Artist: Garbage
Title: Bleed Like Me (2024 Deluxe Expanded remastered Edition)
Genre: Alternative / Rock / Industrial / Pop
Release Date: 5th April 2024
Label: BMG
Album Review
I used to like GARBAGE in the mid-1990s; I got into them because of my like for female fronted bands like CURVE, LUSH, ECHOBELLY and ELASTICA. There were similarities in sound with all of them fence jumping over bouncy shoe gaze with an edgy Industrial / Guitar Rock inner core with a crunchy psychedelic topping. I remember overdosing on ‘I’m Only Happy When It Rains’ and ‘Stupid Girl’ from debut long player, the self-titled ‘Garbage’ and then sucking the life out of a few tracks from ‘Version 2’ including ‘I Think I’m Paranoid’, ‘The Trick Is To Keep Breathing’ and ‘Push It’ before I lost interest and moved onto other things. I did see GARBAGE play Reading Festival in 1998 though. They played a good set that made up for the fact I didn’t get to see CURVE because they pulled out. As an aside, Sophie Ellis Bextor’s band THE PRESENCE played instead, her charisma stopping the crowd from leaving the melody Maker Tent stage. Anyway, where was I? Oh yes, GARBAGE!
A brief history: Around 1993/94 Butch Vig got together with Steve Marker and Duke Erikson and started doing remixes for the likes of U2, DEPECHE MODE and NINE INCH NAILS. This inspired them to form a band where they could “take the remix sensibility and translate into all the possibilities of a band set up” depending on who you believe the name either came from someone calling the recorded material “shit that sounds like garbage” or Butch Vig writing in his studio journal that he “hopes that all this garbage (recorded material) will become something beautiful”. A female vocalist was decided upon, a strong personality like Debbie Harry, Chrissie Hynde or Siouxie Sioux and they finally found her, Shirley Manson who at the time in the band ANGELFISH. The rest, as they say, is history. Anyway, the original release of ‘Bleed Like Me’ passed me by, never even heard a song from it. So, when the re-release popped up in my inbox, I thought to myself: “Oh I missed that first time around, I wonder what this sounds like with ears 20 years older?” What this is, is the original 11 track album plus 13 remixes. This was their 4th album release, produced by John King (BEASTIE BOYS) and featuring Dave Grohl drumming on ‘Bad Boyfriend’. Without further ado let dive in and see what awaits me...
is a steering gallop with an American rock sound to it!
‘Bleed Like Me’ is sinewy, clear and eventually punchy. The bass is particularly bendy and effectively simple. A trumpet gives it a distant vibe whilst the vocal asks “If You can bleed like me?” and “You can see my scars...”. ‘Metal Heart’ has a bit of the ‘Zooropa’ about it, one moment marching whilst sounding sugary, my mouth feels like I’ve been loading it with sweet sharp sherbet boiled sweets for some reason. Simply abrasive and over drive laden in ‘Sex Is Not The Enemy’. For the most part this track undulates in a pleasing manner but with the breaks upsetting my rhythm. The guitar parts a nice and right out of the 90s playbook. ‘It’s All Over But The Crying’ starts out slow with piano and keeping a “balldesque” vibe. The bass simple and full, intelligently used. Strings weave and bob in the background and a 60s vibe chips in near the end. ‘Boys Wanna Fight’ is a blinder. The bass once again punches with cavernous mouthed wah-wah and slapped pum-pum-pum-pum drums.
‘Why Don’t You Come Over’ baking biscuits and bending the law the lyrics go. This track is intense in its execution I find, it's urgent in vocal and instrumentation, I feel a bit tense in the middle of my chest and I feel I need to jump up and jerk dance to release the energy! ‘Happy Home’ is the final track of the regular album before the remixes kick in. Again, a track where the bass stands out for me. Simple ones note for 2 bars before quarters kick in. Sinewy e bow like sounds bend and wind in the mid ground and there's a nice piano drop in at around 3:54, just a few notes. And the subtle brass is a nice touch.
The remixes and demos now! God this long but mostly pleasing and insightful ‘Nobody Can Win’ is pleasing, ‘I Just Wanna Have Something To Do’ is screeching Punk. The vibe is jumping and “pogoing” and hard bass-ed! ‘Honeybee’ sneers in the bass department and has a slight cocky stretch to it that also Bzzz Bzzzes. And that guitar screams all lovely in a satisfying manner. ‘Never Be Free’ - Oh the bass on this fabulous! It darts like a man in pointy shoes jumping over numerous puddles under gas street lighting. And my groin can’t keep still, if I can’t control it my rear end will wear out the leather on my chair!! This is EBM!!
