Garbage - Not Your Kind of People [Review]

It's a beautiful gift when amazing music comes along that makes you feel so good inside that you just want to walk down the street with your iPod and scream the lyrics out loud to no one in particular, just because you can, and Garbage's latest record, Not Your Kind of People, is such music, a memorable album that I think (or at at least hope) fans will always regard as special. The title pretty much signifies the theme of the album in five simple words - not your kind of people, as the album deals a great deal with feeling like an outcast, like you don't belong anywhere. It's a feeling with which is difficult to deal but is also a feeling for which music has a curing flair. It's the band's first record in seven years, and although I haven't been a Garbage fan that long, I can only imagine that this must have been worth the wait because this is a great album. The beautiful Shirley Manson has pipes, and she knows how to move listeners with her domineering, powerful voice, a voice that rocks harder than most female musicians of which I am aware. The album opens with "Automatic Systematic Habit" which is just killer, if that's a good description to use. As soon as the track starts with its funky electric guitar melody, you just know that this is going to be something special, and I mean the album in general, not just the song. The song is an epic industrial rock piece with a head-bobbing chorus that features Shirley's conviction that "I won't be your dirty little secret." "Big Bad World" sounds like the acoustic version of Avril Lavigne's "What the Hell" when it first begins, but it's, of course, nothing at all like that. It's a very mellow rock song about how the world always seems to shine when you're in love. I love the line: "You're a satellite around my heart."


"Blood for Poppies" was released as the first U.S. single from the album, and I adore this song. When I first heard it, I was immediately interested and said to myself, this is going to be an interesting album. "Blood for Poppies" is a fast-paced, groovy track, and Shirley's words are so cleverly mashed together during the verses that it's almost like she's rapping, and I actually had to look up the lyrics to determine what she is saying during certain parts. Much as I had suspected, Shirley said that the song is about feeling like you're living in a crazy world, a world in which you have to struggle to stay sane. I'm thinking that "Control" will probably be a future single, and it's really interesting, its sound once it gets "loud" reminding me of the Old West, for one reason or another. I can almost hear the song being on a modern Western soundtrack. I love the line: "It's always darkest right before the dawn." Even though that is an adage that is almost a cliché, it works for Garbage for some reason. "Not Your Kind of People" may be my favorite song from the album, a painfully wistful and brooding song about being different, about being outcasts, and making that declaration to "normal" people. As much as I love "Beloved Freak" being the (standard) album's closer, I almost think that this would have worked better; it's such a beautiful song that, to me, rings finality via its tone. "Felt" is very reminiscent of 90s Smashing Pumpkins; it sounds, in fact, almost exactly like something that they would have done. It's a strange track, with loud guitar that overpowers Shirley's whispery vocals. "I Hate Love" is probably the album's most "electronic" piece, with some parts almost sounding like something that Madonna would have had on her American Life album. It's a great, angry tune about having had your heart broken by someone whom you thought was never going to betray you.

"Sugar" is one of the weaker tracks. It's kind of bland in comparison to most of the remainder of the album's colorful nature, beginning with Shirley's soft vocals overlaying a very soft guitar, and while you keep expecting the song to pick up in excitement, it never really does. "Battle in Me" was released as the first single over in the U.K., and this is a great song. It's one of the "poppier" tracks of the album, kind of sounding like something that Shiny Toy Guns might do; it also registers, to me, some possible Joan Jett influence. "Man on a Wire" immediately demands our attention with its heavy guitar riffs, and it's one that you can tell was fun for the band to record. "Beloved Freak" is absolutely gorgeous. When I first heard it, I was trying to endure the most difficult era of my life, and it made me cry. It is such an utterly beautiful song that assures listeners that no matter how difficult things get, you're not alone in the world, no matter how much it may feel like it, because you're a beautiful human being. It's the kind of song that really should be used to support an anti-bullying campaign. That's where the standard edition closes, but the deluxe edition moves into "The One" which is a fun, upbeat "electronic rock" song that is about being angry and frustrated because the one whom you love seems to keep playing games with you instead of just embracing your love. "What Girls Are Made Of" is probably the strangest song on the album, a "country electronic rock" (yeah, like I said, it's strange) song that is deeply reminiscent of Blondie. "Bright Tonight" is another song in which Shirley sort of whispers the vocals, and it's a very soft, downtempo track about that one special person functioning as your night's stars; it's a really pretty song. The deluxe closes with "Show Me" which is another one that makes use of a country twang, and it also sounds like it belongs in a Western. It picks up a bit, but it's another weaker one for me; it's not a great way to say goodbye to the album, in my opinion.

