REVIEW: Bush, The Science of Things (Trauma)
- Joann Ball
Bush has returned with the eagerly awaited third studio release The Science of Things - and the band makes it clear that it has much to explore and prove on this most serious of projects.
The blistering white noise of "Warm Machine" sets The Science of Things into motion. Musically framed by front man Gavin Rossdale and Nigel Pulsford's searing guitars and propelled by Dave Parsons' propulsive bass and Robin Goodridge's solid drumming, this lead track showcases Bush's newly inspired musical direction. Significantly influenced by the experimentation of 1997's ambitious Reconstructed, Bush updates their direct hard rock sound with distinctly electronic-based influences.
Throughout the twelve songs on the 52-minute release, drum loops and samples are frequently integrated into the complex musical mix. The result is nothing short of a sonic assault. And it is the ideal platform for Rossdale's trademark gritty vocals which fully embody the band's new sense of purpose and drive, and his fully developed songwriting which explores the implications of science and technology as well as familiar contrasting themes of aspiration and frustration, and loneliness and independence.
Lead single "Chemicals Between Us," with its lead guitar fueled intensity and mechanized rhythms, brilliantly showcases Bush's musical and lyrical growth and proves without a doubt that it works. Similarly, the raging "English Fire," the buzz saw guitar roar of "Prizefighter" and the edgy "Mindhanger," emphasize the complexity and fullness resulting from the combination of experimentation in instrumentation and technology with matured themes.
But Bush's growth as a rock band is not just limited to the expansion of its undeniable big and driving sound. Softer and slower numbers such as the almost ambient "40 Miles From the Sun," and the ballad "Letting the Cables Sleep" which prominently features piano and strings and Rossdale's almost liquid vocals, suggest that Bush has also developed a greater sense of stylistic range. And the superbly crafted "Spacetravel," refines the high-octane rushes of sonic chaos by smoothing out the textured and layered guitars. Combined with backing vocals from No Doubt's Gwen Stefani, the song has a unique rise-surge-free fall effect which makes "Spacetravel" one of the finest among the 12-tracks on The Science of Things.
In the years since the band's meteoric rise to the top with 1993's Sixteen Stone, Bush has been repeatedly criticized as derivative and imitative. And even though the band proved it was no fluke with the surprisingly raw sophomore release "Razorblade Suitcase, the skeptics continued to nag Rossdale and company about the true essence of the band. But now with its third effort, Bush has firmly established itself as an intelligent and complex rock band that is fully capable of standing on its own merits. The Science of Things , existing independently of any particular music scene or trend, is an exploration of sound, ideas and boundaries. And critics and skeptics alike should take note... it is convincingly and uncompromisingly all things Bush.
