Here’s another of those great sophomore albums that improves on already impressive debuts.
I was a casual Garbage fan based on their self-titled first album, a sultry blend of hard-edged alternative techno that introduced the criminally charismatic Shirley Manson to the world. But I wasn’t prepared for the adrenaline rush of their follow-up record, Version 2.0.
Garbage isn’t strictly a 90s band like some on this list. They released albums in 2001 and 2005 and apparently have a long-awaited fifth record on the way in just a couple of months.
But their first two — and best — albums were released in ’95 and ’98 and that’s when I felt the biggest impact.
Garbage’s second album, Version 2.0, just missed my recent series on flawless albums. The album sags just the tiniest bit toward the end, mostly because today’s SOTD is such a tough act to follow.
But before that come eight truly excellent tracks, varying stylistically and thematically, that taken as a song cycle match up with just about anything. The band would go on to release two more solid albums before taking a hiatus they’re still on, but nothing they’re produced compares to the opening barrage of this record.
My final installment in this week’s ‘sexy series’ is the only one who’s part of a group. But, like her friend and contemporary Gwen Stefani, Shirley Manson so dominates the men surrounding her that they may as well be session musicians.
I’m sorry, that’s not fair to Bruce Vig and the rest of Garbage, who co-write all of the songs, play instruments and work magic in the studio. Garbage is so successful because of the way that musicianship and production wizardry blends with such a charismatic lead singer. Shirley Manson could no doubt embark on a solo career but I doubt she’d be as effective as she is when taming the mechanical bull of a band that plays behind her.
I won’t lie… today’s song is sort of a placeholder before I begin another theme week tomorrow. In my blog queue, I have a handful of songs that I’ve collected but never written about or featured. I grab them because I like them but they don’t make it onto the blog because I don’t really know what to say.
Not that there’s anything wrong with that. As the old saying goes, writing about music is like dancing about architecture, so being at a loss for words over a particular song is in no way a knock on the song or the artist. On the contrary, maybe it’s the songs that you can’t explain away, the ones that appeal to you for reasons you can’t express, that really matter.
Meet Me In Montauk 