Emerging in 1995, Garbage were one of the defining bands of the post-grunge era. With their mix of electronic, rock and pop, they paved the way for a mainstream remodelling of grunge. It’s now time to raise a long neck to mark 20 years since the release of the American-Scottish outfit’s self-titled debut album.
This 20th anniversary double album reissue is a testament to the original’s incredible successes: it sold over four million copies worldwide and was nominated for various Grammy Awards, as well as spending more than a year on both the US and UK charts. Remastered and digitally enhanced from the original analogue tapes, revisiting the classic hits makes you feel like putting on a pair of Doc Martins and drinking Jim Beam straight from the bottle.
Garbage’s electro-rock sounds are melancholic, bold and defiant. As Heaven is Wide has metallic riffs and husky lyrics to encourage conversations of existentialism, while Not My Idea reminds us of Garbage’s talent for encouraging individualism. The teens of the ‘90s will remember these lyrics ringing through their ears like a protest chant: “This is not my idea/ Of a good time.” Though, the standouts are still the more upbeat popular tracks, Stupid Girl and Only Happy When it Rains. Despite the elapsed 20 years, they’ll take you back to an era of purple lipstick, where goths didn’t mind having a dance.
Diehard Garbage fans will appreciate the second disc, which features nine previously unreleased tracks, giving you a total of 80 minutes’ quality time with the band’s powerful frontwoman Shirley Mason. The album’s release coincides with a world tour, so it’s worth having a listen to rekindle your love affair with a band once described as the musical equivalent to Jackson Pollock.
BY SHANNON MCKEOGH
