I never said I was perfect... (Beautiful Garbage - Garbage)

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Product:	Beautiful Garbage - Garbage
Date:	26/09/01 (241 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: A tremendous step forward for the band mixing classic pop with darker elements, 'Cherry Lips', 'Breaking Up the Girl', 'So Like a Rose'

Disadvantages: Long term fans may be a little non plussed by certain tracks, 'Nobody Loves you' gets a little tedious

There comes a time in every bands life when renewal and change is the only option to move forward. Despite both the excellence and success of Garbage’s second release, ‘Version 2.0’ the nagging feeling that it xeroxed the sound of their debut a little too closely was always present. The hint of a larger record collection then had previously been suggested was there, as was a definite acquaintance with classic intelligent female fronted pop, particularly on the Pretenders referencing ‘Special’. However, in general the album stuck a little too closely to what had already been a proven successful formula. On the evidence of this, their third album, Garbage have noticed this deficiency themselves and have set about righting it. Thus whilst the endlessly fascinating Garbage format of textured electric beats, snarling distorted guitars and Shirley Manson’s sharp, sultry and often flagellating vocals remains on certain tracks, Garbage have opening up their sonic palette in a manner it would be hard to imagine from their debut.

At times here the band sound like: Blondie, the Go-Go’s, any classic Phil Spectre produced girl group, Mazzy Star and occasionally all of these at once. There is notable hat tipping to the sound of modern R & B and in amongst all this frothy hook boasting nonsense a couple of the most abrasive tracks the band has recorded to date. However, in general there are no two ways about it, ‘Beautiful Garbage’ is the band’s ‘pop’ album. It’s frequently unashamedly commercial, wearing sparkling pop textures with pride, yet the there are also some moments that are almost absurdly moving and touching. As you would expect from a band which boasts three producers amongst its ranks, the sound is once again elaborately and eloquently created, but this time Garbage have truly managed to also capture a human spirit inside their once gleamingly prefect yet somehow emotional
ly dead world. Garbage were good, nay excellent before but with this album they’ve crossed the line and are now headed down the road marked magnificent.

The cult of Shirley Manson is now writ large upon the collective consciousness of the alternative scene and indeed the mainstream world in general, so it is hard to imagine that Garbage were once best known for the presence of one of the ugly, old balding blokes at the back. Yet without drummer Butch Vig it is unlikely the band would have gained the initial flurry of interest that accompanied their arrival in 1995. Although Vig had played in a number of equally obscure bands in earlier years, his name had been made by his production talents, production in particular of one album; Nirvana’s seminal ‘Nevermind’. Vig also produced the Smashing Pumpkins debut ‘Gish’ and its landmark follow up ‘Siamese Dream’ as well as Sonic Youth’s first two albums for Geffen. The band’s genesis began at Vig’s Smart Studios where he and the other more anonymous members of the band, guitarist Duke Erikson and bassist Steve Marker where working on re-mixes. Their work led them to some creative expression of their own but they quickly realised that a vocalist was required. The much told tale of Manson’s recruitment, involves Marker watching MTV when a video by Manson’s then band Angelfish came on and he knew he had found their singer. Manson had formerly been a member of minor indie band Goodnight Mr Mackenzie but given the then under achievement of Angelfish it was perhaps unsurprising she accepted the invitation to work with Vig et al.

The band’s brooding self titled album emerged in 1995 at a time when the US alternative scene was undergoing something of a crisis. The death of Kurt Cobain in 1994 had seeingly precipitated the collapse of the entire grunge movement as its key bands staggered around in the aftermath. Peal Jam h
ad gone completely insane and would not recover their wits until 1998’s ‘Yield’, whilst the drug habits of the members of both Stone Temple Pilots and Alice in Chains were threatening to bring both their careers to an abrupt close. Meanwhile in the UK, the native indie scene had finally gone overground with the Brit Pop movement which rejected many of the tenants of grunge. Of the established US scene leaders, only the Smashing Pumpkins grasped the nettle and chose to attempt an update of the grunge sound, with the epic and overblown theatrics of their third album ‘Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness’.

