Review of Version 2.0
By Tom Kawamoto
I never get tired of listening to Version 2.0. If you've only downloaded the singles “Special” and “When I Grow Up” like my penniless college student brother, you're missing out on ten other equally amazing songs. There aren't any worthless “album filler” tracks like you find on many other discs. Every track is solid. You can pop this disc into your car stereo and forget about fumbling with the buttons to “get to the good stuff.”
What amazes me the most about this album is how huge it sounds. To start off with, Shirley Manson has one of the most powerfully expressive voices in modern music. I'll take her over any pop diva that you can name. On Version 2.0, Manson's vocals mesh perfectly with the countless layers of instrumental tracks that seem like a modern “wall of sound,” a term associated with legendary producer Phil Spector. Butch Vig, Garbage's drummer/producer, is a legend in his own right, having produced Nirvana's Nevermind and The Smashing Pumpkin's Siamese Dream. In this 90's version of the “wall of sound,” there are drum loops, blurred vocals, ambient sounds, record scratches, and miscellaneous noises in addition to the normal mix of vocals, guitars, keyboards, bass, and drums. After listening to this album over a hundred times, I still end up hearing things that I haven't noticed before. It always sounds fresh and exciting.
“Temptation Waits” starts off with a verse that sounds like a schoolyard taunt, but once the chorus comes along, the song kicks into high gear and that's where the “wall of sound” just smacks you in the face. A similar dynamic is present in “I Think I'm Paranoid,” but the song cleverly throws you a curve at the end, where the “wall” collapses and the loud chorus line is repeated with soft vocals, and the same chimey guitar riff that started the song. “Medication” is a slow ballad where Manson shows her tender and sensitive side. The lyrics have an edge that will make you lose your taste for the bland, cliche-filled pop songs that clutter the airwaves. The rest of the album is filled with seven other equally compelling songs (in addition to the aforementioned radio singles).
Garbage used to be a guilty pleasure of mine, mainly because the presence of drum loops and dance beats makes people think of teenybopper music. But make no mistake, this isn't kid stuff. This album has been a mainstay in my car stereo for over two years now and I'm not ashamed to let the world know it.
Mood:
Driving Music
Hear it?:
Buy the CD
