Unlikely masters of the three-minute single, Placebo have been consistent during their nine-year reign as mascara'd pedlars of existential pop. However repellent frontman Brian Molko may have become, his ability to articulate the pervy adolescent fantasies of legion misfits over brittle melodic rock carved out a seamy, profitable niche. But having hit upon a winning formula ("Teenage Angst", "Nancy Boy"), Molko's reluctance to change his tune, literally, over time means a retrospective such as this suffers from needless repetition. To Placebo's detriment, their song has remained the same.

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