Bush Album Review Baby Come Home Again

by Jon Casler on October 12, 2011 in Album Reviews

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Baby Come Home Again: Bush Album Review

The first Bush studio album in 10 years is sonically impressive but puzzling for never making full use of its undeniable craft. The fault lies not in the execution of beautifully crafted ingredients, rather in the over repetition of the song formulas which leaves me wondering what might have been achieved with more ambition. There are no missed notes but it seems the price is no great notes.

First to the high notes (though there aren’t many literal high notes on this album, more on that later)-all fans of rock should find something to like here. It extends the contemporary trend of velvety and pleasant sounding instruments to rock, no buzzsaw distortion here. The production values are gorgeous-the bass grooves with a perfect warm fuzzed tremolo and the drums are lively without assaulting the audience. Rhythmic minimalism in the guitar playing gives Gavin Rossdale’s graceful and muscular vocals an invigorating contemporary stage. About Gavin, I would venture he has the best voice in rock at the moment. His vocals, tending to a velvety croon with hint of growl, have matured nicely to a deeper tone since Bush’s last release. The Sea of Memories sounds like someone fused Kurt Cobain’s reverbed introspective angst with Jack White’s gift for catchy rhythm.

The band may have picked “The Sound of Winter” as the single, but the track I keep coming back to is “All Night Doctors,” the closest thing to a proper ballad on this release. It asks the grown-up question if our mortality was well spent. He starts with narrating “she saw the pieces of her yesterday/she was wondering how she’d fade away/ who loved her and really listened in/ whether she had made a difference?” Gavin’s stellar voice contrasts a reflective and sparse solo piano for the introduction. He also reflects on the concurrent clarity of hindsight when pondering a life spent. “try to wrap your arms around a memory/ maybe you were not where you you’re meant to be/lord knows we’re not who we think we are.” On the chorus he questions which of “All my doctors, All my preachers, all my girls to get you through” who was worthwhile. “Were you ever my love?” he asks in the bridge, and in the final statement answers “I don’t know…” a mature acknowledgement of the futility most of our actions bring in the search for satisfaction.

Now for the low points-I praised Gavin’s lyrics earlier but that’s not the usual on the album. Most of the time the lyrics just aren’t that great, they seem more a vehicle for Gavin’s excellent voice, and that element could also be better exploited. There’s not a great singalong chorus or instantly memorable phrase anywhere unlike their earlier work like ‘machinehead.’ Gavin elects to simmer rather than burn through all his material, never changing his emotional feel and his singing often feels unconnected with the beat and interchangeable between songs. I know he has good range as a singer, such as the paranoid drive of ‘machinehead’ or the lullaby of ‘Letting the cables sleep,” and I’m a little puzzled why it isn’t used. It seems like Bush stumbled onto a great sound in the studio, and were content to churn out as much of it as they could.

I would have appreciated more pieces like ‘All night Doctors’ because emotional diversity is badly needed on The Sea of Memories. Even as I grooved on how great the record sounded, the consistency song to song kept striking me as odd. Unfortunately “The Sea Of Memories” doesn’t vary the songwriting formula from the initial track “Mirror of the Signs.” There’s always four bars of a guitar intro, a lot of 8th note rhythm playing in the middle and a two-second stinger at the end. The album never innovates. The tempos also never change. Dynamics are a huge lost opportunity-by always remaining just below forte there’s never any release of tension, no breakthrough high moment or sparkling quiet sections.

Most puzzling is why Bush intentionally eschewed varied musical statements. There not a moment that on “The Sea of Memories” that shines above the rest. It’s the musical equivalent of Kyle Orton’s quarterbacking style: never the epic pass, just a series of competent but unflashy short throws that get the job done. Besides the fact that Bush is back, it is the real statement of this release. I find such a statement of unflashyness is admirable in an increasingly narcissistic world, but I still need a little more. Like Kyle Orton, Bush reminds audiences via absence that an inspiring performance is more than just safely getting the job done. There are no high’s without the risk of disappointing lows. Bush’s modest defiance of the trend for more and more narcissism in music, often under the guise of celebrity, is refreshing but frustrating, because like the Occupy Wall Street protestors, they point out how things could be different but never issue a call to action. The real message of the album isn’t in the words, but in the levels-it literally makes an egalitarian tone where all moments are equal and the same.

To wrap it up, I would recommend this album as a good but not great album. It’s solid production values and softer tone render it pleasant enough to not turn anyone off at the expense of never making a statement to set itself apart. That said, there’s a lot here that should be listened to. Both Bush fans and non-fans can love how Gavin’s voiced has matured into one of the best voices in rock. Excellent instrumental recording is a delight to the ears, particularly in the bass. A successful return for a favorite of the 90’s.

Sounds like: U2, recent Our Lady Peace, Beck.

Rating: 3.5

Tags: Beck, Bush Album Review, Bush Baby Come Home Again, Gavin Rossdale, Jack White, Kurt Cobain, Kyle Orton, Our Lady Peace, U2 Print article