- Critic score
- Publication
- By date
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The sound of a band blissfully uncoiling under the sun of self-assurance.
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One of the year's best.
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Q MagazineSharp, seductive music from a band at their peak. [Oct 2001, p.119]
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It's unlikely to storm the charts like their first two records, especially since there aren't standout singles like on the earlier albums, but overall the record works better, perhaps their best album.
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If you didn't know better, you'd think you were listening to a compilation, not a band album.
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Garbage have finally discovered a hint of the blood-pumping human heart underneath their icy exterior.
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Garbage is savvier than most in cobbling together the sounds of its influences.
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MojoWe could probably live without at least one of the three lengthy, slightly prosaic tracks that tail-end proceedings, but stand-outs Cup Of Coffee and Androgyny more than compensate. [Nov 2001, p.116]
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The treasures in this latest pile of Garbage may not be as apparent as they were in the past, but the goodies are still there.
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BlenderThe Garbage machine doesn't always function so pristinely. [Oct/Nov 2001, p.105]
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It's as if there's an optimal number of musical ideas per song, and the album falls apart when the number spikes too high - or dips too low.
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Alternative PressThe abundance of derivative electronic tricks diminishes Beautiful's successful updates of Garbage's sound. [Nov 2001, p.73]
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With all that studio experience and expertise, Garbage inevitably sounds slicker than a bobsled track. But it can become a little too slick: the flawless sound often only exposes and exacerbates their shortcomings as writers.
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Gone are the likes of 'Queer' or 'Subhuman', there's no ummph or intelligence. In straining to achieve a smarter, more mature album the band have created the most tawdry epitaph possible.
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It's good in flashes but frighteningly unstable.
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This time around, the Garbage tradition of borrowing from all over the map has produced unfocused and derivative results.
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For the first time in their history, Garbage sounds like they just want to fit in. The problem is that they do.
Awards & Rankings
User score distribution:
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Positive: 41 out of 51
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Mixed: 6 out of 51
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Negative: 4 out of 51
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May 10, 2023
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Dec 18, 2019
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Jun 3, 2016