https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GpBFOJ3R0M4
Oh such a classic
The album starts off with "Sometimes", an oddly beautiful intro. This track is very sultry, armed with wonderful strings and gorgeous piano work, all things that Garbage have worked with in the past. The electronic pulse that comes in is solid too, it comes off sounding like some really old school Nine Inch Nails, and as far as lyrics go this is all just what we've come to know from Garbage. Shirley Manson's performance here is the real show-stealer though, she is just such a fantastic band leader. Her performances are always so chilling, and here is no different, adding plenty of tension to "Sometimes". Everything here just keeps creeping upwards and upwards. There's nothing catchy though, nothing sweet, it's a straightforward introduction. While it's a solid intro, I just feel like there's literally nothing at all that I haven't heard from Garbage here. Up next though we have "Empty", which honestly all around is just a fantastic single. "Empty" has a catchy guitar riff and a great electronic rock sound that they've really perfected over the past couple of years. The synths are strong, Shirley just sounds fantastic, and some of those breakdowns are really freakin' heavy. More or less, "Empty" is the closest Garbage have come to the sound of their first two albums in years, and is just a great reminder of how solid of a band they are. The music of Garbage has always had such a solid mysterious tone to it, take for example "If I Lost You". This entire track is puzzling, from the off kilter pace of everything to the keyboards constantly teasing their grand entrance. Everything on "If I Lost You" is surrounded in shadows, and absolutely nothing is up front except for the performance of Shirley Manson. It's not the most exciting track here, but everything about this one is just so damn interesting that I can't help enjoying it. This whole fantastic atmosphere that Garbage have done so well in putting together over the years continues on "Night Drive Loneliness". The intro riff is just so flat out cool and mysterious. "Night Drive Loneliness" is far from the peppiest track here, quite the contrary, this one is just so slow and lumbering. But it's fantastic, and Shirley Manson's performance compliments it tremendously. Not to mention there's just so many great little details here, like those strange knocking sound effects we occasionally hear, but I think the real star here is just how dark and depressing Garbage have become. Now I know what you're thinking, Garbage have been one of alternative rock's darkest figures for years. However, their music always had some pop elements that complimented the band so well, such as catchy choruses. There is absolutely none of that here, for most of the album too. This is just more dark, and more depressing and more emotionally heavy than ever.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSa_hbutFt0
For the most part this album is pretty darn solid, outside of a few boring or just too damn long tracks. Take for example "Blackout", which starts with a solid distant pulsating beat, reminiscent of Nine Inch Nail's "Year Zero". "Blackout" is one of the dreamier moments here, despite it's loud crunchy guitars. While Shirley sounds much more reserved here, it ends up working wonderfully, as it adds to the all-around dreaminess of this one. "Blackout" has all the elements of a really fantastic Garbage tune, it's very creepy and the guitars are just so piercing. However, there is absolutely no reason this track is so damn long! I mean, this tracks almost 7 minutes, and it really doesn't need to be at all. Then we have "Even Though Our Love is Doomed", which starts off really well! It's slow, heavy, and veiled with a strong sense of mystery. My main problem with this one is, that's all I've really heard on the album up to this point, and I would do anything for one of Garbage's more catchy hooks right about now. And it's such a shame, because lyrically and performance-wise, this is one of the most stunning moments of the entire album. Instrumentally though I really need a little oomph, and I just don't get that throughout the entire track. And guess what! I do get a little something different on the next track, but God does it ever come at a price. "Magnetized" is a much more electronic track with an upbeat pace. Firstly though, the intro takes way too long. The keyboards tease their entrance seemingly forever before they come in. They do finally materialize though, and instrumentally this is a great track. But lyrically, whoa nelly is this bland. Every lyrics here is just so shallow and legitimately un-interesting, but bonus points for at least helping me wake up Garbage. Oh boy and then we have "Teaching Little Fingers to Play". This track starts off super slow, and very mysterious. And while at first everything seems like all sounds well, those keyboards come in and just sound super awkward to be honest. The chorus here tries to be all heartfelt and strong, but it just comes off as insanely cheesy. The verses are "ok" at best, but Garbage can do so much better, especially with slower material.
Lets wrap this up shall we! Outside of "Teaching Little Finger to Play", the last third of the album is actually really strong. Take "We Never Tell" for example, which starts off with a funky guitar riff straight out of left field. But it works to be honest, it brings in that slight pop appeal that Garbage has used to their advantage in the past. The beat here is uplifting, and Shirley gives us one of her coolest vocal performances of the entire album. There's plenty to dig here, from the slight industrial sound, mysterious delivery, everything you can expect from Garbage honestly. Then we have "So We Can Stay Alive", probably the most electronically driven track of the album. Not only that, but this is easily the most intense track here as well. And can I take a moment out to just say, Shirley Manson sounds sexy singing about anything basically, but her performance here is sexier than usual. Those blasts from the guitars are absolutely brutal, and when the other instrumentals pop in everything comes together really nicely. Everything about the atmosphere on this track is completely right, just the right balance between electronic music and hard rock. I mean if I had a single complaint about this one, it would be that it's a little long, but it still works fantastically. Then we have the album's closing track, "Amends". This one starts off with a chilling distant beat, with some light guitars thrown in on top that really make a very dark atmosphere. Manson's vocal performance is solid, lyrically this is just plain interesting, and the chorus might be the most haunting moment of the album. "Amends" is honestly just a gigantic finale, especially when those massive electronic elements come in. Not to mention, this is one track here that deserves to be this long.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MB3YDxSuxD4
Rating: 7.7/10
Give A Listen To: "Empty", "Amends", "We Never Tell", "So We Can Stay Alive"
Overall Thoughts: Like I said earlier, I never really know when I'm truly going to enjoy a Garbage album. This one surprised me though, for the most part it's really solid. I mean, if they brought in a few more catchy choruses and took some of the longer tracks and cut them down a bit, this album could have been absolutely stellar. That being said, I really feel like this is a strong return for Garbage, and these are some of the best tracks I've heard from them in years.
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