Garbage - Bleed Like Me

In times like these, I’m reminded of the immortal words of Iago the Parrot in the movie Aladdin: “I think I’m gonna have a heart attack and die from not-surprise!” Don’t get me wrong; that’s not bad. After a four-year hiatus, Garbage are back, and it doesn’t seem they think any time has passed at all. In fact, they still seem to think it’s 1996, bless their hearts. It’s funny, because back in 1996, they were a little bit odd, eschewing some of the conventions of modern rock in favor of more pop elements and a dash of techno. Slowly, rock took their lead and started becoming more soft-core. Garbage, however, remained exactly the same. Version 2.0 sounded precisely the same as their eponymous debut, as the title indicated. Then, after the behemoth failure of Beautiful Garbage, they faded away into the night. Now that they’ve returned, it’s a lot like they were cryogenically frozen.

Some would call it consistency, others a lack of originality, but I think both are a little off the mark. Garbage isn’t stuck in one sound and laboring in vain, as other bands are. Instead, they’re taking their time mining a particular time period of music long after the rest of the music world has moved on. The mid-90’s were a great time for music, and ten years later, Garbage are the only act that really retain that polished filth aesthetic that the 90’s had captured. It’s so very odd, however, since when they first came out, they were the most un-grungy of grunge bands.

Garbage can always be relied upon the provide a sweet bit of nostalgia, and Bleed Like Me does not disappoint. The first track makes it very clear that we can check our iPods at the door. Also, Shirley Manson successfully pulls off the catty, ever-so-slightly slutty persona she got down to a fine art in the mids-90’s, driving all the ugly grunge boys nuts. Her sultry voice is soft enough to make it very appealing, but edgy enough make you squirm in delicious dirtiness. “Run Baby Run,” the best track on here, combines beautifully the hard with the soft, and is just impassioned enough to sound honest. The first single, “Why Do You Love Me,” takes that formula a bit to far, but the head-banging quality of it brings the memories back to me in a flood, and with it, I smile. Honestly, when was the last time you heard a band that made you want to head-bang? Could it be 1996?

Garbage’s blast from the past is nothing but fun, though it means that they have absolutely no opportunity for growth. Really, though, this band has very little growth potential from the very beginning. Three of the four members were over 30, so that makes them over 40 now. They were producers and studio musicians that found a good public face, one that is not only intense and energetic, but young and sexy as well. Even so, Shirly Manson is not merely a pawn. She takes just as much responsibility for the band’s writing and musical direction as any other band member. What results is a band that sustains a musical movement that is worth sustaining, and Bleed Like Me is just another in the progression. There are no surprises here, but no let-downs either.

Prime Cuts:
Run Baby Run
Right Between the Eyes
Sex is Not the Enemy

22 Rating: 11