Into this vacuum burst Garbage with a innovative mix of electro, almost dance influenced beats and synth textures, together with a melodic sensibility that almost recalls 80s electro-pop and the bleeding heart of grunge’s ferocity in both bleak guitar maelstroms and bruised but beautiful melodies. The production was ultra modern, seamlessly weaving in samples and fuzzing the guitars up in a disturbing but compelling fashion. The dead stops in the riff on ‘Super Vixen’ remain a landmark. At the heart of it all were Manson’s vocals, by turns sexy and terrifying. The formula proved both extremely successful and highly influential. In the wake of the record, a number of ‘copy cat’ style band’s arose including the likes of Transistor and the Sneaker Pimps and the sequancer chic which characterised Garbage’s approach found its way into the sound of a surprising number of bands.

As noted earlier, the 1998 sequel to ‘Garbage’, ‘Version 2.0’ was not a massive progression in terms of style or sound. The production remained razor sharp, the vocals perfectly poised and the song writing as confident as ever. What was noticeable was perhaps a small acknowledgement of the mainstream acceptance that the debut had gained them. The edges were blunted a
little, pop hooks were sprinkled a little more liberally. ‘Special’, ‘I Think I’m paranoid’ and ‘When I Grow Up’ were down right addictive. There was also a notable flirtation with more sparse and slower tracks, the raining keyboards of ‘The Trick is to Keep Breathing’ and the breathy whisper of ‘You Look So Fine’ hinted at a growing maturity.

‘Beautiful Garbage’ then is something of an enigma. On the one hand it is clearly the work of the band who created its two predecessors. Tracks such as ‘Shut Your Mouth’ or ‘Silence is Golden’ draw clear lines of correlation from earlier triumphs. Whilst the sparse emotional poignancy of ‘Cup of Coffee’ or the tender love song which is ‘Drive You Home’ clearly developed from the same muse that created ‘You Look So Fine’. However, Garbage also branch out in directions that you would have not predicted. Whether updating the classic Spectre ‘Wall of Sound’ on ‘Can’t Cry These Tears’ or suggesting Destiny’s Child impaling themselves on a barbed wire wall of guitar on flyer single ‘Androgyny’ or 'Untouchable' Garbage frequently take the unexpected route and whilst the results are in general ‘more commercial’ they show both originality and above all flare.

Opening song ‘Shut Your Mouth’ is almost an apology for what follows, so closely does it stick to the blue print Garbage set out on their first two releases. This is classic full on, full fat Garbage; a menacing statement of intent. However, it is telling that it’s not until the near half way mark of ‘Silence is Golden’ do we get another track which could have so comfortably fitted on ‘Garbage’ or ‘Version 2.0’. The track opens with a bad tempered guitar riff and a thudding bass enhanced beat.
Manson’s vocal is a half spoken snarling monologue, half way between sarcasm and honesty. A spinning stutter sends us spiralling into a winning chorus, charged with barbed hooks and a carefully paced but venomous vocal. A guitar tinkles malevolently in the background adding to the icy feel generated by Manson’s voice. The lyrics are a prickly tangle, taking swipes at ageing female career women “Would you confess / If we ask? / That you nurture / The urge to declare / That it's time to settle down with a man of your own / You want a baby / A family / A piece of security.”, and artificial pop stars “We know your music / But of course we never buy it / It’s too fake man” whilst also mocking societies reaction to these stereotypes. Thus the ‘we’ is not merely Mason et al, although it is unclear how inclusive she wishes to be at this point. There’s a stripped back middle eight that bristles with poison lyrically, with the backing spinning an enticing web, whilst the closing harmonies on the final chorus are almost sugar sweet. The track manages to expose the schizophrenic tendency in Garbage’s approach, without ever letting the tension drop.

