From the beginning, Garbage was always a shaky concept: three record producers and an irresistibly sexy, Scottish frontwoman they plucked from another band. On paper, it seemed like an artificial experiment that would probably dissolve quickly, whether it yielded something worthwhile or not. But with the slick digital rock of their sinfully sultry and super memorable debut, they made one of the best albums of the 90s and established Garbage as a viable music machine. The act convincingly sustained itself through the follow-up, 1998’s Version 2.0, and started to mellow out and lose its bite by 2001’s Beautiful Garbage. Now with Bleed Like Me, they’ve returned with a driving, electro-guitar assault and production as attention grabbing as anything they’ve done. The problem is that Shirley Manson’s wickedly playful and naughty persona now feels manufactured and unconvincing. As a result, Garbage has sadly become a solid studio concoction devoid of the untouchable attitude that made them great.
Heavy Rotation tracks: none
Medium Rotation tracks: none
Grade: C