Garbage’s Butch Vig Says New Album is ‘Noisy, Electronic’

2011-10-23

Story by Charles Ken

Alternative rock band Garbage are almost finished with their new album

Female-fronted alternative rock mainstay Garbage are poised to make a comeback. After a five-year hiatus, Garbage are getting back into the business of making music, starting with their yet-to-be-titled, fifth album, which producer and drummer Butch Vig, singer Shirley Manson, bass player Duke Erikson and guitarist Steve Marker are recording in L.A. at this moment.

The album, Vig told Billboard.com, is almost finished. Garbage plan to unbridle the release in late March or early April, 2012, and they’ll also couple the issue with a full-fledged tour. Ask Vig, and the guys, and gal, are ready to be back. “The five-year break gave everybody the space to clear any excess baggage out of their head space,” Vig said.

Musically, Vig says the album is shaping up to be a different sound for Garbage. “There’s lots of elements of things we’ve always loved: noisy guitars, big electronic beats, atmospheric film moments,” he Vig said, elaborating that they “wanted to make a record sound like something that we want to hear when we’re driving the car.”

He added that part of his motivation to start Garbage was to get away from all the just guitar-bass-drums acts around the time of Nirvana‘s Nevermind, which he also produced. “I was reading about all these other records that I was getting excited about — like Public Enemy using a sampler in the studio — and I just decided I wanted to do a bit of a U-turn,” he said. “Everyone told me I was crazy that I wanted to start new band and I probably was, but luckily it worked out for the better. I like that little clique of being with your bandmates, being in the clubhouse. And after a five-year hiatus I’m back in the clubhouse.” (Photo: Garbage via Facebook.)

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Charles Ken

Meet the expert - Charles Ken is a graduate of Michigan State University where he studied writing and history. He's a longtime music buff and covers classic rock for Audio Ink Radio. Contact him at ken@audioinkradio.com.