Garbage
Strange Little Birds

Shirley Manson, beautiful and charismatic leader of Garbage, is approaching fifty.

Since 1995, the year of the surprising self-titled debut of the American band, a lot has happened; first post-grunge, then nu metal, then the commercial explosion of rap/r n' b, the piano rock of Coldplay and Keane, and so on. But Garbage has always, more or less, remained there.

Whether they were dressed in electronics (the early works), hip hop and new wave (the controversial "Beautiful Garbage", which nevertheless was capable of producing remarkable hits) or decisively turned towards straightforward guitarism (the beautiful "Bleed Like Me"), their records have always maintained a strong identity and have always been absolutely recognizable. In short, as they say, they have passed the test of time.

Returning four years ago with "Not Your Kind Of People", their first (good) album after a long hiatus, they finally decided to give it a worthy follow-up, and with this "Strange Little Birds" they even hit the target and release their best work in almost a decade.

The imprint remains typically Garbage: the sensual and now unmistakable voice of Shirley Manson, a meticulously calibrated and almost perfect production (in the line-up there's a certain Butch Vig) and the usual mix of rock, electronic, and power pop that has brought much fortune to the American band. The novelty of the new course is, however, an unprecedently dark touch, but beware, this is not a nostalgia operation implemented with improvised makeup: the band is serious.

You can sense it right from the opener "Sometimes": a minimal beat halfway between trip-hop and industrial, which introduces the first single "Empty", a bridge to past work that showcases clattering guitars and a refrain that gets imprinted in your head after half a listen. However, it turns out to be a false lead, because from there onward Manson and the others pay less and less attention to maintaining the classic canons of the perfect pop song (three and a half minutes, the chorus at just the right point, and so on), and they start to take time and space at will.

"Blackout" (beautiful, one of their absolute best pieces), "Night Drive Loneliness" (which Shirley wisely wants to release as the second single), "So We Can Stay Alive" and the languid closure "Amends" exceed six minutes without much concern and take their time to build and complete an offering rich in class and pathos. "Even Though Our Love Is Doomed", which anticipated the album as a promotional track, creates a magnetic crescendo entirely played on Manson's singing, who's never been in better shape, to explode in a majestically noisy way in the finale.

"Magnetized" proves that Garbage's imprint is now unmistakable, "If I Lost You" plays with girl pop giving it dignity and class, "Teaching Little Fingers To Play" is perhaps the least interesting track but is absolutely functional in completing the overall discourse.

A great comeback, and the curiosity for their next moves is ever-increasing.

Best track: Blackout