Garbage is an American and Scottish alt-rock band formed in the early 1990s. With their unique and innovative style that mixed dark rock, pop melodies, and electronic music, Garbage is one of those legendary bands that have defined a whole generation.

The group formed in 1993 under Butch Vig’s leadership (after producing Nirvana's Nevermind), and was comprised of Butch, Duke Erikson, Steve Marker, and Scottish singer Shirley Manson. Butch, Duke, and Steve had discovered Shirley by chance on MTV when she was the voice of British group Angelfish. Their first single Vow was an immediate hit and created the feeling of a true group. Their first self-titled album was released in 1995, selling more than four million albums.

Due to her unconventional physique and past bullying of her "frog eyes", Shirley learned to channel her anger in college through music. Her lacerated sound carried scars of rage and depression, and set the lyrical tone for the group. Combining her remarkably hypnotizing vocals with a more upbeat harmony, sharp guitars, electronic effects, and a more commercial sound, Garbage hit the mark.

The 1990s marked a redefinition of power through wars and armed conflicts (e.g., Rwandan genocide, the collapse of the Eastern bloc, the end of apartheid in South Africa, etc.). The rise of globalization and technical advancement also brought on a digital revolution. These sorts of events can elicit a big response, and left their mark on alternative rock with a new musical sub-genre called grunge. Grunge was made popular by Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain and producer Butch Vig, who would later become Garbage's drummer.

After grunge’s decline in the mid-1990s, Garbage enjoyed continued success in a post-grunge rock scene, embodying the era that rejected materialism, promoted rebellion, and wrote pioneering lyrics. 

The band took an unconventional stance from their first album, particularly with the single Queer, which immediately became an anthem for the LGBTQ community and all outsiders. Shirley Manson was also one of the first artists to blog. The single Stupid Girl anticipated and denounced the effect of social networks, and includes a sample of punk band The Clash’s Train in Vain:  

Pretend you're anything 

Just to be adored  

And what you need  

Is what you get …

A million lies to sell yourself 

Is all you've ever had 

Stupid girl  

Garbage’s second album Version 2.0 was released in 1998. The title refers to computers, operating systems, and software updates, and was one of the first albums made entirely with music composition software. The group used and experimented with up to one hundred additions of electronic loops or samples for some tracks. The single Push It soared to the top of the charts, and MTV aired the accompanying avant-garde music video, showing masked people strolling through a nearly empty supermarket, with Shirley appearing as a heroine singing, “Don’t worry baby, it will be fine”. 

With the album’s second single, I Think I'm Paranoid, Shirley joined others in women’s advocacy within a male-led industry. Far from other feminist musical movements in the 90s (also known as the girl power phenomenon), the single showed a firm and committed type of feminism: 

You can look but you can't touch  

I don't think I like you very much  

Heaven knows what a girl can do  

Heaven knows what you’ve got to prove 

I think I'm paranoid  

And complicated…  

Bend me, break me anyway you need me 

The music video provided an innovative aesthetic as well, and the song was used in various video games, becoming a cult hit.  

In 1999, Garbage was chosen to perform The World Is Not Enough, which appeared in the nineteenth James Bond film credits. This helped Shirley Manson become even more of an international star, and the music fit beautifully into the movie. 

Their next release, 2001’s Beautiful Garbage was possibly the most eclectic from the group and furthest from its signature style, despite the dark lyrics. In 2005, they gained a bit of their old raw style with a rockier Bleed Like Me. It wasn’t until their 2012 Not Your Kind of People that they found a good blend of their old style with more futuristic pop-rock accents. 

After a twenty-year career, Garbage released Strange Little Birds in 2016. Their sixth studio album is full of dark melodic sounds, inclusive lyrics, and accompanying music videos that are resplendent of the nineties.

Garbage provided an outlet for an entire generation. Shirley Manson, a charismatic and iconic leader with a vibrant personality, is undoubtedly one of the best female vocalists and the favorite muse of one of the most iconic alt-rock bands of the nineties. 

Sources :

https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garbage

https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shirley_Manson

https://www.nacionrock.com/discomania-el-debut-de-garbage-la-bella-y-la-bestia-del-rock-alternativo/

https://www.komitid.fr/2016/07/31/garbage-cherry-lips-etait-un-hymne-pour-les-personnes-trans-bien-avant-que-ca-soit-cool-den-parler/

http://cheekmagazine.fr/culture/shirley-manson-garbage-feminisme/

https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ann%C3%A9es_1990

https://www.sfweekly.com/music/allshookdown/shirley-manson-does-not-think-garbage-is-a-grunge-band/

https://www.lesinrocks.com/musique/critique-album/garbage/

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