Bleed Like Me

"Bad Boyfriend" is the menacing opener and sets the tone for the rest of the album. Grinding guitars set around "one of the simplest tunes they've ever done"; as Duke puts it, work well with Shirley's direct lyrics and dirty vocals, reminiscent of the band's 1995 debut. The manic drumming in the middle of the song comes courtesy of Dave Grohl, as everybody knows. A fantastic song and a brilliant, refreshing opener.

"Run Baby Run" starts as a sweet pop song, but turns in to a jilty rocker on the chorus, and takes an unexpected twist at the end, where the track becomes quite jittery. I love the lyrics in the chorus, and this is a possible contender for a single.

"Right Between The Eyes" is apparently about Courtney Love. I love the lyrics in this track especially. Shirley has never cared what anybody thinks, and it shows in the fantastic lyrical content. There is not much of a chorus to the song, but my favourite part is where Shirley sings "there's nothing grander than the big surprise", which, as many have pointed out, is reminiscent of Hole's "Malibu".

"Why Do You Love Me" is by far the rockiest track on the album, closely followed by the grimacing "Bad Boyfriend". It's probably one of the most commercial tracks on the album, along with next single "Sex Is Not The Enemy". The metal-guitar riff still sounds great, and the song is probably the most infectious on the album.

"Bleed Like Me" is the beautiful title track, and is about empathy as Shirley says. Each character has their own scenario, and Shirley's vocals towards the end ("you should see my scars") are some of the best I have ever heard. This is most definitely a highlight. It's mid-tempo, but is one of the most amazing tracks Garbage have ever produced.

"Metal Heart" is currently my favourite on the album. It's quite reminiscent of 1998's "Version 2.0" as the swirling electronics help introduce the song. Just when the song sounds like the poppiest thing here, the razor-sharp, industrial guitars kick in for a blistering guitar ride. I love the cold lyrics. This is Garbage at their best, and could possibly make a single at some point.

"Sex Is Not The Enemy" is already an anthem amongst the Garbage community, with a simple chorus of "a revolution... is the solution". Instrumentally fun, lyrically about Shirley's "sexual politics". This is set to be the second single from the album, and there are also rumours of it being used as the official iPod theme. A great track.

"It's All Over But The Crying" strongly reminds me of "You Look So Fine". The piano riff sounds very similar. I'm not usually in to ballads, but this is a highlight, and could also become a single. Shirley sounds so passionate, yet fed up with everything on the chorus. A lovely piece of drama to help break up the album.

"Boys Wanna Fight" - I really wasn't sure about this song at first, but like the whole album, it's a grower. The combination of the electronics and powerful guitars are similar to that formula that worked so well on "Version 2.0". The band say this is the most political song on the album. Not one of the best, but still a good song.

"Why Don't You Come Over" is generally the track that nobody has taken too. Possibly because of the slightly throwaway chorus of merely "why don't you come over?". I also wasn't sure at first, but this is one of my favourites now. Includes Garbage's trademark angry undertone, complete with bitter lyrics. The chorus is very infectious, and very up-tempo.

"Happy Home" is the perfect closer - cinematic Garbage. The song is about "acceptance" to some degree. The lyrics are wonderful and the song has great meaning. The instrumental chorus accompanied by Shirley's faint backing vocals work perfectly. The song twists at the end with a stunning guitar rising, and hypnotising strings that could only be used to end such a great album.

All in all, a fantastic album from a band who continues to produce quality, distinctive records after 10 years together. Give this album time, it's not Garbage's most accessible work, but it gets better with each listen - a real grower. Personally, I feel this is a vast improvement on "Beautiful Garbage". There is a handful of potential singles including "Run Baby Run" and "It's All Over But The Crying". The band's twisted, individual lyrics remain, and Shirley's vocals are better than ever. They've cranked up the guitars for album number four, but Garbage can still make it work. The best album of 2005.

Featuring Foo Fighter mainman/ex Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl on the drums, this track shows just how chameleon like Shirley Manson can be, sounding at times like PJ Harvey. The next two tracks the California sunshine strummer 'Run Baby Run' and steely 'Right Between The Eyes' come at you with wall to wall guitars ~ this is Garbage 2005. Excellent first single 'Why Do You Love Me' hits in just before the bittersweet 'Bleed Like Me' slows down the pace.

Those missing Garbage's previous electronics might find solace in the cold beeps and Marilyn Manson-inspired feedbacks of political rant 'Metal Heart'. The guitars come slashing back to the front in 'Sex Is Not The Enemy' with it's bass-line nicked straight from The Breeders. Garbage have always been as good at doing ballads as the have been doign full out rockers, and on here 'Over But The Crying' proves that. A delicate, piano-led number, Shirley claims she's fed up with forging on with a doomed relationship. And you beleive her.

New wave 80's pop rears it's head on the schizo 'Boys Wanna Fight' while Shirley Manson's desperate lyrics claw for company. 'Why Don't You Come Over' is maybe the album's only real trough, a song that just sounds aneamic compared to the others. Garbage like to finish their records with mid-tempo tunes, and Bleed Like Me is no exception, closing here with 'Happy Home', a bruising yet beautiful song about freedom and future.

The band sound impossibly up-to-date on this record, having dumped the 60's, 70's and 80's sounds of previous records. There's plenty of homages to the mid-nineties music scene that Garbage was born out of, and of course, the dumping of the band's trademark loops, beats and grooves. Instead the band opted to go all-out rock band mode on us, and luckily, it works, making this effort their most consistent work since 1998's 'Version 2.0'. The band sound all the better for it, and this manages to hide the only real criticism of the record - where are the huge pop choruses?

I'd advise people to take a chance with this record, they may just find themselves delighted. A gem of a CD.

The CD really rocks, with the occasional rock ballad to give variety. The songs touch on the foibles of relationships as well as society ("Sex is not the Enemy" and "Bleed Like Me" being the most prominent societal comment). "Bleed Like Me" gives us numerous examples of what society would consider deviants (a cutter, a bulimic, a young man confused by not just his orientation but his gender, and a girl suffering from horrible depression) and tells us a little about them, then asking us to understand them ("Try to comprehend that which you'll never comprehend"). It's probably my favourite song on the CD.

Others are equally as good, mostly the ones to do with troubled relationships ("Why Do You Love Me," "It's All Over But the Crying," and "Happy Home" being most effective). I'm not as big a fan of the harder songs, but the up-tempo music grips you and won't let you go and Manson's vocals tear into you. While the music is great, Manson is the main attraction for me. Her voice, which adapts for whatever she needs it to do, is very striking and she demonstrates that beautifully on this CD.

This is a great CD. The earlier review was obviously written by a Garbage fan, and the CD may have been a little too much the same for those of you who have been with Garbage from the beginning. For me, who just knows a periodic song from them but doesn't have a lot of history with the band, it's that much better.

Note: Yes, there are a few strong words here and there, but there aren't strings of them like on some other CDs.

Dave Roy