Garbage

Out of the many shit cds being released today, the debut release by garbage is intense, psychotic, shimmering, and beautiful. garbage consists of Butch Vig, Steve Marker, Duke Erikson, and Shirley Manson. This group has taken samples and loops from other music and added to it guitars, drums, and vocals to create a burning intensity that will wake up your mind and scare your soul. Manson, formerly with Angelfish, has vocals that taunt the listener, intriguing him/her to come closer and stare into the abyss. She has this waifish look, but her voice changes from a sultry, come hither sound to an obssessed, hypnotizing tone and then returns to girlish innocence.

The whole cd has a dark, melancholic feel, and it wraps you up, numbing your resistance to its charm. The songs burrow into your mind, flashes in the dark, perverse side of human nature. Manson sings of acceptance, obssession, self-destruction, depression and plain old unhappiness. Place those lyrics against a backdrop of driving guitars and sound effects, and you find yourself entranced by the abyss. If you're not careful, you may fall in and drown under its spell. "Queer" and "Stupid Girl" have gotten quite a bit of airplay, but there are many notable songs, including "Only Happy When it Rains" (my personal fave), "Fix Me Now," "A Stroke of Luck," and "Vow." One listen, and you will be COMPELLED to buy this cd.

Su Chon