Strange Little Birds

Garbage - Strange Little Birds
Critic Score
Based on 28 reviews
2016 Ratings: #673 / 1004
User Score
Based on 119 ratings
2016 Rank: #486
Liked by 7 people
June 10, 2016 / Release Date
LP / Format
Stunvolume / Label
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CRITIC REVIEWS

91
A.V. Club

20-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.

80
Slant Magazine

Strange Little Birds emerges as the band's most compelling, adventurous album in 15 years.

80
NME
‘Strange 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.
80
musicOMH

On Strange Little Birds, Garbage finally pair the potency of their past with where they are now and sidestep self-parody.

80
PopMatters

Though 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.

80
AllMusic

The 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.

80
SPIN

It 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.

75
The Line of Best Fit

While 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.

70
American Songwriter

Existing 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.

70
Rolling Stone
The 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.
70
Pitchfork

With their post-return jitters under control, Garbage have solidified that return with Strange Little Birds, their darkest, most intimate LP and the band’s strongest effort in 15 years.

70
Clash

There 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.

67
Consequence of Sound
From the gorgeous, cohesive production to the effective sonic resurrection of the late ’90s, Garbage pours their heart and soul into the instruments. It’s still not the most original thing in the world, but at least now we know that they’re confidently continuing to choose it for themselves.
60
No Ripcord

Strange Little Birds is not as triumphant or solid of a record as Not Your Kind Of People. While Garbage still sound hungry and willing to try something new, too many songs don't hold up to their reputation. There's plenty of material worth diving into on this album, but the results could have been much, much stronger.

55
Under the Radar
It is a regression to the best of Garbage, but a regression nonetheless.
40
Drowned in Sound

It sounds varyingly like an attempt at a step forward that feels more like a lurch and an exercise in a nostalgia that feels a bit awkward given that they’re echoing sounds that seemed a bit futuristic ten-to-20 years ago.

Notorious_Man
66

Strange Little Birds is as close as we will ever get to Garbage: Version 3.0. It is an album that is basically a continuation of where they left off with Version 2.0 and a retconning of everything that happened after. And hey, wouldn't you know it's pretty good. The record is nothing exceptional, but it is obvious it was made with a lot of love and passion for their older music. Unlike what you might expect, the album as a whole doesn't come out as forced and is a good love letter to the fans ... read more

Doofy
NR

'Strange Little Birds' is really overproduced but is still the band's best effort since 'Beautiful Garbage' - the song's aren't the same quality as the band's '90s output, but at least they sound more comfortable in their own skin and purposeful; plus you feel Manson is invested in her vocals this time.

NR

TheCarioca
61

Sometimes - 2/5
Empty - 3/5
Blackout - 3/5
If I Lost You - 3/5
Night Drive Loneliness - 3/5
Even Though Our Love Is Doomed - 3/5
Magnetized - 3/5
We Never Tell - 3/5
So We Can Stay Alive - 3/5
Teaching Little Fingers To Play - 3/5
Amends - 4/5

10

Favourite: Empty

dmin92
95

An absolute return-to-form and comeback for Garbage. They had been struggling since 2001's Beautiful Garbage to create a thoroughly enjoyable album. Strange Little Birds manages to recapture their signature sound and style, while simultaneously sounding fresh and new. The production is unabashedly raw, with the vocals conveying emotional vulnerability contrasted by powerful, evocative lyrics.

Best Songs: Empty, Blackout, Night Drive Loneliness, Even Though Our Love is Doomed, Magnetized, ... read more

sorrowfulsoil
80

a beautifully nostalgic and majestic work

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Track List

Year End Lists

#14/Slant Magazine
#94/Noisey
#95/Fopp
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Added on: March 10, 2016