MusicRadar

For the cutting-edge band Garbage (left to right, Steve Marker, Duke Erikson, Shirley Manson and Butch Vig), 2012 looks to be a big year, indeed.

Butch Vig says that the new Garbage album, slated for release in the first quarter of 2012, is almost finished. But with two songs left to mix, he admits that some band members aren't yet ready to let go.

"Shirley [Manson, Garbage's lead singer] told me the other day that she was going to be sad when the record is done," he says. "It's been a lot of fun going to the studio. It's like our own little clubhouse. But we have to finish; otherwise, we'll spend another year just tinkering. It's time to be done so we can go play the songs live."

It's been six years since Garbage's last album, 2005's Bleed Like Me, a period of time which saw the members (in addition to drummer Vig and Manson, the group also includes guitarist Steve Marker and bassist Duke Erikson) involved in various projects - Vig, of course, produced big name acts such as Green Day and the Foo Fighters, and Manson recorded an unreleased solo album and had success as an actress.

The news that Garbage had reunited and have a new disc is big stuff, however. A first single from the 11-song, still-untitled record is due in January. While the band mixes away, MusicRadar sat down with Vig, Erikson and Marker - do we call them "Garbage men"? Much too easy - to get the skinny on how the gang got back together, and what kinds of new gear they like to play with when they do that thing they do.

The band's hiatus, as it were – was it always intended to be just that? Was a real breakup considered?

Steve Marker: "We needed time off. We'd done a lot of touring, and then we hit some brick walls on a business level. The music industry pretty much imploded. We needed to clear the air some. Still, we did send ideas back and forth. Garbage has always been very important to us."

Butch Vig: "I always thought we were just taking a break. I thought it last a couple of years, but then everybody started doing their own things. I started producing full-time, and then I had a daughter, so I turned a lot of my attention to raising her."

Duke Erikson: "There was probably a period during the last record where we considered a permanent break, but we got over it. I think we had it in the backs of our minds that we'd do something again, but I don't know if we knew it would be a full record."

What was the catalyst for getting back together? Was there any one thing that did it?

Vig: "It was really Shirley who kind of got the ball rolling. About a year ago, we were all together in LA for a birthday, and Shirley suggested that we book a room and jam. And that's what we did, although we did spend a lot of time telling stories and drinking wine. [laughs] Eventually, we did get around to playing some music. Before you knew it, we had three or four real song ideas."

Erikson: "But we didn't go right into making-a-record mode. It took a bit of time for us to realize that we were going to make an album."

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