IN REVIEW: Bush - "The Art of Survival"

-
 

After several album cycles of alternating between dipping into the well of nostalgia and ill-fated attempts at fitting in with the times, somehow Bush have seemed to settle on the kind of hard edged, chugging rock that's designed to slot in alongside the likes of Shinedown and Three Days Grace on whatever "modern rock radio" is these days. It's kind of a weird place for the band that rode the post-grunge wave to superstardom in the mid-90's, but I will admit it's more favourable than the pop experiments that smacked of desperation on albums like The Sea of Memories and Black and White Rainbows.

On ninth album The Art of Survival, there's at least a little less bludgeoning and a little more dynamics on display; the sludgy elements of opener Heavy is the Ocean offer a different flavour than Bush devotees are likely used to, while the industrial touches on May Your Love Be Pure remind us that an environment existed in the late 90's where rock bands like Bush could and did release remix albums. Human Sand, meanwhile, features both a sinewy main lick that calls to mind modern stoner rock acts and a keyboard line that seems cribbed from an Owl City record; also, does Gavin Rossdale really say "you're my robot boo" right before the chorus? (checks lyrics on Genius) Yes, he does. Later, instead of another shameless retread of Glycerine, the album's token ballad takes shape in the atmospheric and electronic-assisted Creatures of the Fire; it's not going to blow anyone's mind out of the context of the album but, within the context, it's a welcome respite from the chugga-chugga riffs. This approach is employed again on the sparse, atmospheric closer 1000 Years to lesser effect.

By and large, though, The Art of Survival is deeply rooted in the generic; the down-tuned guitar bashing found on lead single More Than Machines is fairly indicative of the album experience as a whole, not offensive in its execution but by no means special in any way. Then again, it's rather foolish to levy expectations on a band like Bush that, despite the dizzying level of success they achieved in their heyday, were never looked at to blaze any trails.

Still, considering the trajectory of the Mach II lineup of this band (Rossdale was the only original member when the band resumed activity five albums ago), there have been enough interesting moments that I don't think I'm out of line when I say I hoped for something more than what The Art of Survival offers. A few cheap thrills and a handful of slight departures aside, this is the kind of cookie cutter hard rock that might allow them to survive a little longer but, subjective as it may be, I don't really consider it art.

October 7, 2022 • Zuma Rock
Highlights Heavy is the Ocean • Slow Me • Creatures of the Fire

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

IN REVIEW: Surf Curse - "Magic Hour"

-
Image
  After a slow ascent that saw them self-release their first three albums over the course of six years, Surf Curse found fame in the way that so many young and hungry bands do in this modern age; Freaks , written in 2011 and originally released on their debut Buds in 2013, found itself a sudden smash after soundtracking memes on TikTok in 2020, eventually garnering over 200 million streams and earning the group a major label contract.  The first album following their breakthrough, Magic Hour finds plenty of changes in store for fans; now expanded to a four-piece, this album immediately sets itself apart from previous releases based on the fuller sound in the songs alone. Couple that with a step away from the lo-fi aesthetic that played a part in earlier releases and this is obviously going to be a different experience than people may have hyped themselves up for. That said, the crunchy, energized Arrow and the lush, dreamy Cathy combine for a very strong start even as they fly in the
Read more

Gallantly Streaming: Avenged Sevenfold Go Full On 90's With Familiar, Stunning Results

-
Image
Stream Avenged Sevenfold's Hail To The King here , courtesy iTunes. As uncool and un-hipsterish as it may be for me to admit on a blog, I'm a fan of Avenged Sevenfold. Their breakthrough album City of Evil and its blistering lead single Bat Country sucked me in, and their varied, multiple era sprawling attack kept me around waiting for more. Their 2007 self titled effort was just as strong in its shameless genre hopping, planting their feet firmly in the technical metal that endeared them to so many while reaching out to explore new sounds. With that said, I felt 2010's Nightmare was a step back; while it had some genuinely thrilling moments, it overall lacked some of the adventurousness that made them so interesting. Upon listening to Hail To The King 's title track for the first time, I was admittedly disappointed by its trite lyrics and (mostly) simplistic musicianship. However, repeated exposure has helped the track age well; once you get past the lyrics
Read more

Year in Rock 2023: Honorable Mentions

-
Image
  Well, well, well. If it isn't Sound Bites temporarily coming back to life, suspiciously close to the end of the year. That must only mean one thing; well, aside from the author being supremely lazy and neglectful to his blog yet again. Yes, dear reader, it's time for Year in Rock. Look, I'm out of excuses as to why I can turn from cranking out content at a record pace to a full year of radio silence; suffice to say, this blog certainly isn't a priority in my life (which I have been rebuilding since my last post, but that's all personal stuff I have no desire to steal bandwidth from more deserving and important things). Sound Bites will continue to exist as a mausoleum for my personal music tastes, but it's not pivoting into self-help territory, nor is it roaring back to full-time status. I'll check in periodically, so as to say when there's something worth sharing. It might be once a year, it might be more frequently, but I definitely won't be gett
Read more