Reviews

Garbage

Bleed Like Me

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Review Date: 2005-04-13

Shirley Manson has in my opinion the best voice of any female currently singing any sort of aggressive music. When Garbage burst on the scene I like countless others bought right into it. Their debut album was so much different than all the other music at that time. The combination of the dark hard rock gothic background music, against the amazing voice of Shirley Manson spawned hit single after hit single. Somewhat inexplicably the follow up album (Version 2.0) wasn't nearly the commercial success, even though it was equally as wicked as the first. But then came "Beautiful Garbage" an album that abandoned everything that was original and exciting about Garbage and embraced a much more poppy, dancey type sound. It is the type of blatant non thought out cash grab that usually ends a band's career. So when I approached "Bleed Like Me" i did so cautiously expecting a bit of a trainwreck.

I never found the trainwreck. The bad news is that the band has more or less abandoned that hint of gothic/dark style in their songs. Some people might argue that it pops up from time to time on the album but whenever it does it just sounds forced, and fake. That first album they had it all figured out, why they can't figure it out again is beyond me but I think it is safe to say that gothic edgineess from the first album is gone for good. The good news is that they have carved out a neat little if not somewhat generic sound on this album. Shirley Manson's voice is always going to sound great, even if her lyrics are usually rather lame. The energy on this album is aggressive and very inspired. The band seems to believe in their sound again. At the hardest this album can be compared to Hole's hardest stuff, at the softest perhaps an edgier Yeah Yeah Yeah's.

I also think this album has Garbage poised for a resurgence. "Bleed Like Me" could have easily been released, received a few news stories here or there and then faded away only to bomb commercially. I'd be surprised if this album does that however, Garbage seems to have created a sound that is very relevant but yet unique enough in today's musical soundscape to salvage what was a dwindling career. Maybe the band was aware of how important this album was to their longevity, and that might explain the energy put into the record. It isn't without a few disappointing songs, and the highs aren't as high as the first two albums, but the gap isn't gigantic anymore.

The lead single and a recent track fu loser (unjustly if you ask me) "Why Do You Love Me" opens with a crushing guitar riff that sounds like it is off the new Velvet Revolver record and not Garbage. Shirley Manson is giving it the best she can here in terms of the intensity, but the song is tempered with periods where she tones it down and uses her kinda sexy but spicey softer voice. You get the feeling that Shirley Manson is a bit prickly if you ever get involved with her. The chorus is as basic as can be, but sometimes basic works and here i can't argue with it. It is catchy, and a perfect chorus for a lead single off an album by a band trying to re-establish themselves. At about 2:37 seconds Shirley is only accompanied by minimal instruments as she talks about her suspicions of being cheated on, after every sentence the big guitar riff comes back in and this is Garbage at their finest.

If you like your Garbage with a bit less intensity in it then you might wanna check out "Run Baby Run". This song isn't nearly as hard rocking but it works just as well if not better than "Why Do You Love Me". This song is totally carried by Shirley. The background is really basic, and the sound effects they choose to use don't add anything to the song and yet here I am saying it is a highlight of the album. Shirley Manson's voice on the chorus makes the entire song worthwhile. But this is a good example. This song is a microcosm for what is good and bad about Garbage. The lyrics are horrible, the band is lacklustre, but Shirley Manson's voice is excellent and the chorus is superior.

Hands down the best track on this album is the title track "Bleed Like Me". This is a slow burn song, and with the band taking a step back it allows for the listener to really have an intimate listen to Shirley Manson. And she does not disappoint, fuck even the cheesy blatant use of the drum machine in the background can't ruin the buzz this song gives. It seems that Garbage has always been under the impression they needed to be fast paced to work, and this song erases that myth completely. Shirley Manson in my opinion is held back by her backing band, and this song would be the only exhibit i need to prove it. I bet this will be the second single.

In the mood to listen to Garbage and dance, maybe use some glowsticks at the same time? "Metal Heart" is the elixir you are looking for. Specially built with pounding bass, industrial sound effects, and electronic elements for your hardcore dancing pleasure. Haha, no but seriously this a cool song and it has the closest you are going to get to the really hard jams the band used to do on some of the older songs. The kind where you just pound your head and forget about Shirley Manson for a minute, which isn't to say her vocals aren't great here because they are. They just aren't as much the focus.

Some of these songs though just don't seem to have very many redeeming qualities. The worst offender is called "Why Don't You Come Over". It has a kinda industrial/electronic type of sound and then in the chorus just a basic rock sound but it suffers from two major problems. A) That it is horribly repetitive, and B) The electronic/industrial background part of it is laughable. Can you say filler? It has been a long long time since Garbage's last record, you would have sworn they coulda avoided such filler.

A few of the other songs aren't great but that is the only really brutal song. All in all i have to say I was pleasantly surprised with this album. Honestly, I expected to be failing this before I heard the lead single. Once I did I figured maybe a 6, and even that was under estimating on my part. The verdict is still out on what Garbage does from here. I think if this album bombs like the last one they might very well break up, and that could be the best thing that ever happened to Shirley Manson potentially. But then again if this album does well they might be right back up and on the rise in the music industry. Either way they can sleep easily at night knowing that this unlike their previous album was not a half assed effort.

Songs you should download: "Run Baby Run", "Why Do You Love Me", "Bleed Like Me", "Metal Heart", "Boys Wanna Fight"

Score: 7.7

A quality album, and a surprisingly inspired one. Either of the first two Garbage albums woulda went over an 8 but this is still a step in the right direction. I bet they wish they could mulligan the third album.

- Dan