From: Madison, Wisconsin

Active: 1995–present

I first heard them: when their first album dropped and several songs from it made their way onto the modern rock stations

Sound: Garbage flirts with the line between rock and button music, but manages to stay on the right side of it.  Yes, the music is heavily processed, but those are rock textures, not synth; those drums may be looped, but at least they sound like drums.  And Shirley Manson, who the three producers who make up the rest of the band spotted in an Angelfish video and brought to America, is a master of voice acting.  When, on “#1 Crush”, she sings, “I would die for you,” you can almost feel the gun barrel she’s pressing to her temple.

Further listening: Garbage is yet another band whose “further listening” section could sprawl out of control if I let it.  I do favor the early stuff, though—​nothing from the past decade or so has threatened to crack either the main chart or this list.

		“Milk” (1995)
		“Sleep” (1995)
		“Temptation Waits” (1998)
		“Cup of Coffee” (2001)
		“Control” (2012)