Few bands in the '90s Brit-pop scene carried as much melodramatic weight as
Suede.
Singles, despite its generic moniker, does an excellent job illuminating the fact that
Bernard Butler and
Brett Anderson were far more
David Bowie and
Mick Ronson than the oft-cited
Morrissey/
Johnny Marr press quips would have you believe. The group's penchant for neo-glam excess and apocalyptic grandstanding inundated their entire time line, from 1992's "Animal Nitrate" and "Metal Mickey" all the way through to 2002's
New Morning, despite the switching out of
Butler for the flashier
Richard Oakes. While the group's 1993 debut and 1994 follow-up
Dog Man Star remain required listening for anyone with even a passing interest in the scene, this collection, paired with 1997's
Sci-Fi Lullabies, presents a near perfect picture of one of the late-'90s most underrated acts.
–
James Christopher Monger, Rovi