Confessions of a Fanboy

Yesterday, “Supervixen” got trapped in my head and got under my skin with its refrain of “bow down to me.”

It’s only fitting that the first “Song of the Day” to be part of our Garbage Week feature would be the first song from their first album, “Supervixen.” Believe it or not, I sort of remember listening to this song for the first time. I didn’t put it together then, but I was thinking about how I like it when bands make their singles the first song on the album. I liked what I was hearing of “Supervixen” but was in a hurry to hear “Only Happy When it Rains” and whatever other song or songs I knew from the album by that point. As a result, “Supervixen” never got a serious amount of attention from me. It was always a song I liked, never a song I loved. Until now… well, until yesterday.

The song employs the soft/loud dynamic similar to what Nirvana did on Nevermind, an album produced by Garbage drummer Butch Vig. Nirvana would pair soft verses with Kurt Cobain’s roaring choruses. Shirley Manson can adjust her voice, but like Cobain so Garbage’s soft/loud dynamic is created musically. I’ll avoid the temptation to heap hyperbole on the song proclaiming it the ideal introduction to the band, but many elements found in Garbage’s best songs can be found in “Supervixen.” Distorted guitars, electronic noises, real and synthesized drums erupt into a huge wall before dropping out for the first verse. The big, ragged sounds ebb and flow, with Manson’s vocals mixed low, creating an immaculate mess of pristine and savage sounds.

“Supervixen” is neither their best song nor their best known, but it’s the kind of song that great bands and great albums have.

Filed under: Tags: Garbage, Listening Room