Now, now, friends. No fighting, only Placebo love!!!
Placebo are currently my favorite band, even surpassing U2. I first heard them about a year and half ago. I had read fan reviews criticizing Brian's voice before listening to any of their songs, so I was anxious to hear it. He can definitely sing, and while his voice is unique, I obviously don't find anything wrong with it. In fact, I think it's refreshing that he doesn't sound like everybody else out there...but I digress!
Placebo aren't for everyone, but I'd definitely give them a try. They've got great rocking songs, hypnotic ballads, and a couple of bouncy pop rock songs. And when I say rocking, it's in the way that I think some people wish U2 would rock. Just turn up the guitars and go for it, but still with melody and good songwriting. I saw them live a year ago and was thrilled at how good a show they put on. Their live concert DVD is fantastic.
If you get something by them, I agree that you might want to start with their recent greatest hits collection (called Once More With Feeling) and go from there. Or it might be fun to figure out which album you were listening to and get that one.
I'll stop now.