Year of the Comeback: Bush - The Sea Of Memories

Is it just me, or does every band I used to really be into have a new album all of a sudden? I got three new albums last week, all of them from bands that I got into right around the fifth grade, all of them considered 'comeback' albums.

The one I was most excited for would have to be The Sea Of Memories by Bush.

Bush isn't exactly one of those really well known bands, but they've always held a soft spot for me. They were one of those groups I just happened to stumble upon just as I was really getting into music. They also happen to be one of the most consistent bands I know. Through their four albums spanning from 1994's Sixteen Stone, to 2001's Garden State they not only made good music, but more importantly they kept their sound fresh. Ten years later, they're finally back, and they have a lot to live up to.

I've known this album was coming for a long time now, it's been delayed a couple of times. I'm never one to complain about delays on things like this, when it's done it's done. But in this case it caught me by surprise, because apparently I'd been hearing the single for the past year and I didn't even know it was Bush, because it really doesn't sound like them. Afterlife has a much more mainstream pop sound than what we're used to from these guys. It's not a bad song at all, but it just doesn't sound like this band, and it almost doesn't fit in with the rest of the album. You can really tell they were recorded in different moments, almost a year apart. It's a testament to how much a band's sound can change in a year.

The second single The Sound Of Winter is a much more accurate representation of what the new album sounds like. It's catchy a riff heavy alt rock at it's finest. Once you hear it, it's like Bush never left.

Gavin Rossdale is still just as good at what he's always done. He's never had the most amazing voice, but he really knows how to use what he has and make it sound great. He just has one of those unique sounding voices that just gets stuck in your head, and it just makes the songs that much catchier. And I really do think it's what carries the band.

The album itself keeps true to the Bush sound. Some have said it's their best since their first, I'm not sure I agree, being quite partial to The Science Of Things. But I will say it is a good album. Like I said before, more than anything, Bush is consistent. Their sound doesn't feel dated at all, and the sound still holds strong.

I can't complain though. It's not every day that a band you like this much makes a comeback album this good. It saddens me to say, that most comeback efforts end up quite disappointing (trust me, more on that in the next posts). So, all in all, Bush is back, successfully. And for those of you who know me, I'd like to inform you that my tiny man-crush on Rossdale had no impact on my rating this album. I swear. 

He's just so pretty.

In my book, The Sea Of Memories is quite enjoyable. Not their best, but a welcome return.

6/10

If Not Now, When? - Incubus tones it down

"Jump, jump, jump!"

How much anticipation is too much anticipation? That might be the question that hinders Incubus' latest album If Not Now, When?.

It's been five years since Light Grenades came out. That's a whole lot of anticipation after a really good album, it leaves some pretty big shoes to fill. And I hate to say it, but after such a well rounded album like Light Grenades, INNW? feels kinda flat.

I'm not saying it's a bad album by a long shot. It shows musical growth from a band that has really evolved over time. And I really do like the songs, it's just the tone of the album, it's so monotonous. Any song on here could stack up nicely on it's own in the right moment. But as a whole, it's just too mellow for my taste. And if you listen to the whole album it just feels like one long soft song.

It does have it's high points. Certain choruses and riffs tend to stick in your head for a while. But nothing overly memorable. I will say that the rhythm and lead guitars have seemed to find a special synch that they hadn't found yet, and it shows in some songs. And of course Brandon Boyd always does a spectacular job with vocals. But they seemed to falter when it comes to the crazy sounds and awkward effects that I've learned to expect from Incubus, they're just not there.

I'm not using it as an excuse or anything, and I'm kinda known for not losing faith in bands after a blah album, but every alt-rock band tends to go through an overly-mellow phase. I mean, the Red Hot Chili Peppers did By The Way, just to follow it up with Stadium Arcadium (my favorite album ever), and it's not the first time that a band has squeaked by with a decent album just to come back with a great one. It might just be wishful thinking on my part, but I really haven't written off Incubus just yet.

