Following on from two brilliant albums, Placebo's Brian Molko must have wondered what to do next to keep up the momentum. 'Black Market Music' falls just short of classic status but sometimes not by much. The overall feel of the album is harsher, more industrial and therefore more difficult to love initially. Patience is rewarded for the committed listener though, as there are enough adrenalised anthems here to keep the fans happy. Molko's voice is still reassuringly high-pitched which may be bad news for some but great news for the faithful; capturing frustration, anger and various other repressed emotions in his tiny frame. 'Days Before You Came' and 'Slave To The Wage' are energetic in the best Placebo tradition and even though 'Blue American' isn't one of the better "slow ones" the group have ever produced, 'Narcoleptic' makes up for it and is a worthy bedfellow to the last album's 'Ask For Answers'. There's no real skin-shedding on 'Black Market Music' but this is a classic case of "If it ain't broke, don't fix it".