Bush - Man On The Run
Man on the Run
Bush
Tiger Rating: 7.0 / 10
Rock
Bush have survived many things: The merciful bullet in the head that killed grunge in '94. Fluctuating fame through the 90s. A disbanding in 2002. Various side projects and a solo album from Gavin. Their future never looked like plain-sailing, least of all because rock as a genre has always been inclined to devolve and restrict, rather than anything else. Other successful 90s/00s rock bands that were contemporaries to
Bush (RHCP, Linkin Park, Audioslave) have either become defunct or
morphed into something very different from their inception, often unsuccessfully. Bush have weathered a rocky (no pun) career and are back again with a 6th studio album. What is notable is that they are still doing what they've always done but sound as fresh and urgent as ever.
Guitars of every tone - whiney and chimey, dark and chugging, distorted and savage, clear and soft - are and have always been one of the two elements that define Bush. The other is obviously Gavin's vocals. They're exceptional in that they can be broken and haunting or aggressive and strong. He brings that element of darkness to the softer ballad type songs, and can whip the upbeat tracks into a dangerous frenzy.
Simmering below the surface is always frenetic tension. That seems to have been fostered and nurtured on 'Man on the Run', and it's probably a genius decision. The band never sound at ease and yet that's the very thing that works the magic and keeps it from being a schlumpy reunion.
'Broken in Paradise' may be the star track of the album, maybe only because my ear has been tuned to grasp riffs and hooks. In that case, this is the star song. The lyrics are, as always, carefully crafted and are an understated genius. 'Surrender' sounds like it was written for a stadium and would work well for that. In fact this was apparently the intent with every track on 'Man on the Run'.
"Every song I write has to be able to co-exist with some big songs in our set list that people have come to accept as part of the fabric of Bush. There's not one song on the new record that isn't going to translate live."
And whilst it is a truly impressive accomplishment in context of the uncertainty they faced and conquered, perhaps this album would be most impressive if it was a live album, like the one they released in 2008, post breakup. What it does do however, is break down nicely into nuggets of rocky freshness that lift any playlist I've listened to recently. It definitely doesn't deserve to be ignored.
WVS
Guitars of every tone - whiney and chimey, dark and chugging, distorted and savage, clear and soft - are and have always been one of the two elements that define Bush. The other is obviously Gavin's vocals. They're exceptional in that they can be broken and haunting or aggressive and strong. He brings that element of darkness to the softer ballad type songs, and can whip the upbeat tracks into a dangerous frenzy.
Simmering below the surface is always frenetic tension. That seems to have been fostered and nurtured on 'Man on the Run', and it's probably a genius decision. The band never sound at ease and yet that's the very thing that works the magic and keeps it from being a schlumpy reunion.
'Broken in Paradise' may be the star track of the album, maybe only because my ear has been tuned to grasp riffs and hooks. In that case, this is the star song. The lyrics are, as always, carefully crafted and are an understated genius. 'Surrender' sounds like it was written for a stadium and would work well for that. In fact this was apparently the intent with every track on 'Man on the Run'.
"Every song I write has to be able to co-exist with some big songs in our set list that people have come to accept as part of the fabric of Bush. There's not one song on the new record that isn't going to translate live."
And whilst it is a truly impressive accomplishment in context of the uncertainty they faced and conquered, perhaps this album would be most impressive if it was a live album, like the one they released in 2008, post breakup. What it does do however, is break down nicely into nuggets of rocky freshness that lift any playlist I've listened to recently. It definitely doesn't deserve to be ignored.
WVS
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