‘Badass’ - Treble and staccato, a cross between DR FEELGOOD and THE SLITS? Or DAISY CHAINSAW? Its good anyway! ‘Tell Me Where It Hurts’ vibes like a club torch song. Its tables and chairs and mirror balls and cabaret. ‘Betcha’ brings echo drums and distorted bass that nonchalantly swoons and sways. The vocal switches from highly processed to a softer delivery that sounds like Gwen Stefani. I like the playful tease in the tone and un self-consciousness. This is so good I’ve started it again. “I betcha glad your girlfriend is not ~&^% like me uh huh....” - “Awright, you ready...” etc, etc, on it goes, love it!
Next up is ‘All The Good In This Life’. “Don’t you worry boy life will come and find you...” one of the lyrics go. The pace is a lot slower here and the vibe cleaner and acoustic. The vocal is smooth and silky. ‘Witness To Your Love’ carries on the acoustic vibe but only semi acoustic this time. It feels a bit like wind blowing under a sheet whilst you lie on it and loll and bob about like a kid in the clouds. I just love the simple and economical use of the bass, for me a stand out on the whole album. This track reminds me of something and I can’t remember what, never mind! Oh yeah, All About Eve! ‘Bad Boyfriend (Sting Like A Bee Remix)’ is awesome! Narrow eyed and down low with a brilliant bass that runs the scale. This is breathy and inhaled and I want to dance like Thurman and Travolta! This is CURVE and THE CRAMPS melded and welded but not gelded!
Not long to go now folks! Only six more tracks. Go and make a pot of tea if you want! ‘Bleed Like Me (Kuppers Klub Remix)’ is easy listening. Its softer and has an electro cowboy feel. It breeds a new meaning to the title if you fall hard of a bucking bronco whilst wearing no chaps or, well, anything else for that matter! ‘Sex Is Not The Enemy (IL Vocal Mix)’, what’s this like? Like THE PRODIGY crossed with, something, I can’t conjure it, but anyway this is bouncy and energetic, the refrain “Sex Is Not The Enemy” going around and around as if encouraging the interlocutor throw of the shackles of self-servitude and succumb to the sweaty abandon of carnal experimentation. Next up is another remix of the same song. This more synth based and drum emphasised. It’s not as fluid as the previous remix, this being harder edged and stomping. I feel more cerebral listening to this. Up next is ‘Never Be Free (Goth Mix Mix)’. Oh my, this is a beauty! My younger self or in Old Norse terms, my “Ond” wants to jump out of my skin and go for it on a dark smoky dance floor whilst I sup on a cold can of Red Stripe.
Final two tracks coming up and I can go and make myself a well-earned cuppa. This album has not been a chore folks, it’s been a pleasure and like most pleasures you need to temper it before it turns into a chore. 28 tracks are that limit! ‘Tell Me Where It Hurts (Belle De Jour Mix)’ goes back to that club, tables and mirror balls vibe. I can see Marc Almond singing this, he’s into this sort of thing what with orchestra and backing singers, this doesn’t have the backing singers though! And here we are, journey’s end. ‘Witness To Your Love (Acoustic)’ is just that, acoustic. For over a minute there is just acoustic guitar before other elements come in to add variation. There’s a lot going on here without it feeling like there’s a lot going on. It feels breathy and fresh and airy with plenty of space. And it’s clean and honest!
That’s it, I’m done. I enjoyed that. My older self thinks that it’s a good thing that I waited 20 years to hear this because if I had back then I would not have had the patience to appreciate “the sponge” under “the icing”.
Tracklist
01. Bad Boyfriend
02. Run Baby Run
03. Right Between The Eyes
04. Why Do You Love Me
05. Bleed Like Me
06. Meal Heart
07. Sex Is Not The Enemy
08. It’s All Over But The Crying
09. Boys Wanna Fight
10. Why Don’t You Come Over
11. Happy Home
12. Space Can Come Through Anyone
13. Nobody Can Win
14. I Just Wanna Have Something To Do
15. Honeybee
16. Never Be Free
17. Badass (2003 Ruff Demo)
18. Tell Me Where It Hurts
19. Betcha
20. All The Good In This Life
21. Witness To Your Love
22. Bad Boyfriend (Sting Like A Bee Remix)
23. Bleed Like Me (Kuppers Klub Radio Edit)
24. Sex Is Not The Enemy (IL's Vocal Mix)
25. Sex Is Not The Enemy (Devil's Gun Circuit Sex Remix)
26. Never Be Free (Goth Mix)
27. Tell Me Where It Hurts (Belle De Jour Mix)
28. Witness To Your Love (Acoustic)
Line-up
Shirley Manson - Vocals, Guitar
Duke Erikson - Guitars, Synths, Programming, Atmospheres, Mellotron and Piano on ‘It’s All Over But The Crying’ and ‘Happy Home’
Steve Marker - Guitars, Synths, Laptop, programming, Noises, Overdubs on ‘Bad Boyfriend’ and ‘Metal Heart’
Butch Vig - Drums, Guitars, EFX & Programming, Bass on ‘Bleed On Me’
Website
https://www.garbage.com/
Cover Picture
Rating
Music: 9
Sound: 9
Total: 9 / 10
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