Garbage
Bleed Like Me

THE REVIEW

Bleed Like Me is the title of the new album by Garbage, a work made up of different elements: a nasty and aggressive sound, intimate and provocative lyrics, a seductive and at times annoying voice, powerful and "dirty" guitars. The title was chosen because it is provocative and ambiguous; in fact, as Shirley Manson, the band's frontwoman, states, "it encapsulates the essence of humanity. Everyone deals with people who live, eat, drink, bleed, and die." Thus, the virtuosity of the last album, blatantly hip hop, is completely absent, making way for a rock that feels the influences of both The Cure and Queens Of The Stone Age.

The album opens with Bad Boyfriend, a biting piece, like Manson's sound and voice, which perfectly distorts the atmosphere to the point of causing disturbance and discomfort in the listener. In Run Baby Run, the singer, observing the cruelty and pain of existence, finds the only way out in escape. Right Between The Eyes, reciting: "Life's a bitch and then you die my love", further highlights the negative and distressing vision that reigns throughout the CD. In Why Do You Love Me?, the first single released, the barely whispered words stand in stark contrast to the strength of the sound, typically grunge. Then comes the title track Bleed Like Me, which talks about a band that wants to succeed by making a good album. Worth mentioning is Metal Heart, a polemical track addressing a thorny issue: war. The song speaks about soldiers in Iraq who, day after day, put their lives at risk to fight.

The absence from the "battlefields" for a full four years has certainly benefited the group, allowing them to produce a good album, conceived to be effectively played live. Despite the monotony surrounding the international music scene, Garbage has managed to stand out and emerge from the crowd, with an intense and "bleeding" CD that captures and unleashes energetic rock in the listener's mind.