Garbage - Garbage
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Free Music Notes for Garbage
Free Music Review: The classic debut
Hit: 5 Stars
When one looks back at the alternative rock scene that dominated the first half of the 90s, Garbage's self-titled debut album immediately comes to mind as a defining album from that movement. A decade old as of this writing, "Garbage" (1995) has stood the test of time and not only contains some of the best singles from the 90s, but is a modern-day classic.
"Garbage" has many elements in its sound which can explain its broad appeal. The songs are so incredibly infectious and danceable, fans of dance-pop (Madonna, Janet Jackson) are sure to enjoy the album. But "Garbage" is undeniably a rock album, first and foremost. With crunching guitars, intense drumming, and a charismatic frontwoman, a more rock inclined audience is sure to dig "Garbage" as well. Garbage's music also encompasses an element of 70s/80s cool new-wave. In a sense, Garbage was like an updated version of Blondie for the 1990s, so fans yearning for a new Debbie Harry are sure to appreciate Garbage.
Another reason "Garbage" struck such a chord with the public is there really wasn't another band quite like them. There were bands that were precursors to Garbage, like Curve, and My Bloody Valentine, among others, but they didn't take off and explode as Garbage did, for whatever reason, probably due to marketing and timing. Garbage's debut came out at the perfect time. In an era of post-grunge, where many up-and-coming bands were clearly derivative of Nirvana and Pearl Jam, Garbage's brand of rock/pop/retro offered a refreshing change of pace. While Garbage's cynical themes fit the disparaging alt. rock 90s like a glove, the lyrics are often tongue-in-cheek. In this sense, Garbage had the best of both worlds: cynical lyrics for cynical times, but with the playful, sexy trimmings of Blondie.
Because the musicians of Garbage, Butch Vig, (drums) Steve Marker, (guitar) and Duke Erickson, (guitar) were made up of first-rate producers, namely Butch Vig, they knew how to craft songs meticulously and methodically. They also happened to be great songwriters' to-boot. Great songwriters and producers' aside, the band still needed the perfect singer...enter Shirley Manson.
While working on songs for their new band, Vig, Marker, and Erickson spotted the Scotch-born Shirley Manson on MTV. At the time Manson was the lead singer for (the underrated) Angelfish. Knowing Manson would be the perfect singer, the band sent out the word and a short time later Manson joined the group, thus Garbage was born.
It's one thing to have great songs and producers, but the perfect singer is needed to put a face on the music and the image. Truth be told, Garbage without Manson would have been like Van Halen without David Lee Roth. Without Manson, Garbage most likely would have been a good, but untimely forgettable band, a footnote in the 90s. While the songs on "Garbage" are excellent, no doubt, it is Manson that truly makes them shine. Truly a gifted singer, she can change from sounding sensitive to indifferent, seductive to vengeful, passionate to passive, all in a single breath. While her beautiful voice can enchant, it can also scorn. Much like Nico before her, Manson is a true femme fatale. Manson proved to be very popular with males and females alike. Her self-confidence, integrity, and self-empowerment no doubt struck a chord with a female audience. Being extremely attractive, a femme fatale, a sort of black widow, was no doubt appealing to men.
Garbage's unique brand of electronic pop/rock is demonstrated immediately with the seductive "Supervixen." Manson sounds as though she gets sadistic pleasure as she plays with the listener, telling her audience to "bow down to me." The off-beat "Queer" is equally seductive, and quite mesmerizing, leaving a lasting impression. The album's massive hit, the super infectious "Only Happy When it Rains" is without doubt, one of the greatest rock songs from the 1990s. It both epitomizes and mocks the self-involvement and narcissism of generation X. If Manson had toyed with the listener up to this point, she now shows her teeth with the aggressive "as Heaven is Wide." With its almost Black Sabbath-like riff, with electronic trimmings, it makes for an intriguing and captivating listen. The good-but-not-great "Not my Idea" is cut from the same cloth and keeps up the momentum. The somewhat spacey, "Stroke of Luck" shows traces of both beauty and darkness, as Manson lets her guard down as she sings "did you know I was lost until you found me." One of the catchiest, most memorable songs on the album, the vindictive "Vow" is both unforgiving and seductive. An ode to female empowerment, Manson shows her contempt for the dimwitted in "Stupid Girl." The hard-rocking but danceable "Dog new Tricks" keeps the album moving along. "Garbage" saves some of its best songs for last and demonstrates its mastery of pop-craft with the lush "My Lovers Box," and "Fix Me." Like most Garbage albums, the self-titled debut ends on a morose note with the cheerless "Milk," which leaves a lasting feeling.