But for now, we have this; If Not Now, When?... Well, I can't answer that. I just know we have decent elevator/backround music for a really easy going party from Incubus. And that's not really a bad thing.

6/10

The Adventures Of Rain Dance Maggie - Return of the Peppers!

First of all... You're going to have to listen to this...

That's right ladies and gentlemen, we have our first single, and I really like the sound they're going for.

It's subtle, yet funky. And as far as the Peppers go, these are some of the most coherent lyrics I've heard in a while. As far as I know right now this could be the mellowest or the heaviest song on the album, and either way I'm fine with it. If half the songs on I'm With You gets stuck in my head like this, then they've done a great job.

I love it just for the cover.

Flea has a nice little baseline in the song, and we even get some cowbell (and now you're picturing Will Ferrell's hairy gut), but the song-stealer in this case has to be band newcomer Josh Klinghoffer who has some pretty elaborate layering in his guitar work. On top of that the chorus riff he used is just as catchy (if not more) than the chorus itself, I've been humming it since I heard it.

Has it reached Stadium Arcadium levels for me? No, but it did get me excited for the release, which is still over a month away. So yeah, expect another bloated music review.

It's a Classic to me dammit: Siamese Dream

Why are little girls so creepy?

In our first installment we looked at my favorite album of all time, Stadium Arcadium. This one is a little bit lower on my list.

Siamese Dream (1993) is the second album by well known alt-rock band The Smashing Pumpkins. It is considered one of their best, though it is often overshadowed by the more popular Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness. I firmly believe that Siamese Dream is by far the superior record.

As a second album, following the surprise hit, Gish, the Pumpkins had a lot of pressure on them. This lead to a lot of conflict and turmoil both between the band themselves and with the record label (Virgin).

Stories of the recording process are varied. Some say that the band was butting heads so often that they would barely speak to each other. It didn't help that band leader Billy Corgan tends to be somewhat of a perfectionist with the music he puts out.

The album has a very peculiar sound for the 90's. In an era where alternative was known for its gritty and raw sound, Siamese Dream was very well crafted and carefully mixed. It sounds like Corgan didn't like being labeled 'the next Nirvana' and just went in a whole other direction.

As key as sound and melody are for SD, the true star is without a doubt the writing. Siamese Dream has some of the best songs of the so called 'grunge era.' Yes, Mellon Collie has the hits, but Siamese Dream has substance, and feeling. Songs like Disarm, Today, and Mayonaise easily trump Mellon Collie's big hit Bullet With Butterfly Wings. On top of that, you have my all time favorite Pumpkins song (which should have been a single), Soma.

The album is one of those prime examples of un-rushed music. To me, the best example of the refinement of a sound that defined an era. Mellon Collie is second in my Pumpkins countdown, but Siamese Dream is head and shoulders above. You may enjoy the Infinite Sadness... But Siamese Dream is a classic to me dammit!

It's a Classic to me dammit: Stadium Arcadium

Not only do I think this album is a classic. Not only do I think it's the best Chili Peppers album. This is my favorite album. 

I jokingly call this album the playlist breaker, because whenever I'm making a playlist I just skip over this because I  might just throw the whole thing in there.

The Red Hot Chili Peppers are a rare type of band. Loved by many, hated by few. No matter what you're into, you like or know at least one RHCP song.

My first Peppers album was in sixth grade when Californication came out, and I loved it. It's without a doubt one of their best and most revered albums. From then on in I looked backwards at them, picking albums like One Hot Minute, and the consensus favorite, Blood Sugar Sex Magik. Each one brought something different to the table, whether it be a new sound or vibe, they kept it fresh.

By the time By The Way came out in 2002 I was more than ready for a new album. And once again it was very different. It was a bit mellow by RHCP standards. Don't get me wrong, it's a great album but it just feels light in comparison, it's not an album you rock out to, and on first listen it seemed like a downer. They seemed to be missing that heavy funk that made them excel and they settled into a slower pace. Coming off an album like Californication into this new sound seemed like a step down I really felt like they slumped.

