An open letter to Neko Case was posted to Turntable earlier this summer. I wrote a similar one to Brett Anderson, lead singer of Suede and The Tears.

Dear Brett,

I love your voice. I’ve loved it since I first heard “Beautiful Ones” on the radio years ago. My favourite one, though, is “Still Life” the last track on Dog Man Star. The way you howl in the middle of the track: “Still life / All I ever do / There by the window quietly killed for you.” It makes me shiver every time. Some people think your singing is weepy and girlish. They’re right. Your singing sounds girlish and weepy, but that’s why I love it. On one song though, “Trash” your singing irritates me. It sounds like you had some helium before going to studio. Maybe you didn’t like it either? You did re-record the vocals for Suede’s singles compilation.

Almost all of your lyrics are terrific. Of course this is just a fanboy-opinion, but I think most people agree that you’ve made some brilliant things. Early on, you really hit the feelings of kids stuck in suburbs in the 90’s. Even if I didn’t know a thing about suburbia, drugs, love, or depression, when I first heard Suede you made it possible for me to imagine it.

I even liked A New Morning. Nobody really hated Suede’s last record, it just didn’t matter anymore. I think that you and Bernard should keep The Tears alive. Though you were dropped from your label there must be plenty of chances for your band. It’s been ten years since Suede was big, but people still remember you. It doesn’t matter if you have only hardcore fans nowadays, so does Morrissey. Here Comes the Tears was a wonderful album and you should do more records with the Tears. It would be a pity if a song like “Europe After the Rain” was never recorded. You could have it so much better.

Yours,