10-minute silence every time you want to listen to it. It's one of those songs that always seems to end to soon.

Over all "A New Morning," which varies from pop, to mellow summer tunes, to late-night lounge acts, is definitely better than "Head Music" and I think after repeated listens it will surpass "Coming Up" as well. It can't really be compared to either of Suede's first two albums, and quite honestly, until Bernard Butler rejoins the group, Ed Buller produces, and Brett gets addicted to heroin again, Suede will never make another "Dog Man Star." Holding "A New Morning" up to the standards of "Dog Man Star," it would only be a 3-star album. Comparing it to everything else out there on the radio today, it's by far a 5-star album. But, we know what Suede is capable of, and so I give it 4-stars. "A New Morning" will go down in history as an important Suede outing. Brett's voice is sounding better than ever, though I miss all the falsettos. Steven did a fine job producing. The mixing is nice too, though I'd like to hear the bass lines a bit louder. Basically, "A New Morning" is Suede stripped down, writing melodies that are both catchy and melodic. Even when multiple instruments are used, the production keeps the sound short, sweet and tight. Reading the reviews about a "new, happy Suede" I though I'd hate this album, but I was wrong. It's an album that any Suede fan will enjoy, if not eventually love.

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A True Return to Form for Suede, November 28, 2002

By 

James Baker (Highland, NY United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: New Morning (Audio CD)

Let me start of by saying this is not on the level of dog man star. There will never be another dog man star, until Bernard rejoins. Get that through your head, and you will discover that A New Morning is on a par with if not better than the better than it should have been comeback album, Coming Up. The tracks here are infused with an energy and yes, "positivity"
that was so sorely lacking from the tepid and terrible Head Music. In fact, Head Music was so bad it nearly put me off Suede for good, but I decided to take one more chance... I'm glad I did.
This album has taken the Suede formula and injected some nice new flourishes, like the bleating rawness of Bretts voice, the harmonica on "Obsessions", the accoustic interlude of the title track. The tunes are solid, and yes it may be familiar, but in a comforting way rather than a repetitive one. Ignore the naysayers! Skip this one and you're doing yourself an injustice.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Suede offer up a decent but disappointing final album, June 13, 2004

By 

Sakos (United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: New Morning (Audio CD)

In the wake of their late-2003 break-up, this is Suede's final album. And while a solid album, it's rather weak and certainly their worst effort. Anderson's voice no longer has the coked-up whine and snarl of old, which works on the more polished songs but sounds rather thin on other songs. Overall Suede seem to have been going for a more mature sound here, and it shows. However, some of Anderson's lyrics are almost self-parodic, such as the "beat of the concrete streets" and "you belong watching CCTV"...topics he'd written about many more times and much better in the past. However, there are some great songs on here, such as Positivity, Beautiful Loser, Lonely Girls, the suite of Untitled......Morning, and the near-perfect Astrogirl.