I am a huge fan of Evanescence, and I know that Amy Lee has said on more than one occasion that she really likes Garbage and that they were an inspiration for her, and I follow both Amy (@AmyLeeEV) and Garbage (@garbage) on Twitter, which is how I discovered that they met in person and are friends, which really excited me. Additionally, I am a fan of the Marina and the Diamonds, and likewise, Marina has met the band, and they are now friends, too. I really hope for some future collaborations; that would be awesome. "Blood for Poppies" was recently featured (in the faint background, mind you) in a True Blood episode, which is pretty awesome, as I am a fan of that TV series. Not Your Kind of People, to me, carries of message of hope, hope to keep us alive during troubling, challenging times, and that's primarily what keeps it afloat for me, because not only is most of the music really memorable because of its sound, its melodies, thematically, it is a very strong album, as well. Although I don't feel that Garbage always does a fantastic job putting out exciting album covers (VERSION 2.0 is one of the blandest album covers that I've ever seen, and I mean no disrespect to the band when I say that; it's just an opinion), their music is definitely exciting, and I sincerely hope that it's not another seven years that they put a new album out, and I also hope that their next release will be as good as this one. Garbage is known for their catchy, deep and meaningful songs ("Bleed Like Me" and "Androgyny" both come immediately to mind), and it's so good to know that they don't seem to have any plans of disappearing any time soon. Vocally, Shirley delivers, and the band is nothing short of a memorable band that I'm sure has made a great impact on many people's lives.

Linkin Park - Living Things [Review]

Living Things is Linkin Park's recently released fifth studio album, and in my opinion, it is quite a successful effort. It is some of Linkin Park's best work to date; it is very creative, mixing elements of hard rock and metal with hip-hop and electronic music, and I think that it's closer to their original sound than its predecessor, A Thousand Suns, is. A Thousand Suns was a bit of a disappointment, and Minutes to Midnight is, overall, a good album, but I haven't been this "into" a Linkin Park album since Meteora, and that was almost ten years ago. I had a feeling as soon as I heard the "Burn It Down" single that this album was going to be good, and I was right, and I was involved as soon as the electronic hook at the beginning of "Lost in the Echo" began, which is probably my favorite song from the album, chosen, of course, as the album's second single. The chorus is melodically powerful, and the lyrics are powerful, as well, all about sacrificing something when we realize that it's no good for us. Similarly, "In My Remains" is an "electro rock" track with a catchy, powerful melody, and I adore the "like an army falling one by one by one" part; it's so haunting. "Burn It Down" was released as the album's first single, reminding me of Kevin Rudolf's "Let It Rock" but then turning into an epic rock track driven by guitar and synths. To me, it seems to be about damaging the planet's environment, but that's just my interpretation. I really want to use it on a fanmade soundtrack, and I already have one in mind, in fact.

"Lies Greed Misery" is definitely the "fist-bumper" of the album, the kind of song that is perfect to listen to when you're angry, especially when you're angry with someone in particular. Most of it is composed of Mike's rapping which is interrupted by Chester's furious shouting during the song's chorus. "I'll Be Gone" is more centered on Chester and definitely sound like a Minutes to Midnight outtake. It's really great but not a highlight on the album. "Castle of Glass" is also one of my favorites and is beautiful, a soft, slow song sung by Mike that is about feeling vulnerable. "Victimized" is a short (under two minutes) piece that is definitely the heaviest piece on the record, with fast-paced percussion, blaring guitar, and a soft melody that becomes Chester's enraged call to arms as he screams that he will never again be victimized. "Roads Untraveled" is the one of the more pacified songs on the record, sounding a lot like something that AFI would put together. "Skin to Bone" starts with a memorable electronic melody that plays in your head easily, and this song is definitely the most electronic track on the record. "Until It Breaks" is the most "hip-hop" track on the record, consisting mostly of Mike's rapping but also of Chester's voice over a smooth piano. "Tinfoil" is only a little more than a minute and ultimately only serves as an introduction to "Powerless" which is the album's closing track. It reminds me of "The Little Things Give You Away" in some ways. It's a really pretty song that is an ambient tribute to a loved one, whom makes the speaker feel, as the title says, powerless.