When the hype machine started reving up for Stadium Arcadium I was in my senior year of high school, and at first I didn't buy in. I hadn't bought an album in a while (sound familiar?) and I was kinda unplugged from the music scene. Then, the video for Dani California came out, and it blew my mind. It was a totally new sound for them. Frusciante's guitar work seemed much more intense, and it gave the song really big feel to it. I immediately thought it was the strongest first single I'd heard from a Peppers album.

I already knew it was a double album before it came out, and that info just fueled my fire... I was pumped. Stadium Arcadium dropped on May 5, around three weeks before my graduation. I was actually the only person in my class who was really pumped about it.

I showed up the next day with my headphones on, ignoring the universe. I still hadn't gone through both discs... A product of the repeat button on most of the songs. I was hooked. It was almost like I was selling the album to people at lunch. SA was just the perfect Peppers album to me. It was like listening to a greatest hits album of all new material. They just took every single style they had played in and revisited it in they're new found musical maturity, and it showed; it was brilliant.

The double album feature also worked in their advantage. They planned the perfect order for the tracks to keep us interested, the split the disks evenly in style and sound making two similar but different disks that would stand alone (Unlike what the Foo Fighters did with In Your Honor).

To this day, I have a hard time skipping songs from that album. It's great in the sense that it's hard to memorize 28 songs; there's always that one that you forget is on there, and it's a pleasant surprise when you hear it. I actually have a friend who has never heard the whole second disk because he's never gotten tired of the first.

Personally, I don't know some of the singles from the record. I wasn't paying enough attention to MTV at the time. I just know there were at least five. Also, I don't want to know. I'd probably be angry that some song was never a single (The title track comes to mind).

As the next Red Hot Chili Peppers album shows it's head on the horizon later this year, I can't help but expect great things. They have a lot to live up to. New guitarist and all, I expect them to try and top themselves. And to me, it's a big role to fill.

I know that to most it's hard to imagine an album that's any better than Blood Sugar, or Californication; but Stadium Arcadium to me seems like the perfection of those albums and what they meant. The Peppers took what they'd done and made it perfect, in one album... One really long enjoyable album. And honestly... No matter what you say... It's a classic to me dammit!

Foo Fighters - Wasting Light: Preview

Ok, I will openly admit... I'm a Grohl fanboy. Basically anything the man touches I automatically love. I do believe he is the greatest all around rock musician of our time (FYI, the greatest all around musician is without a doubt Prince, but that's a subject for another post). Wasting Light comes out in less than a month, and after waiting for over three years for this new Foo album, it's not surprising that I'm a little bit pumped.

Being as fan friendly as Foo Fighters are, they've given us more than enough previews of what's coming; going as far as giving us step by step updates on the recording of the album all the way from Dave Grohl's garage on twitter.

But around a month ago we got some sound to go with the hype... A surprisingly heavy song titled White Limo popped up on YouTube, along with an awesome video featuring Lemmy... yes, that Lemmy.

To be honest, I didn't love the song. I totally love the video, but the song seems pushed to me. I can appreciate the heavier sound. But Dave's vocals by the end of it seem monotone. I mean, if you go all out then there's no big "Oomph" moment when the song needs it. He usually saves those awesome screams for when the song calls for it (see: All My Life, Breakout).

I watched it like fifteen times... and it did grow on me. But a week later they put up a rough audio version of the first single, Rope... And it not only renewed my love for the band... But it instantly became one of my favorite Foo songs...

The riff is upbeat and catchy from the get-go. Every instrument feels proficient throughout the song. And the chorus has been infinitely looped in my head.

We're still a couple days away from album release... And I can already say, this won't be an album I just burn from a friend.

Expect a full review as soon as I listen to it four or five times...