Beneath the androgyny and drug-fuelled excesses of their leader Brian Molko, Placebo have always been a fairly conventional rock band. Their third album is another dark, angst-ridden affair which boasts plenty of attitude and a few strong tunes. But even its relative high points 'Special K' and 'Days Before You Came' - fast and frenzied, driven by punky guitars - are ruined by Molko's whining vocals and desperately pretentious lyrics. Ultimately Placebo sound like goth's afterbirth, a hollow and empty outfit who have already used up all their ideas. What did David Bowie ever see in them?