Garbage – No Gods No Masters

CONCEPT

This feels like a very coherent effort with consistent energy, a nice follow-up to the direction started with Strange Little Birds. It has a decidedy punk-rock vibe while maintaining the heritage of the band with the sonic signature, electronic textures, and lyrical style. The various elements play well together and come across as a sincere, honest effort to communicate something different and challenging. It feels very mature and sure-footed, established yet trying new things, all with a mindful and soulful moral center. The bonus covers are wonderfully gracious tributes to and collaborations with influences on the band, and they are a worthy addition to the supplemental original tracks.

SOUND

On the deluxe CD release, the sound was surprisingly good when played on a system with good fidelity. The soundstage is deep and wide without really drawing attention to itself, it feels very natural but still having some playful elements. It is obvious that care was put into the mixing and mastering to maintain the clarity and precision Garbage is known for. However, at least on CD, there are some moments that reveal the weaknesses of modern digital production methods with several synth tracks, as there are some noticeable digital artifacts present in a few spots. They are subtle and few, but a couple tracks on the main release and a couple on the bonus disc reveal this flaw. In some ways, this serves as a reminder of just how impressive the overall result is, considering how much attention to detail and fidelity is given when others who use similar technology come up with results that sound like sonic mush. I am awaiting the arrival of the white vinyl to compare; I suspect that in the analog domain these artifacts will disappear, since it seems to be an issue of limited digital resolution that might only appear when downsampling to redbook standards. In a hi-res mix, I suspect these issues might disappear. I am very grateful that it doesn't seem to be the result of compression, just limited resolution.

MUSIC

The music on most tracks is less melodic than on their first two albums, or even on Strange Little Birds, instead going for a more punk approach. Lots of repetition of big, static chords, simple and narrow melodic lines. Shirley Manson has always blended in some more spoken than sung lines, and this happens here also, but without a lot of guitar or keyboard melody and harmonic development to provide a groovy contrast. This was a little confusing or disappointing to me at first, because so many of the other sounds remind me of earlier efforts, but after a while I realized the intent was different. The result is very effective and imbues the album with a frenetic energy that is constantly pushing forward. There are some tracks that have a softer, almost falsetto section that works nicely to provide musical and thematic contrast. It's a pretty bold, innovative style of writing that fuses several elements of Garbage's past with an unrelenting forward momentum. "Wolves" and the title track have perhaps the most successful traditional music content, with "Wolves" using some chords that convey tension and lack of resolution, and "No Gods No Masters" employing good development with a killer bass line and rhythm section.

LYRICS

The lyrics are raw and largely unpolished. At some points I find myself wondering why more obvious rhymes and cadences weren't chosen, but in some places it seems like a deliberate and self-aware effort to just be honest and bare. I think I was expecting more polished lyrics to go with the meticulously crafted sound, but this would go in a different direction and demand a more melodic conception of the album rather than the more rugged punk vibe. The themes in some tracks are extremely moving, for example in "Waiting for God," and the content is very strong. The title track is well crafted, and "A Woman Destroyed" is minimalistic yet very tight. All of the tracks are effective communicators.

PRESENTATION

The artwork captures the sound and aesthetic very well, and I love how they revisited classic art with the two-tone pink and green. It feels just like the band sounds, iconoclastic yet classic and professional. The box feels well made and not cheap, with good quality clear coating. The booklet and poster are quite lovely. Some may dislike the paper sleeves for the discs, but I appreciate that there seems to be a deliberate effort to reduce eventual plastic waste. With proper technique, I don't have any issue removing the discs without scuffing, but then again I'm not transporting them very much for them to be jostled in there.

OVERALL

This is a very mature effort all-around. It takes a punk attitude with a rich musical history and lays it all out there, with a touching honesty and refreshing zest for newness and change. Everything could always be better, but after listening to the album several times, I think it is very successful at what it intends to do -- challenge us and get us thinking and feeling. A few of the tracks are stuck inside my head, and that's probably a good sign. Definitely their most consistently strong album since Version 2.0, and in some ways arguably their best. I'm so proud of this group for genuinely keeping open eyes and ears and using them to produce something that helps others to do the same.

Wonderful. Disc 2 is an actally good album. Worth it for those tracks alone.

I was not expecting this kind of packaging and I didn't check before I ordered. Although it looks kinda cool, I hate that the discs were put in paper cases. I immediately put protective antistatic sleeves inside, but I'm still a bit worried that the discs will eventually get scratched. Personally, I just don't like anything that is not a jewel case.