Garbage’s eponymous debut album is basically the aggregation of everything I love about 90’s alternative rock. It’s weird, it’s dark, it’s heavy, and it’s wildly eclectic. When thematic subject matter pokes around the edges of society and combines with musical arrangements that are created to suit the song vs. a specific style it’s a special thing, and 1995’s Garbage manages to achieve that special thing in spades. Every time I sit down to write an electric guitar driven song off the top of my head it’s a 50-50 shot that it comes out sounding like something Garbage would have written, and that comparison is something I’m always inevitably proud of. From the moody lead vocals of Shirley Manson, heavy guitar/bass section from Steve Marker and Duke Erikson, and the incomparable production and drum chops of the legendary Butch Vig (who famously produced Nirvana’s 1991 album Nevermind and The Smashing Pumpkins 1993 album Siamese Dream), the entirety of Garbage is simply a delightful alternative rock experience. It’s an album that continues to be one that I come back to when I’m looking for creative inspiration. And whether it be the mercurial dramatic build of “A Stroke Of Luck” or the dynamic major/minor patterns of “Only Happy When It Rains”, it always delivers in spades.
Standout Songs: “Queer”, “Only Happy When It Rains”, “Vow”, “Stupid Girl”, “A Stroke Of Luck”
