When Garbage produced their third album, "Beautiful Garbage" they didn't want to produce a replica of their previous releases, as many bands seem to do.
Most of the album was written over a brief period of time, but that didn't prevent Garbage from attaining their goal.
"I was able to come up with stuff on the spot much easier and much more comfortably than I had in the past," lead singer Shirley Manson said in the band's bio.
Band member Butch Vig explained Garbage's most recent sound: "Let's see how far we can sonically go off with this."
And they go far. Their first album was a grunge-driven home to a dozen tunes; their second had found a notable amount of electronica blended in with their original grungy sound; but "Beautiful Garbage" soars all the way across the alternative musical spectrum.
There is no norm on the newest Garbage release. The grunge sound that was so rampant on their first album has given way. There are numerous surprises glittering throughout the album, which consists of a few alternative-sounding songs, some blatantly new-wave influenced songs, and even four (yes, four) ballads.
The first major surprise is "Can't Cry These Tears," which is quite reminiscent of a '60s upbeat female love story. The church-bell sound (also found in the '80s-sounding cheerleader anthem "Cherry Lips") adds a classic feel-good dimension to the song.
The band also impressively debuts turntables in the retro-sounding "Till the Day I Die."
Ironically, Garbage keeps their latest disc congruent to their previous ones in the fact that none of their songs sound alike. Not only does their latest album feature different types of songs, but each one has its own unique sound. This is especially true in the ballads; the melancholy "Cup of Coffee," a gloomy piano-based song about reflecting on an ended relationship, cannot be mistaken for the extremely blunt "Nobody Loves You," which features light percussion and guitars.
The music differs not only from song to song, but also from verse to verse. In the first single, the somewhat controversial "Androgyny," the music switches on and off between mellow, flowing verses and a guitar-driven chorus, with a slight diversion to electronica near the end.
Because of this, some may complain that a few of the tracks sound disconnected; however, Garbage themselves will tell you that some of their latest songs have a "foggy" sound. "I think that gives something value," adds Manson.
Even though the sound of the new album is different than the previous ones, Garbage fans will continue to be enthralled because of the band's creativity, one thing that has remained constant. Another unchanging element is the catchy hooks found in the songs (such as in the beginning of "Untouchable.")
The album concludes with "So Like a Rose," a six-minute ballad that could easily describe the cover picture.
Manson, who began her entertainment career as a model for Calvin Klein, said "There are songs that are much more playful on this record than anything on records one and two, and there are tracks that are much heavier and darker.
"In some ways this record may sound like a sharp departure from the first two, but I think we really only expanded the turf we'd established for ourselves and used a simpler, more stark approach in doing so."
"Beautiful Garbage" is proof that the band can take control over whatever turf they come across -- they have, thankfully, gone to new musical boundaries and back with great success.
When Garbage opens up a string of dates for the latest portion of U2's "Elevation" tour this month, they certainly won't be able to upstage the self-proclaimed "greatest band in the world," but they will put forth a strong effort.