After the breathless rush of ‘Shut Your Mouth’, flyer single ‘Androgyny’ is something of a shock. The decision to make it the opening single of the album campaign was certainly a brave one as the track has predictably split the fan base right down the middle into those who are shocked by the direction and those who welcome the variety and they way Garbage have effortlessly incorporated a new influence into their sound. The track begins with a tinkling production flourish which clearly resembles the work of R & B master producer Timberlake, whilst both melody of the verse and Manson’s sultry vocal could have been effortlessly emulated by the likes of En Vogue. The guitars charge in during the chorus, probably much to
the relief of the long term fan base, but they are welded to a melody which is adhesive as chewing gum is to bus seat. Manson’s counter point vocal of “Boys....Girls” is delicious as is the string surge which accompanies the middle eight, shimmering with sparkling keyboards and an almost innocent lilt to Manson’s voice. The lyrics are perhaps a little obvious for a song entitles ‘Androgyny’: “Boys in the girl’s room / Girls in the men’s room” but this is a small price to pay for three minutes of such elegantly poised pop music.

‘Untouchable’ is also clearly cut from the same cloth but gets even closer to an ‘urban’ feel. Those same tinkling keyboards accompany an ‘Ah’d’ vocal introduction which could have come straight out of Destiny’s Child’s big book of vocal tricks. Whilst the squelchy guitars and scratching over the chorus would almost be at home on the recent Aaliyah album. The track indeed perhaps goes a little far as the result is closer to pastiche rather the update and the fuzzy shoe gazing-esque guitars of the middle eight don’t really fit at all.

‘Can’t Cry These Tears’ on the other hand shoots off in a completely different direction, opting for a retro rather then contemporary inspiration. The track is a clear attempt at prime period Rubbettes or the Supremes with a nod to Burt Bacharach on the melody and Phil Spectre in the production. Chiming bells swirl around a mix of harmony vocals and swooping strings. The backing swoons behind Manson’s vocals on the verse before building into a soaring crescendo during the wide screen splendour of the chorus. Modern touches abound within the classicism, in particular during the insular drum tunnel of the middle eight, before whisking the listener into a gorgeous candy coated guitar solo with string flourishes for good measure. The end result si
ts mid way between fitting tribute and effortless remix. Lovers of the darker end of Garbage’s repertoire may be appalled but this really is terrific stuff.

If existing fans are unconvinced by ‘Can’t Cry These Tears’ then goodness knows what they will make of the pair of unrepentant pop tracks which form the album's pivotal point, ‘Cherry Lips’ and ‘Breaking Up The Girl’. ‘Cherry Lips’ has already been mooted as a possible second single, showing no sign of pandering to the constituency that may have been alienated by this more mainstream approach. A surprise it may be, but even the most hard bitten opponent of bubble gum pop must admit that this is a text book example of how to make wonderful chart music. Developing out of an odd little farting keyboard bass line, the vocal is hardly recognisable as Manson: higher pitched and delivered in a breathy and ‘girly’ fashion, the song practically bounds along, pulsing with youthful energy. Suddenly however, the crunchy guitars jump in and the song is transformed so that you could be listening to the Go Gos, complete hand claps and Manson adopting a half ironic punk priestess raised eye brow. The middle eight swoons with chiming bell pianos borrowed from ‘Can’t Cry These Tears’ before shooting down into the closing outro of “Go baby / Go baby” . This is the sort of track with reaffirms your faith in pop music, it’s frothy, energetic and utterly enjoyable.

‘Breaking up the Girl’ opens with rising tide of strings and guitar but the mood is clearly dictated by “dododo’s” of the intro. Within the first thirty seconds it’s clear that we are in Blondie territory here, with Manson affecting an almost perfect impression of a deep Debbie Harry vocal and the guitars seemingly oblivious to the task of bludgeoning the listener, choosing instead to lightly caress.
The chorus has a vintage hook with Manson positioning her delivery between anger and pity both toward the protagonist and the antagonist. A clever little guitar solo leads into a final refrain raised up a key before spinning back into the “Dododo” of the intro. Again terrific stuff and a track which raises the question why don’t more band’s have a go at this sort of stuff?

