Music
[Album Review] Garbage ‘Not Your Kind Of People’
I’ve been a fan of Garbage since their self-titled debut album came out in 1995. Armed with a sound entirely unique unto themselves, they’ve been a band I’ve followed almost religiously with each new album announcement. And so it is, that after seven years, I was back to salivating with anticipation as their latest album, Not Your Kind Of People, inched ever closer to release. But now that I have it, was it worth the agonizing wait? Check out my thoughts below.
A cinematic flair beings the opening track “Automatic Systematic Habit”, hailing the return of Garbage. It’s a high-energy track that is undeniably infectious is the perfect beginning to the album, setting the perfect tone for what is to come.
The album continues with “Big Bright World”, a track that is still high-energy but has a happier overall tone. It sounds like something I’d hear on Version 2.0. Then we get to the first single, “Blood For Poppies”. I’ve already stated how much I love this song but it probably deserves to be mentioned again. This song gets my blood rushing and my heart racing; I honestly can’t get enough of it.
I could go on with a track-by-track review, but I’ll forgo that in order to talk about the production, which is fantastic. The songs are richly layered, almost confusingly so. There are so many things going on at nearly any given time that hearing everything the first few times through is a near impossibility. As per usual, many of the tones and sounds aren’t exactly musical but rather odd noises that just fit the atmosphere of the song.
Some interesting moments I found where the opening bass line to “Battle In Me”, which reminded me of Bon Jovi’s “Living On A Prayer”. Then there was “Sugar”, which had a distinctive trip-hop flavor that I relished.
Then there is the final track, “Beloved Freak”, which starts like a lullaby, transforming into a gentle, beautiful ballad. There is something soothing about hearing Manson’s velvety voice croon gently over and over, “You’re not alone.” While it doesn’t end the album with bombastic fireworks, there is such a sweet, hopeful note that I can’t help feel that there was no better coda.
The Final Word: I’ve been brought back to the glitz and glamour of 90’s alt-rock and I’m loving every second of it. Equal parts music and noise, Not Your Kind Of People is everything I could’ve wanted from a new Garbage album and more.
Got any thoughts/questions/concerns for Jonny B.? Shoot him a message on Twitter!
It’s a new day, and you’ve got new John Carpenter to listen to. John Carpenter, Daniel Davies and Cody Carpenter have released the new track He Walks By Night this morning, the second single off their upcoming album Lost Themes IV: Noir, out May 3 on Sacred Bones Records.
Lost Themes IV: Noir is the latest installment in a series that sees Carpenter releasing new music for John Carpenter movies that don’t actually exist. The first Lost Themes was released in 2015, followed by Lost Themes II in 2016 and Lost Themes III: Alive After Death in 2021.
Sacred Bones previews, “It’s been a decade since John Carpenter recorded the material that would become Lost Themes, his debut album of non-film music and the opening salvo in one of Hollywood’s great second acts. Those vibrant, synth-driven songs, made in collaboration with his son Cody Carpenter and godson Daniel Davies, kickstarted a musical renaissance for the pioneering composer and director. With Lost Themes IV: Noir, they’ve struck gold again, this time mining the rich history of the film noir genre for inspiration.
“Since the first Lost Themes, John has referred to these compositions as “soundtracks for the movies in your mind.” On the fourth installment in the series, those movies are noirs. Like the film genre they were influenced by, what makes these songs “noirish” is sometimes slippery and hard to define, and not merely reducible to a collection of tropes. The scores for the great American noir pictures were largely orchestral, while the Carpenters and Davies work off a sturdy synth-and-guitar backbone.
“The trio’s free-flowing chemistry means Lost Themes IV: Noir runs like a well-oiled machine—the 1951 Jaguar XK120 Roadster from Kiss Me Deadly, perhaps, or the 1958 Plymouth Fury from John’s own Christine. It’s a chemistry that’s helped power one of the most productive stretches of John’s creative life, and Noir proves that it’s nowhere near done yielding brilliant results.”
You can pre-save Lost Themes IV: Noir right now! And listen to the new track below…
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