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Jun 7, 2016The impressive thing about Strange Little Birds is how it feels simultaneously familiar and fresh, a record that echoes the past without being trapped by it.
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Jun 8, 2016Existing fans will appreciate the uptick in sheer moodiness and offbeat experimental tendencies matched with fluid, often hypnotic melodies the quartet displays on the majority of Strange Little Birds. Newcomers to the Garbage experience can start here and work themselves backwards through an impressively edgy catalog brimming with more of the same.
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Jun 9, 2016Re-examining its signature brat rock through an industrial prism, Garbage forges something more haunting and honest.
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Jul 5, 2016There are a few moments that feel oddly dated or too by-the-numbers, but otherwise, this is an engaging return from the gothic dance-rock four-piece.
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Jun 7, 2016When retracing their steps to their well of alt rock tricks, Garbage will likely please plenty of longtime fans, all whilst developing new ways to clear the overgrowth on the path that’s grown since their last visit. However, much like Not Your Kind of People, they won’t win a ton of new fans here or prove that they’re trying a lot of new things.
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Kerrang!Jun 8, 2016Their sixth album finds them stepping into a world where bands like PVRIS have started to occupy a similar space to Shirley Manson and co. It's only made Garbage themselves better. [11 Jun 2016, p.53]
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MagnetAug 2, 2016“Teaching Little Fingers To Play” is a bit hokey and clichéd. But on “If I Lost You,” the vibe connects massively: Serene loops and swift beats recall vintage Portishead, while Manson’s lyrical meditation on insecurity is stark, vulnerable and remarkably honest. [No. 132, p.53]
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MojoMay 27, 2016Garbage haven't released an album this immediate, melodically strong and thematically interesting since their self-titled 1995 debut. [Jul 2016, p.91]
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Jun 8, 2016Strange Little Birds is a record that’s human to its very core, revelling in flaws and failures, but never losing hope. And in that way, it’s the perfect mirror for its creators’ 22-year career.
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Jun 10, 2016Despite these superficial similarities [to their 1995 debut album], repeat spins of Strange Little Birds ultimately belie an older, wiser reincarnation of that youthful rage, not just a cheap retrospective.
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Jun 13, 2016Though the LP isn’t as varied or experimental as its predecessor, 2012’s Not Your Kind of People, it is more cohesive and alluring, resulting in a superior collection overall and a strong addition to the Garbage catalog.
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Q MagazineJun 29, 2016It's their best album in nearly 20 years. [Aug 2016, p.112]
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Jul 15, 2016While this is unlikely to achieve the same status [as their debut], it proves that these veterans are definitely not yet ready for the scrapheap.
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Jun 22, 2016The left-field pop of Nineties hits like "#1 Crush" has been pulled back, but that's fine. What's left is an august, hardboiled vitality.
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Jun 6, 2016Aside from those gratifying but superfluous detours into the well-trodden, though, Strange Little Birds emerges as the band's most compelling, adventurous album in 15 years.
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Jun 17, 2016It successfully excavates old and gorgeous Garbage: digs it up, dusts it off, reassembles it, and lovingly crafts replacements, piece by vivid piece, for the strange little sounds that have rotted away.
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Jun 10, 201620-plus years after forming, each band member is still fired up to mine new sounds and approaches for inspiration. That willingness to be uncomfortable and look beneath the surface makes Strange Little Birds a rousing success.
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Jun 9, 2016While Strange Little Birds might not be Garbage’s most immediate release, lyrically it’s certainly their bravest and 20 years into their career, it feels like they’ve entered a new era.
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Jun 8, 2016Even though structurally Strange Little Birds evokes the band’s early work, it’s clear there’s mellowness afoot.
Awards & Rankings
User score distribution:
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Positive: 40 out of 50
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Mixed: 7 out of 50
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Negative: 3 out of 50
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Jun 10, 2016
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Jun 10, 2016
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Jun 21, 2016