Ten years old, Garbage's self-titled debut album has aged well and sounds as good today as it did back in '95. "Garbage" stands as one of the finest albums from the 1990s and is an essential cornerstone to add to any modern rock collection. People unfamiliar with Garbage are best served starting off here with the self-titled debut. But Garbage is no one-album-wonder band, and people who like what they hear here are advised to buy "Version 2.0," (1998) "Beautiful Garbage," (2001) and "Bleed Like Me" (2005).
Free Music Review: BEST BAND OF THE 90's
Hit: 5 Stars
How does a young man who went through high school listening to nothing but Ice Cube, Too Short, Dr. Dre, NWA, House of Pain, Cypress Hill, Run DMC, Ant Banks, Spice 1, Digital Underground and countless other rap acts graduate from high school and upon entering his second year in college all of sudden fall in love with a band from Wisconsin consisting of three producer geeks in their forties and one fire headed female singer from Scotland? Easy...they're that damn good. I remember hearing the single "Only Happy When it Rains" in 1996, seeing the video and feeling like I was witnessing something very special. I had already been turned on by many other alternative bands before them...most notably Beck and Weezer, but here was something completely different and new. Isn't that such a blessing in rock music? Different and new? That's just what Garbage was. I went out and bought the single to "Rains" and there were two bonus tracks on there..."Girl Don't Come" and "Sleep". These two songs were just amazing, they blended hip hop beats, melancholy melodies and the haunting but lovely crooning of Shirley Manson. I thought, if these two songs are this good and were left off the album...the album must be pretty decent. I was hooked...I went out and bought this album just as I was leaving my Uncle's house for a six hour trip back home. I listened to this album again and again and again the entire trip on my walkman. I remember by the time I got to the last song, "MILK", I was on an emotional rollercoaster...never had an album done this to me. It seemed like every song on there was a gift. There's just something about this genius that is Butch Vig and coupled with the vocals of the scary, beautiful, sad, attacking, haunting Manson...they were just able to create something so fresh. I'm telling you...buy this album and really listen to it. It is one of the best albums of the 1990s without a doubt...it belongs up there with "Odelay", "OK Computer", "Nevermind", "Siamese Dream" and "The Chronic".
TRACK #1: "SUPERVIXEN" Up beat, whineing guitars that pause, noise but soft vocals by Shirley.
TRACK #2: "QUEER" Their first hit single...this song feels very European, French, trashy, seductive...jazzy. A song inspired by a newspaper article Vig read about a man who paid a prostitute to sleep with his son. Shirley is super sexy on the vocals..teasing us..."You can touch me."
TRACK #3: "ONLY HAPPY WHEN IT RAINS" The song that made me fall in lvoe with them. Fast, catchy, heavy, unique. A shot at bands like Nirvana and Pearl Jam for acting like being a rock star is so terrible that we can only sing sad songs all the time. Shirley shows she is a unique singer in a business where most women sing the same.
TRACK #4: "AS HEAVEN IS WIDE" A heavy, eerie song that is just a driving force with attacking lyrics that can scare you stiff. A fearless long.
TRACK #5: "NOT MY IDEA" A more up beat, do-do-do song with a wolf in sheeps clothing message. Shirley shows us she's not a little girl, she's dangerous.
TRACK #6: "A STROKE OF LUCK" Probably the most haunting song they've ever done. Dark, gothic, cold but beautiful. One of my favorites of the non singles.
TRACK #7: "VOW" Their first single, a lot of effects, hard rockin'...Shirley Manson had arrived!