Living Things is different. Although, as I said before, it's closer to the old sound than Minutes to Midnight and A Thousand Suns are, the "industrial metal" sound from the first two albums is more or less gone, and this is more focused on electronics and rapping. That probably wouldn't have made me too happy six, seven, eight, nine years ago, when I was a major fan of the metal scene, and in fact, when Minutes to Midnight was released in 2007, I was initially very discouraged, but I do appreciate it a lot more now. I find Living Things to be a really strong album, and I'm really happy with it, even though it's painfully short. The album, in its entirety, falls under forty minutes, running (according to my iTunes) at 36:58, and that's primarily because there are twelve tracks, some of which ("Lies Greed Misery" and "Victimized" and "Tinfoil") are short. It could have used two or three more tracks, and I do wonder if any outtakes. assuming that there are any, which I'm sure that there are, will ever surface. Melodically and thematically, though, I think that Living Things is a great album, and as I said, I'd even go as far as to say that it's some of the band's best work to date. A Thousand Suns has its gems (such as "The Messenger"), but overall, this is definitely a stronger album and more of an "A game" effort on the part of the band, even though my younger brother, who used to be a huge fan of the band, doesn't agree; he still says that he misses the old Linkin Park, but I honestly really like this direction.

MARINA - Electra Heart [Review]

Electra Heart is Marina and the Diamonds' sophomore record, following up 2010's The Family Jewels. Based on what I understand, it is charting much better than The Family Jewels  did; I follow a few people from the U.K. (where Marina is currently much bigger; I live in the U.S.), and one told me that even there, many diamonds don't even know that The Family Jewels exists, which I find so unfortunate because there are so many really great, fun tracks on that record, and that is a fabulous record. However, Electra Heart is, as well, and as much as I adore The Family Jewels, I might go as far as to say that this is more creative than the first album, and I would definitely say that, so far, it is the best album of 2012. It is definitely more of a concept album, focusing on one central character and, for that matter, one central character. Marina, in an effort to more freely convey her personal experiences through music, created the character of Electra Heart, a sassy, snarky "villain" who embodies four different archetypes - the beauty queen, the primadonna, the homewrecker, and the teen idle. Electra seems to be a young woman whose life was turned upside down when she was heartbroken, and now, she has set out to have fun. I find it to be a powerful album, as it's all about sexuality and identity, what makes a personality, or, for that matter, facets of a personality. For us to say "I am me" may not be enough because we have to be able to define what that means, and I absolutely adore this album.

The album opens with the playful "Bubblegum Bitch" which sounds a bit like what "bubblegum pop" may have sounded like during the 80s. This is perhaps the most powerful track featured on the record, a fun, sassy tune demanding possession. You are crazy for letting me go. You're in love with me, and here's how I know. It is ridiculously catchy. Then, we move into "Primadonna" which is the first official single from the album. "Primadonna" is a lot of fun, a fast-paced electropop song about wanting to embrace the pleasures of life and still be loved. It's basically from the perspective of a spoiled brat. I am out of control, do what I want, but I want you to love me, anyway. "Lies" is the first slow number of the record and is a beautiful song about heartbreak, a relationship that still exists but under false pretenses, for the all of the wrong reasons. "Homewrecker" is great because of the spoken verses and tells a story from an unusual perspective. It's not from the perspective of a victim but instead from a victimizer, someone who destroys happiness. I consider this and the new "How to Be a Heartbreaker" to be on the same wavelength because they sort of both match a description that I read not too long ago - emotional sadism, which is an interesting term. "Starring Role" is definitely one of my favorites; it is another slow one and is probably the darkest song on the album. Beautifully written and sang, it is from the perspective of a heartbroken woman who is facing a difficult dilemma. Do I stay in his life as a friend, which would really hurt because I love him, or do I leave him completely, which would also really hurt because I love him? It's a difficult dilemma to which I can relate, and it's an utterly beautiful song.

