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ALBUM COVER -- Uni/Interscope
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'Beautifulgarbage' just pure trash
By Dan Miller
Flat Hat Associate Editor
It's easy enough to get three relatively active, middle-aged studio musicians and one foxy female vocalist and create a pop product. Garbage, however, has always pushed the limits of pop by helping to bring electronic elements into the mainstream and experimenting with odd samples and studio techniques.
On the band's latest release, "Beautifulgarbage," singer Shirley Manson and company created a better album than most bands are capable of, but it is ultimately disappointing for a variety of reasons.
The uneven album starts off strong with "Shut Your Mouth," a track that is as close to a "typical" Garbage song as you'll find. A fusion of electronic and organic sounds with ballsy, intense lyrics and vocals, "Shut Your Mouth" is easily one of the best songs on the album.
"Androgyny," the album's first single, comes next and is just as good as "Shut Your Mouth." The two songs are engaging and feisty -- everything listeners have come to love from Garbage -- but aren't particularly thrilling when taking into account the bold strides the band made with their eponymous debut and its follow-up "Version 2.0."
The album comes to a screeching halt with the third track "Can't Cry These Tears." A throw-back to the "sha-la-la" music sensibilities of the '50s and '60s, "Tears" is a tedious track with a lame hook. The effort to explore this style was nice, but unfortunately the song falls flat in the opening seconds..The rest of "Beautifulgarbage" is full of peaks and valleys. "Parade" is the album's highlight, with an energetic chorus and melody. "Cup of Coffee" doesn't fare as well and never manages to draw the listener in.
As a rule, the more energetic tracks are the better ones. The final songs give the album a soft ending, which should be poignant, but instead make it seem to peter out. "Milk" from their debut and "You Look So Fine" from "Version 2.0" are examples of quiet songs that still manage to close the album with an impact, unlike "Beautifulgarbage's" ending track "So Like a Rose."
While drummer Butch Vig, guitarist Duke Erikson and bassist Steve Marker seem to have dropped the ball, Manson is in full form. Her lyrics are as sharp as ever. They include the fiery temper Garbage fans have grown to love as well as a new, tender side. Her newfound depth is refreshing, and it is a shame that the music couldn't support her.
"Beautifulgarbage" is disappointing on many levels, including its lack of musical innovation, but its most disappointing feature is its boring melodies. Garbage have always managed to create embellish their melodies with cool effects and studio tricks, but this time around it's all gadgets and no soul.
BeautifulGarbage - ** 1/2*
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