TRACK #8: "STUPID GIRL" They're biggest hit to date. With the beat from The Clash's "Train in Vain" this was the most catchy song on the album and caught on quickly with the majority. Very fashion show, elegant maybe.
TRACK #9: "DOG NEW TRICKS" My least favorite on the album...it just never grabbed me like the others, but still a decent track.
TRACK #10: "MY LOVER'S BOX" Another sad love song, haunting, heartbreaking. Shirley makes you fall in love with her.
TRACK #11: "FIX ME NOW" The song that grew on me over time.
TRACK #12: "MILK" My favorite song of theirs from the first listening to today. This song is so emotional it nearly made me cry after first hearing it. Shirley pouring her heart out, wanting to be loved by anyone. It's such a sad, melodic song with lyrics to cut. Also Shirley's personal favorite song of the album.
If you're going to get this album...get the Japanese import. It has two bonus tracks on it...their first song ever "Subhuman" which is very raw, ugly, dirty and intriguing and one of my all-time favorites..."#1 Crush"...seductive, sexy, breathless...like making love with Shirely through the stereo.
Garbage is one of the best bands of our generation and deserve more respect than they've been given...writing this four days before the release of their fourth album "Bleed Like Me"...let's hope the album takes the world by the b**ls!
Free Music Review: An excellent album from an unfortunately-named band
Hit: 5 Stars
Butch Vig is an alternative rock legend. He's helped produce albums for bands like Nirvana (their seminal NEVERMIND), Sonic Youth, Smashing Pumpkins & Soul Asylum. But I guess maybe he was looking to get a taste of the same success the bands he was producing were having. However, Vig was almost in his 40s, so he may not have been acceptable to the youth-oriented alternative rock scene & fanbase. So he formed a band of his own (in which he took a supporting role as drummer), made up of cracker jack musicians like himself & an enigmatic, sexy, yet talented chanteuse with the intriguing name of Shirley Manson. Thus, you had Garbage, which may have been the name of the band, but the music was far from it.Their 1995 self-titled debut album came along when Nirvana had ended too soon with Kurt Cobain's suicide, Smashing Pumpkins released their landmark double album MELLON COLLIE & THE INFINITE SADNESS & Sonic Youth releasing their own masterpiece WASHING MACHINE. With all those headlining bands, Garbage had their work cut out for them, yet they managed to find a measure of success in their own right & with a sound more conducive to pop radio stations who were reluctant to add alternative to their playlist.
"Queer" was the first song to make it to the public & the title alone was enough to prick up a few ears. But instead of being a song about homophobia, it's about the strange & unknown (the original meaning of the word "queer"), with Shirley Manson's detached-yet-admirable voice taking the listener into that state of nothingness the song suggested. Songs like "Milk" (don't ask me what this song is about), the positively-eerie second single "Stupid Girl" (which I still think is Garbage's best performance thus far) & "Fix Me Now" are other great examples of Shirley seducing the listener just by the sound of her voice.
But the bulk of GARBAGE is chock full of grungy guitar riffs & propulsive rhythms that were so evocative of mid-1990s rock. The third single "Only Happy When It Rains" (with its unlikely hook "pour your misery down on me"), "Not My Idea", "Dog New Tricks" & "A Stroke Of Luck" prove Ms. Manson can rock with the best of them & even turn a good lyric (I believe she's the band's primary songwriter). Elsewhere, there are songs that point towards the future, like "As Heaven Is Wide" & "My Lover's Box", which hint at the more pronounced techno influence that would come into play on VERSION 2.0 (1998) & more recently on BEAUTIFULGARBAGE (2001). While the production by Butch Vig may be a little more stylized & polished than an alternative rock band would want, that in essence helped Garbage find an audience with those pop fans who didn't often tune into alternative rock radio. In the end, it still rocked like hell, too.
