10 Best 1990s Alt-Rock Albums You Need To Hear
5. Placebo - Without You I’m Nothing (1998)
Without You I’m Nothing redefined alternative culture. Placebo had laid the groundwork down with their self titled album, a record that set up up as the gender-bending, emotional self-proclaimed weirdos. Then in 1998, they took this and ran.
Placebo were the antithesis of the lad-oriented British indie music that dominated the Isles, they were the alternative to everything popular. Their first album saw them coming to terms with their exploration of gender and place in this world, whereas Without You I’m Nothing tightened everything to romantic punk perfection. They used the album to process the emotions of breaking as a band without a place in this world.
Like many sophomore albums Without You I’m Nothing samples the comedown to the highs of fame. Placebo allowed a generation of misfits to belong by being their own authentic, cross-dressing, openly sexual selves. Gender was imperative to the band and it is their legacy.
Many Placebo songs have become enormous rock hits, none least Pure Morning and Every You Every Me from Without You I’m Nothing. Although overplayed, both songs are perfect alt-rock anthems and sum up exactly what it means to challenge against the grain. Placebo were the kind of strange that saved kids lives.