The album's mood perks up a bit at "The State of Dreaming" which is an upbeat, "feel good" pop song about living ignorantly blissful. Marina has said that the song was written to pay tribute to Marilyn Monroe, someone whom she admires dearly (as if Electra's image doesn't give that away). "Power & Control" is the second single from the album and is so ingeniously multilayered, featuring powerful vocals, piano, synths, and so forth, and I'm so glad that the "chanty" melody at the beginning that flows throughout was modified to what it now is; on demo versions, the melody is played by a guitar, and it is so much more serious and intense the way that it is on the album. The song is about flimsy relationships that are based not necessarily on authentic love but on a lust for being in control of the relationship, and Electra seems to be in control. "Living Dead" is actually the first song that was written for the album, which is funny because with that being considered, you would think that it would be closer to the sound from The Family Jewels, especially since she apparently hadn't had the album's concept developed yet, but it is not at all like The Family Jewels and definitely belongs here on Electra Heart. The song is basically an 80s synthpop track about feeling empty, feeling like you're living day by day with nothing to live for. I think that thematically, the first record deals more with depression, but musically, this track belongs here. "Teen Idle" has been praised by so many diamonds, including pop musician Simon Curtis. Musically, it has to be one of the most creative pop songs that I've ever heard, slow and a bit brooding but not necessarily depressive, and is a song about feeling like you didn't live your teenage ways the way that you should have, that you were a bum, and I can relate to that because I never had the opportunity to be a teenager; I was sheltered, imprisoned, really.

"Valley of the Dolls" is gorgeous; I just love the magical feeling of it. This is another one that seems to be about depression, about feeling like you're in a hole in which you can't figure out who you are. "Hypocrates" kind of sounds like something Britney Spears may have done during her earlier days, and it also has remnants of Kelly Clarkson's sound. The song speaks of someone whom the speaker loves dearly but always feels at odds with because of his tendency to be hypocritical, to criticize her for doing things that he himself does. I'm not in a relationship like that, but we all know people like that. The standard edition of the album closes with "Fear and Loathing" which kind of reminds me of "I Am Not a Robot" in that it kind of urges listeners, which, funnily enough, includes the speaker, to be proud of who they are and stall tall against resistance, to not be constantly afraid and self-hating. It's almost dreamy, in a sense. This is the kind of life, the kind of confidence, that I wish that I could have. It's like "Valley of the Dolls" in that it deals with confusion of self-identity. The standard edition closes there, but the deluxe edition gives us "Radioactive" next, a really fun track that, to me, is about what it feels like to be in love with someone, to glow around them, to be something other than human. "Sex Yeah" is a really catchy tune about how difficult being a female can be and about how obsessed we are, as humans, with sex. I love "Lonely Hearts Club" which is an upbeat song heavy in synths that reminds people who are experiencing broken hearts that they're not alone, that they belong to a culture of people who feel the same way. The deluxe version closes with "Buy the Stars" which, in my opinion, is the only song that could fit on the first record, and it, in fact, sounds strikingly similar to "Numb" from the first record. It's slow and beautiful and is almost a song of defeat. I can't be what you need. I'd like to be, but I can't.

The album was just recently released here in the U.S. and features the new track "How to Be a Heartbreaker" which is just awesome. It will be released as the third single from the album, and I can't wait to see the official single cover art (there are a few really good fanmade ones). I am confident that "How to Be a Heartbreaker" is going to be a hit here in the States; it just features more "radio material" than anything that she's done so far, and I can hear it being played. Electra Heart is doing really well on U.S. iTunes, and I have very mixed feelings about her exploding here. I love Marina; I think that she is an incredibly talented, original artist, and she deserves fame and recognition, but at the same time, I don't know very many people here in the States who know she is, so she feels like an exclusive treasure of mine, and I'm afraid of mainstream people who base good music on what's on the radio thinking that she's new, singing along to "How to Be a Heartbreaker" in the car because it's catchy but not really appreciating her as an artist. I know that some people who really love The Family Jewels have expressed their dissatisfaction with the record because of how drastically different it is from The Family Jewels, and it really is drastically different. Whereas The Family Jewels is a collection of piano-based power pop, Electra Heart features very little piano and is based more on synths and beats. It's not as "indie" and is definitely electropop. However, artists grow and consequently change, and that's what we hear here, and I adore both albums. Marina is a true artist who I believe will always have something interesting and creative as long as her name is around, and I can't wait to continue embarking upon the journey as a diamond. I just wish that "Scab & Plaster" (a song that I absolutely adore with an intense passion) had made it onto the album, but at least we've heard it, and maybe it will be released as a b-side or something.