03

Garbage

Beautifulgarbage

Release date: October 02, 2001

With their first release in 1995, Garbage introduced a unique rock/alternative sound that distinguished itself from the grunge bands popular in those days. When they released Version 2.0 in 1998, they revolutionized music again, by fusing electronica and a little bit of euro pop with a edgier rock sound. The result was an album that produced five hit singles and was an even better album than their debut which was critically acclaimed.

The band has blown us away again.

Much in the same way Radiohead showed how rounded and talented they were with OK Computer, Garbage has given us thirteen tracks - each very different from the previous - and has proved without a shadow of a doubt that they're one of the best bands today no matter what genre they decide to write and record in.

The songs most recognizable to Version 2.0 's sound is the guitar driven first track "Shut Your Mouth" where Shirley Manson sings of being told what's right for her to do by the music industry and "'Til The Day that I Die", a love song with edge containing what sounds like DJ scratches at some points.

The new pop and fun sound from Garbage comes from songs like "Androgyny" and "Cherry Lips (Go Baby Go!)", two songs that sound almost nothing like Shirley Manson and everything like a teen pop singer. The basic music of "Cherry Lips (Go Baby Go!)" is an electronica-like beat with hand claps and bells thrown in when necessary.

Garbage goes 50's and 60's both lyrically and musically in "Can't Cry These Tears," a never ending search for something that she may not even know that she's looking for. Just a little more than halfway through the song however, they snap out of it for a bit, only to smoothly slide back into the sound that once again confuses us to whether or not this is a Garbage album or not.

One of the rare Garbage ballads which is also pulled off well is "Drive You Home." There's a slight 80's sound to this song, in the structure particularly as the chorus approaches. Always a sucker for the ballads, this track may very well be my favorite.

"So Like A Rose" is the second ballad and another style departure for the band, this time with a hint of indie rock. It closes out the album well.

A bonus reason to buy this album is the great CD rom program that comes with it. With this program, you can strip a song into four parts: vocals, keyboard, drums and guitar- and rearrange them in any order you want, or even combine them with other songs to create your own mix. I've spent many an hour mixing my own Garbage tracks with this program.

After Garbage's self-titled debut, the group had nowhere to go but up. Version 2.0 made the group famous worldwide and showed their vast range of music. It seemed to be the tip of the iceberg. Somehow, the group is still able to find new and unexpected ways to amaze as they continue their foray into all branches of music, making Beautifulgarbage a must have album.

What real reviewers said: The great thing about Garbage -- the thing that nobody wants to mention -- is that they are veterans, from frontwoman Shirley Manson to the three studio pros who play the instruments. They slogged through the trenches of alt-rock in the '80s, whether it was in the U.S. or the U.K., and they came together at the precise moment in the '90s when they could fashion modern-sounding music with a keen eye to the present and modern. They consciously picked up elements from shoegazing, trip-hop, and indie rock -- anything sonically interesting in the underground, crafting them together with skill and a keen commercial eye. On their third record, BeautifulGarbage, that's more evident than ever, from how they approximate contemporary R&B with the sultry "Androgyny," or the Minneapolis new wave bubblegum funk of "Cherry Lips (Go Baby Go!)," or the bluesy PJ Harvey-strut of "Silence Is Golden." It's all the more evident because this has a shiny, sugary, unabashedly pop coating, an element that Garbage clearly revels in, as well as should the listener. This is every bit as enticingly postmodern as their other albums, and it sounds distinctly Garbage -- there are elements of My Bloody Valentine crashing up against Tricky, post-Madchester dance, jangle pop, goth stance, and classic pop -- but they seem less like magpies, more themselves, which means BeautifulGarbage is a more consistent record. It's unlikely to storm the charts like their first two records, especially since there aren't standout singles like on the earlier albums, but overall the record works better, perhaps their best album.

Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide

Singles: "Androgyny"

Also check out: "Can't Cry These Tears", "Drive You Home", "Untouchable", "Silence Is Golden"

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