Pros: Finally getting a release from Garbage after so many years...
Cons: Put it back in the oven, it ain't quite done yet...
The Bottom Line: In a tragic departure from Garbage's (successful!) hard-hitting songs and lyrics, this new experiment disappoints those looking for the same sounds of self-titled and Version 2.0.
dtoombs's Full Review: Beautiful Garbage by Garbage
First off, let me say that I'm a big fan of Garbage and have been since day 1 - own both their CDs, and still listen to both on a pretty regular basis. I've seen them in concert each time they've come through my town, and think their musical style is simply awesome. So, I guess I was hoping that Beautiful Garbage would be a "Version 3.0" CD. Sadly, what I got was Garbage trying to "experiment" or "branch out" into other musical styles.
(A comment to any musical artist who might be reading this review: If you have a sound that people like - evidenced by the fact that you're selling millions of albums and concert tickets - DON'T CHANGE IT!! There's a reason why your fans like that particular style that you've created. "Branching out" to "explore new musical styles" too often becomes artistic equivalent of Japanese harakiri - "ritual suicide by disembowelment". Need I say anything more more than U2's disastrous Zoorpoa?)
Track-by-Track
Anyway, back to our story. I got this CD on it's release date and popped it into the player. Much to my enjoyment, I was immediately greeted by Shirley's trademark rough-edge voice on Shut Your Mouth ... a great starting track for the CD. At this point, I was still encouraged.
After that, the next track is Androgyny - which I had heard prior to the album's release on a video that I watched online. I wasn't overwhelmed by the song, but it was still vintage Garbage.
And then track three - Can't Cry These Tears - came on. I just about fell out of my chair. Imagine, if you will, some sappy 50's song you've heard on an oldies radio station, or in a movie. I'm talking poodle skirts era music! The song is quite literally a train wreck! From this point, I was deeply concerned as to what the rest of the album might turn out like. Sadly, my worst fears came to be true. Shirley sings that she "Can't cry these tears anymore..." Ironic, considering that the performance (i.e.: sales) of this album will probably leave her doing exactly that.
Til The Day I Die starts out with some rather odd stylings for Garbage - some record-scratching effects (what is this, rap?) and the chorus being sung by what sounds like one of the former Bee Gee's. The rest of the song is salvagable.
Cup Of Coffee -- well, what more can I say other than YAWN? This song will literally put you to sleep. Or leave you scrambling to find the "Track Forward" button on your player.
Silence Is Golden finally picks up the hard edge a bit. Again, a mediocre tune - not their finest, but not as bad as some of the others on this album.
And then there's the second train wreck - Cherry Lips, supposedly some brilliant 80's retro song. 80's retro?? From Garbage? That makes about as much sense as a screen door on a submarine. I can't tell if this song sounds more like Bananarama or The Bangles. In either case, it's not good that either one of those groups comes to mind while listening to this song.
Breaking Up Girl falls into the same category as Silence Is Golden - a mediocre song that could have been tolerated if the rest of the album made up for it.
If Cup Of Coffee didn't put you to sleep earlier, then the next track - Drive You Home - certainly will. Rumor has it that Dr. Kevorkian is going to use this song for patients that are in need of his special services. Man, if I wanted sleepey music, I'd go buy a Jewel CD.
Finally, the next two tracks - Parade and Nobody Loves You are decent listens. They are followed-up by an also-decent song titled Untouchable, whose only drawback is that is has a chorus that sounds a bit too much like Britney Spears' Pepsi-commercial.
And lastly, rounding out an album with so much missed potential, So Like A Rose is yet another attempt at putting the listening audience to sleep (in case they had woken up during the previous 3 tracks?) For over 6 minutes, Shirley croons about something -- I don't really know what it is -- with dreary music in the background. Not a surprising end for this album, but an unfortunate one.
Summary
I'm giving this album two stars. One star, because they've proven that they still do have the talent to make the hard, edgy stuff that we all loved on their first two albums. They get a second star, because there are a couple of salvagable tracks on the album. But that's it. Self-titled, and Version 2.0 would both have gotten 4-5 stars in my book.
Now, I expect that this CD will appeal to some people. After all, there are lots of Tori Amos fans out there who will probably love the drippy, sleepy tracks on this CD. This CD may even do well on the charts. But for listeners who specifically liked Garbage's style on their first two CD's, this CD sadly disappoints.
I don't regret purchasing this CD - but only in the sense that it's important to me to support them (i.e.: Sales) in the hopes that their fourth album returns to the quality of the first two.
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