The history of music is full of acrimonious splits, but few were quite as nasty as that between Brett Anderson and Bernard Butler. The twin talents begind Suede suffered the mother of all personality clashes during the recording of their second album, leaving Butler in the wilderness and Anderson as the leader of a band that was never nearly as relevant again. Suede fans tend to be a gloomy lot, so most of them will be thinking this reunion surely can't be as good as their old stuff. But, wonder of wonders, it almost is. Butler's epic guitar lines can still send shivers down the spine, and Anderson has responded by writing his most vivid and stirring songs for over a decade. As the lyrrics ruefully acknowledge, there's a chemistry between this prickly pair that crackles with electricity and brings out the best in both of them. Why didn't they do this years ago?

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