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