Garbage

About Garbage

The Scottish/American alternative rock band Garbage have had a solid career, reinventing their image several times, from dirty rockers to industrial glam divas. The charismatic and mysterious lead singer Shirley Manson had done time in her own band, the moderately successful Angelfish, before meeting up with singer/songwriter/producer Butch Vig in Madison, Wisconsin. Vig had been an influential force in the early 90's grunge explosion, producing Nirvana's classic Nevermind and The Smashing Pumpkins' break-out Siamese Dream. Vig had seen one of Shirley's Angelfish videos and decided she'd be perfect for the band he wanted to start. Their music was catchy, buzzing pop and Shirley Manson's trademark snarl-ranging from sultry to angry-carried perfectly over the din. Unlike other bands at the time still trying to imitate grunge's organic fury, Garbage weren't afraid to ad synthesizer flourishes and electronic tape loops to the mix. Early singles like "Only Happy When It Rains" and "Stupid Girl" showcased Vig's production savvy and defied classification, falling somewhere between industrial and pop. They took two years to record their meticulous follow-up, Garbage 2.0. Shirley Manson also developed a cutting edge reputation for herself by being one of the first popstars to keep a personal blog. Their track "#1 Crush" was included on the hit soundtrack to Baz Luhrman's Romeo + Juliet, while their singles "Push It" and "I Think I'm Paranoid" kept Garbage in the public eye. Garbage were handed the honor of recording a Bond theme for 1999's The World Is Not Enough, then had hits with "Why Do You Love Me?" and "Run Baby Run" off 2005's Bleed Like Me.