CORPORATE LINE: The band battled illness, surgery, creative disagreements, major life changes and-depending who you ask-either a break-up or a much-needed sabbatical. But nothing good comes easy. and BLEED LIKE ME is simply smashing. From the lusty, masochistic skronk of album opener “Bad Boyfriend” to the industrial-strength protest-pop of “Metal Heart” to the hauntingly transgressive title track, it’s everything that you’d expect from one of the past decade’s most acclaimed and innovative bands: Sexy, sonically ambitious, loud, emotionally fraught and catchy as can be.
THE GREAT:
“Bleed Like Me” – Manson sounds like Courtney Love—when she could still sing. It’s deep, emotional and one of the only tracks on the record that reach out to the listener.
THE AVERAGE:
“Bad Boyfriend” – It’s corny and yet Shirley Manson rips through it in such a way that it’s almost forgiven.
“Run Baby Run” – It’s always interesting when Garbage has a release because they’ll hit you with a few huge singles and then leave you stranded. “Run Baby Run” has potential yet never seems to hit that stride.
“Sex Is Not The Enemy” – Nothing special here—it sounds like great musicians going through the motions.
THE BAD:
Nothing.
FRANKLY: Garbage is too talented to release a record without emotion and no radio singles that leave you singing the tune all day long. Garbage has blasted listeners in the past with hits that were timeless and yet Bleed Like Me is devoid of a timelessness. In fact Bleed Like Me is mostly forgettable except for the title track “Bleed Like Me.” Every musician in Garbage is talented but Manson needs to move on and find a new group.
+ Rae Gun
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