ALBUM REVIEW: Garbage – Let All That We Imagine Be The Light

Album review by Bec Harbour

Don’t get me wrong, I love Garbage and could not wait for this album to be out to have a listen. With the two single releases ‘There’s No Future In Optimism’ and ‘Get Out My Face AKA Bad Kitty’ I was ready for something amazing. Let All That We Imagine Be The Light did not hit for me straight away and left more questions than answers.

To be very straight, there is less pop-goth energy on this album and more soundtracking to despair or hopelessness with a lot more atmospherics making me feel on the first run through that I was reviewing a soundtrack for a movie. There were definite elements of Garbage there making this very much a ‘Garbage record’ and I feel this is one that will grow on me with repeated listens.

There’s No Future In Optimism

This was absolutely the way I want a new Garbage album to open. There is a lot of layering and production on this track, all hallmarks for the ‘Garbage sound’ and have been wondering how it sounds live? Garbage have a very consistent live reputation and they are currently doing just fine with it live. With this as the lead single back on April 9, it sure did whet the appetite for new Garbage.

Chinese Fire Horse

This one has a little ‘sameness’ as the previous track, saved by Manson’s staccato delivery of the vocals from disappearing into the previous track. I do enjoy this type of vocal delivery from Manson and in this case this saves the song from sounding a bit ‘part 2’ of ‘There’s No Future In Optimism’.

Hold

That low and quiet vocal delivery fro Manson on this one, leading into a higher vocal bridge gives pure Garbage sound on this one (see ‘Queer’). It then sweeps you away to a less distorted melody with an almost whispered vocal. If this song is not slated for their next single release, then it should be, it’s a cracking song. It is the song that I immediately added to my day to day playlist.

Have We Met (The Void)

This one reminded me of the Stranger Things theme at first with the cheesy synths. It then clicks into a more sparse electro sound. Then, as if they have tried to combine the beginning and the second part into a chorus the third movement of the song arrived. It made for a messy cacophony and did not quite gel for me, the transitions and combinations were a little awkward.

Sisyphus

This is not the first time Greek mythology (Sisyphus, King of the Corinthians, who defied the gods by chaining death) has been incorporated into contemporary music and I am sure it wont be the last. Lyrically I was unsure of what the lyrical link to Sisyphus was and to explore the full potential of this song I think it needs a full electro remix, which Garbage are particularly partial to.

Radical

This has a nice plinky-plonk keys-esque intro, that moves into a slower song that we know Garbage do exceptionally well. I thought this would be the chorus where Manson hits her vocal strides, not exactly belting it out, but the vocals are so powerful it gives you chills. This did not happen on this song, the song continued on its muted vibe. The song does work as a sign post for what would normally be the ‘second side’ of the album or halfway. Its an easy transition into the rest of the album.

Love To Give

This song sounds like it was written for a Bond film, then I remembered that they have already done a Bond theme in 1999 – ‘The World Is Not Enough’. This song felt written to a formula given to them by someone else.

Get Out My Face AKA Bad Kitty

Enter the other single release to date from Let All That We Imagine Be The Light. This song is good, really good in fact with chiming post-punk style guitars and urgent sounding vocals pulling the song into line and the listener along with it. This being a single is absolutely understandable – it works on every level with my only criticism (and it might just be my preference for this type of music) with the guitar distortion later in the track, would it have been better to really lean into the post-punk vibe and do something with those amazing chiming guitar sounds that captured me early in the song there?

R U Happy Now

Am I happy now? With this album, there are parts that have made me immediately happy, most of it has made me undecided if I actually like it. Is it an album that will grow on me or will it be pulling the 3 or 4 standouts to a playlist and forgetting the rest? This song has not helped with this decision.

The Day That I Met God

Back to the Stranger Things synth sounds, then some Pink Floyd-esque guitars. The clear vocal from Manson is the stand-out on this song. The lyrics on this song (almost despairing) are at odds with the sci-fi prog sounds on this song (using Tramadol as your vocal hook in the chorus is an interesting choice – you can draw a line about painkillers here or not).

Overall this is a solid album from Garbage, however with the atmospherics and other formulaic points in the album, it feels like a film soundtrack and falls a little flat on first listen. Is it over-produced? Of course it is, it’s a Garbage album and it’s what made them stand out from the grunge copy-cats when they snuck sideways into the scene in the early 1990’s. It’s what we love about them. Do I think that the album will grow on me? I think so – it is an album that needs time to absorb. Those standout tracks are going on the play list now though.

Album highlights – Hold, Get Out My Face AKA Bad Kitty, There’s No Future In Optimism.