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Jun 28, 2018 Web Exclusive By Mischa Pearlman

Three years after the electronic-tinged rock of their 1995 self-titled debut made them a worldwide name, Garbage returned with its highly anticipated follow-up. If its title suggested Version 2.0 was more of the same, it was actually a starker, darker record than its predecessor. Frontwoman Shirley Manson exuded a similarly sensual eroticism with her vocal delivery, but, on the whole, the music was more irascible and confrontational—even the plaintive, slow melody of “Medication” sounds like it was deliberately defiled to be less accessible.

The one exception is “When I Grow Up,” a blistering track that—although addressing issues of mental instability—is pure pop perfection. But even sublime singles “Push It” and “I Think I’m Paranoid” are threaded through with coarse electronics, while the admittedly gorgeous strains of “The Trick Is to Keep Breathing” come off as if the band are trying to mask its beauty.

That’s something that defines the B-sides included with this 20th anniversary edition. “13x Forever” is a sinister pulse of off-kilter noise, “Like the Pavement” is a burst of paranoid, discordant sleaziness, and the almost-loungey lilt of “Afterglow” is a glowering masterpiece. While “Get Busy With the Fizzy” is as bad as its title, and the funky sound experiment that’s “Tornado” is somewhat unsuccessful, two decades on, Version 2.0 still shudders with immensely powerful portent and a devious, chilling originality. (www.garbage.com)

Author rating: 8/10