The return of the return album from the Britpop pioneers.
Only in retrospect does it become clear how appropriate the title of the lead single was: “It Starts And Ends With You”. Because Suede’s sixth album in 2013 was not only a new beginning, but also an attempt to make the unloved predecessor A NEW MORNING (2002) forgotten. In fact, Suede took a step back, hiring the producer of their first three albums, Ed Buller, and re-recording keyboardist Neil Codling, who left in 2001.
Seen this way, BLOODSPORTS also cancels the failed electro experiment HEAD MUSIC (1999) and builds on the pop sound of COMING UP (1996). The album title was no coincidence either: BLOODSPORTS was, as singer Brett Anderson says, “possibly the most difficult record” his band has ever recorded, “but also the most satisfying.”
BLOODSPORTS is a hinge, rekindling the passion of the debut and giving the group enough confidence to venture into dark dramas like NIGHT THOUGHTS and THE BLUE HOUR. The re-release comes with a second CD that includes all eight of the era’s bonus tracks, including the barbed whip “Nothing Can Stop Us.”