With an alternately innovative & throwback sound, a looker of a frontwoman & just plain good old-fashioned charisma, Garbage arrived on the music scene in 1995 with a lot of promise. For my money, they've made good on it many times over. However, some fans of their self-titled debut have cried foul at Garbage's journey into techno territory on their two subsequent albums. I think it was only logical, seeing as the production on GARBAGE was more glossy & commercial than NEVERMIND, which helped bring alternative rock out of Seattle & into the world spotlight.
GARBAGE was the album that helped make Almo Sounds Records, the new label set up by Herb Alpert after A&M Records, which he also helped found, was swallowed by the Universal-Polygram merger of the time. While one would wonder why an old cat like Alpert would want to get in on the alternative craze of the time, that's what helped make A&M Records a success in the first place: his knack for knowing talent when he saw it & just being in the right place at the right time.
That also worked to Garbage's advantage, because for the first time (with the exception of Hole), the female perspective was brought into the previously male-dominated world of alternative rock. Alanis Morissette may have helped a lot also, but Shirley Manson had a lot more femininity than her, making her more palatable to the public. Since then, Garbage has done almost no wrong in my opinion & it all started with a self-titled album that was certainly not garbage in any way, shape or form. Rather, it was a keeper all-around!
Free Music Review: LOVE THIS BAND
Hit: 5 Stars
So what is one to think when the producer of Nirvana's "Nevermind" teams up with some old musician friends of his to form a grunge band and then recruits a relatively unknown female Scottish redhead with a syrupy voice and saucy attitude to be the lead singer? If your guess is that the band produces absolute garbage, you are CORRECT! But this band is anything but trash. Since 1995, Butch Vig, Duke Ericson, Steve Marker, and Shirley Manson have been providing an escape from the monotony that dominates radio airwaves. "Garbage" the band's self-titled debut is one of the most amazing musical experiences there is: where other music is poppy, happy, and easy on the ears, Garbage is an angry, pulsating message of sexuality, vibrance, and emotion encased in scraping guitars and electronica.SUPERVIXEN: One has to wonder if Shirley Manson is talking about herself with this one. The guitars are really crunching in this song and the verses create a perfect tension that comes exploding out in the lyrics of the chorus.
QUEER: This one is quite eerie and seeing the video only makes it more so. Everyone has their own interpretation of what this song is about but there is a general consensus that it is creepy. "I know what's good for you... I know you're dying to... You can touch me if you want..."
ONLY HAPPY WHEN IT RAINS: The quintessential song about depression, ironically set on the background of relatively peppy music. Shirley almost sounds peppy when she teasingly asks you to pour your misery down on her.
AS HEAVEN IS WIDE: A very dark and raspy song that deals with betrayal; this one expresses everyone's deepest and most vicious revenge fantasy.
NOT MY IDEA: This song is kind of playful and dangerous at the same time. I think we can all empathize with the staccato repeating chorus, "This is not my idea of a good time, this is not my idea of a good time..."
STROKE OF LUCK: The beginning to this song has the sound of wind blowing. This and MILK have the distinction of being the only two slow songs on the album. This song also deals with betrayal but with a touch of sadness as opposed to anger.
VOW: This is the type of song you want to play in your car with the windows rolled down. It's a real standout on its own. There's something mesmerizing about its anger, "I came to knock you up, I came to shut you down, I came around to tear your little world apart, break your soul apart."
STUPID GIRL: A nice, steady song with crunching guitars that is easily accessible. Very catchy. This one was a hit single.
DOG NEW TRICKS: A very abrasive song that deals with depression but from a less emotional viewpoint. I think everyone has uttered Shirley's groggy, "I wish I had not woke up today" at some time in his or her life.
LOVER'S BOX: For some reason, this track isn't very memorable for me. There is something kind of cliché about the chorus, "Send me an angel to love" and I can't imagine Shirley Manson and family ever trying to get to heaven.
FIX ME NOW: This song has always seemed very poignant to me. There is something about the retro guitar chords harmonized with Shirley's sad and enfeebled lyrics that really does take one down to Shirley's level and can understand the tearing plea of the chorus.
MILK: Don't even try to guess what this one is about. It's a very good song though and it commences the tradition of the last song on a Garbage album being the slowest on the album. The chorus is extremely haunting: "I'm waiting, I'm waiting for you."
