Search - Garbage :: Version 2.0

This version holds up...

Andrew Ellington | I'm kind of everywhere | 01/20/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I love Shirley Manson.



I just wanted to get that out of the way. But I mean, how could you not? She has this amazing sense of sensual wickedness, creating a marvelous persona that is so infectious and so intoxicating. She defined my pre-teen idolizations. I remember becoming instantly enamored with her when I got this album. In fact, this album pretty much sums up my life from about 13-15. The fact that I can still absolutely eat up this entire album (and not merely because of that sense of nostalgia) says a lot for its staying power.



I will admit this; `Version 2.0' does feel dated. You cannot escape that fact. This was one of those albums that helped shape music at the time it was released, and so it immediately recalls that time period. The genre has changed and so this goes feel very `90s' in retrospect, but that doesn't really take away from the genius construction and undeniable liability of the album.



This is still very enjoyable from start to finish.



For me, the best tracks are the ones that utilize Manson's darker energies. I think that is why I never really felt `Special' too much. It was the single that blew up in a big way for them and earned them lots of attention, but it is still my least favorite track on the album. Instead, it is the earthy edginess of songs like `Push It', `Hammering In My Head' and `I Think I'm Paranoid' that remain highlights for me. I love the way they simply pummel the listener with such raw intensity. They also do this on `Dumb', but to lesser effect. This is one of those bands that really understood how to infuse techno with rock and do it gloriously.



Industrial rock has never been the same.



There is a commercial loveliness to songs like `Temptation Waits' and `When I Grow Up', songs that play to a more bouncy vibe but don't lose the industrial edge that Garbage effortlessly creates. `Wicked Ways' is one of the more distinct tracks on the album, for it really stands out as something different, it's almost industrial honky tonk chemistry oozing all over the place.



I love the vulnerability they bring to `Medication'. It is such a soft and subtle track that really adds layers to Manson's artistic persona. There is an eerie captivation that runs through this song.



And then you have the softer side of Garbage. `The Trick Is To Keep Breathing' is the less successful of the efforts, but the remaining two (`Sleep Together' and `You Look So Fine') are utter perfection. I love the silky seductiveness of `Sleep Together', a song that knows how to play the balance between sensual vulnerability and provocative forcefulness. The closing ballad `You Look So Fine' is just all sorts of beautiful. I still get chills listening to it.



`Version 2.0' still holds up eleven years later as a strong sophomore album that redefined a genre of music and still holds its own as one to remember and idolize."