In amongst all this pop there are also several ballads which add emotional counterweight to all the frivolity. ‘Cup of Coffee’ is almost unremittingly bleak, raining pianos and ghostly background noise forming the key themes, whilst Manson’s vocal coldly essays her obsessional behaviour. There isn’t a chorus as such, more different melodic movements, joined together by what sounds like a possessed string section. The middle eight with its litany of worrying post break up behaviour is particularly disturbing “I smoke your brand of cigarettes and prey that you might give me a call / I lie around in bed all day / Just staring at the walls.” The sombre mood has a kind of twisted beauty to it, as the closing line reveals one final irony “It took a cup of coffee / To prove that you don’t love me.”

‘Drive You Home’ is equally slow paced, but the mood is completely different. Manson’s vocal is poised and considered but charged with tenderness and sadness. Like ‘Cup of Coffee’ the lyric and the performance seem to be terribly personal and affecting. Mason manages to connect emotionally with the listener in a manner all to rare. The song at first lacks the rich embellishment of other songs, beginning with just a slightly treated acoustic guitar and Manson’s vocal, sounding almost empty in the sparse soundscape. Even the chorus, which rises out of the verse like a ray of light, illuminating the musical darkness, is hardly in keeping with the band’s usual kitch
en sink approach to arrangements. The lyrics however, seem to contradict the accompaniment at this point, switching from the almost weary positively of the verse “Its funny how / Even now / You still support me” to depressing negativity, “Walk on shells tonight / Can’t do right tonight.” The female harmonies which swoop in during the chorus are delicately moving as is the lead vocal throughout. The song seems to articulate the resigned sadness of a relationship which is failing on both sides, without ever really knowing why. The crucial line “I never said I was perfect / But I can drive you home” seems to indicate acceptance, but of exactly of what is never quite made clear.

Shattering the gloom of ‘Drive You Home’ comes an upbeat single guitar line, which sounds faintly like early New Order and signals the beginning of ‘Parade’. From this innocuous beginning the song suddenly explodes in an orgy of noise, with guitars and synths flying around the mix and sounding rather like it was produced by Fatboy Slim. The track is apparently the fastest thing Garbage have ever recorded, but despite these dance floor flirtations, in particular the repetition of a scratched sample claiming “I like it right now, right now” melodically the track is a standard Garbage rock track, coming complete with a juggernaut of a chorus. I suspect it will be a single release at some point and may manage to convince the shocked that Garbage haven’t gone completely soft in their old age.

There are other tracks which recall Garbage’s earlier work more closely. ‘Silence Is Golden’ with its gentle, even fragile vocal melody is almost beaten to death by the crushing weight of the guitars on the chorus and introduction, managing to create a curious interpretation of the classic quiet-loud formula. Despite the dance inflected opening sample and jangly guitar on the introduct
ion to ‘Til the Day I Die’, the thumping percussion and raging guitar on the verse closely resembles a slightly updated ‘As Heaven is Wide’. Meanwhile the nearly gothic melodrama of ‘Nobody Loves You’ will please those with a penchant for such things, with lyrics such as “There is a hole inside my arm / Where all of my love pours out” and graveyard-esque atmosphere. However its almost tedium inducing length and somewhat weak melody make it one of the weaker pieces on offer here.

Closing track ‘So Like a Rose’ however, shows Garbage change tack one last time and prove once again the eclecticism is no bad thing. Fuzzing into shape on a breeze of blured guitar, the track is an ethereal, untouchable thing of beauty, with Manson coming on like a worldly angel, her voice a husky croon and harpsichords slowly descending on the central refrain like distant comets. The track has more of a hint Mazzy Star, mixed with the early work of Spirtualized (before Jason Pierce became too obsessed with orchestras), whilst the guitar solo is pure Smashing Pumpkins circa Adore; a hazy wave of semi melodic feedback. The track however, raises itself to true classic status by the sumptuous vocal outro, an extended wordless croon buffeted on a wave of strings, synths and a low guitar.

‘Beautiful Garbage’ is a brave album, and one which by its very nature my lose the band more fans; who may well be horrified by some of the pure pop antics pulled off here, then it gains them. However, for those whose music taste is more catholic, there is a wealth of rich material to bathe in. Veering from bubblegum to semi goth within the course of a couple of songs may be a tricky task to pull off but Garbage manage it here elegantly.

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