Essentially there is no point in listing my favorites for this album because virtually every song would qualify. Butch, Duke, and Steve's music in conjunction with Shirley's perfectly sultry and powerful voice inflect this album with an energy and emotion that stays with the listener long after the songs have stopped playing. I used to compare this band to No Doubt, but now I can't understand where I got that idea. Garbage has no comparison, it speaks for itself. Garbage is a band which straddles the lines, refusing to be labeled as pop or grunge or electronica or anything except what it is. It is also worth mentioning that they not only fulfill but surpass their lethal promise on their sophomore album VERSION 2.0.
Free Music Review: Garbage at their Best
Hit: 5 Stars
This definitely is the best Garbage Album that was released. Self titled Garbage, each track is very original with unique lyrics that range from many emotions. 1.Supervixen: this song is very good. The electric guitar does have some good solos. Also, the vocals of Shirley shine in this piece.
"If you like it to much, you can always pull out..."
4/5
2.Queer: one of the songs that was released as a single, the song isn't much driven by frantic guitar or percussion but rather a much more mellow feel. This song does a great job of catching audiences as it does have a very memorable melody.
"Learn to love the pain you feel, like father and son..."
4/5
3.Only Happy when it Rains: this song is driven by the sound of the electric guitar accompanied by rather softer percussion beats. Another released single from this album, this song yet provides with another catchy tune with distinct lyrics.
"I only smile in the dark, my only comfort is the night gone black..."
4/5
4.As heaven is Wide: this song has frantic drum machine sounds. One of the haunting songs within this CD, but is less memorable of them all. The vocals are very hard to hear in this piece because the layering of the instrumentation over powers Shirley.
"If holy is as holy does...takes your conscience as it falls..."
2/5
5.Not My Idea: this track has a great drive by the guitars as well as nice percussion beats. The lyrics and the melodic structure are very likeable and has become one of my favorites.
"You thought that I would never see what was meant for you was meant for me..."
5/5
6.A Stroke of Luck: this piece is very haunting. It is a ballad, well a ballad that is meant for Garbage. It is great; the instrumentation is very haunting and dramatic. The vocals are well done in this piece, as well as the melodic structure of this piece. Very good chorus as well.
"Nothing could seem to touch me...Did you know I was lost until you found me..."
5/5
7.Vow: another released single from this album that is a great piece overall. This song has a great drive through strong guitar instrumentation. The percussions drive is also helpful to portray this song's hardcore driven emotion of revenge.
"I came to shut you up, I came to drag you down..."
5/5
8.Stupid Girl: another released single that is one of the best tracks in this CD. The Bass line, percussion, electric guitar, and melodic structure of the lyrics is very memorable. They all help to make this piece very good.
"What drives you on, can drive you mad..."
5/5
9.Dog New Tricks: this piece does have nice guitair accompaniments but the rest all falls short within this piece. The lyrics aren't good, nor is the melodic structure. Least favorite track.
"Dog New Tricks, You make me feel so worthless..."
2/5
10.My Lover's Box: this piece has nice percussion as well as electric guitar accompaniment. The lyrics are great, especially with Shirley's vocals. This piece shows her vocals and how they can be very soft and angelic like even during a rock driven song.
"My lover's charms are in a box...cherish them, until the very end..."
5/5
11.Fix Me Now: this piece has very strong percussion beats and one very distinguishable guitar melody. The lyrics and melodic structure though is very forgettable. Another least memorable track that I easily skip to move onto the next song. The only thing that can keep me to listen to the entire track is the Chorus which is opposite from the entire track.
"bring me back to life, fix me now.."
2/5
12.Milk: this piece is the slowest song on this album. It has a nice melodic structure help created by the keyboards. The instrumentation is very haunting, as well as the vocals.
" I am lost, so I am cruel, but I would be love and sweetness if I had you..."
5/5
Compared to Garbage's other album, this album has definitely has to be the greatest. This CD shows the original direction that garbage was heading towards. I would recommend this CD for all fans of garbage, or even to those who are looking for an alternative group.