Feature: Placebo grows up on 'Black Market Music'

Placebo--frontman Brian Molko, bassist Stefan Olsdal, and drummer Steve Hewitt--formed in London in 1994 out of mutual love for theatrical rock and roll, and broke through in the U.S. four years later with the single "Pure Morning." The band's latest album, "Black Market Music," was released in the U.S. and Canada on Tuesday (5/8), and a U.S. tour is now underway.

Olsdal, who first met Molko in Luxembourg during their primary education, said that he's noticed a natural change within the group in the three years since the release of "Without You, I'm Nothing," its sophomore album.

"It's quite inevitable as a band. As people, we learn things," Olsdal said. "Basically, albums are snapshots of what you are at that time. We were barely 20 when we did the first record and had a lot to get out of our systems. On 'Black Market Music,' we are more focused as a band. We don't want to do shows hungover anymore. We have responsibility to each other and the fans to make good music and play good shows."

"Black Market Music" (Virgin) was issued in much of the world last October, and there's been a steady buzz surrounding the new material. The album has sold more than 750,000 copies globally, and has yielded European hit singles such as "Taste in Men" and "Slave to the Wage." Though Molko has drawn much attention for his signature glossy Goth look of lipstick and mascara, the band wants be known for more than its appearance.

"If it were entirely about image, we would be Milli Vanilli," Olsdal said, laughing. "I think if one can take the music, it will stand by itself without the makeup. But [the theatrical aspect] is something that is very much a part of us. We believe we have to do something that's a bit visually stimulating and visually appealing. And most of us, too, want to look good. We're not working in a bank for a living, so why not do it right?"

The subject matter of Placebo's lyrics is typically dramatic, addressing issues like homophobia, voyeurism, racism and gender/identity.

"With today's musical climate, everything is so completely pop-oriented and it's basically entertainment," said Olsdal. "There's not much substance. 'Black Market Music' has a lot of depth. The title itself is a bit under the counter.

"We actually enjoyed making this album, whereas our mental state with 'Without You, I'm Nothing' was different. We kept ourselves sane with this one. It's also a coming-together of what we set out to do the first two albums. We didn't quite get there last time, and with this one we did."

Aside from its musical endeavors, Placebo has a love of film. Molko appeared in 1998's "Velvet Goldmine," an independent film about the U.K. glam scene in the '70s. The band covered T. Rex's "20th Century Boy" for the soundtrack, and later performed it with David Bowie at the 1999 Brit Awards.

The band also considered joining the cast of the unreleased Judas Priest film, "Rock Star," but that thought was brief.

"When we got to the second page [of the 'Rock Star' script], it was about a band with poodle hair, go-go boots, and feather boas," Olsdal said. "We don't want to be a rented band for an industry, and that's what that description portrayed to us. We identified with the 'Velvet Goldmine,' and that's why we did it. But you have to be really careful what you choose."