Unsurprisingly, the Anniversary Articles are dominating my listening lately. At least, with this one, I'm starting to get ahead again. I've also got quite the variety here, going from 80s pop rock to grunge to prog and back. Here's what I've been listening to lately!
I admit I mostly threw this on for a lark. At a time of Journey's peak success, Steve Perry sought to have a go on his own, ending up with something much more pop than rock. Still, powered by his iconic voice, it has some nice, nostalgic charm, even if the album came out before I was born!
While the big song "Oh Sherrie" shares a lot with his band's melodic sensibilities, the rest of the album seems to drift between soul and pop, with dashes of funk here and there. It feels like a 70s album with 80s production, if that makes sense, perhaps as a consequence of bringing some of his pre-Journey work into the mix. "It's Only Love" was a nice, upbeat tune (even if it did have the James Bond chord progression in parts), and the other tracks flow pretty well. While I think it's missing the hard rock crunch that Neal Schon provides, it's a nice collection of soft rock tunes that let Steve what he does best.
So after nearly a decade of synth-driven rock, the trio takes a break, then comes back together with a more guitar focused album, marking another turn in this historic band's history. However, as I enjoy a lot of it, I feel like there's still something missing.
While the synthesizers have taken a backseat, Alex Lifeson retains his thin, jangly guitars, making the album feel more like 80s pop rock, like if U2 covered Rush. Still, it's not like these are bad songs. Neil Peart gives the album his regular blend of complex lyrics and drum patterns, ensuring the songs never feel flat. This is also a more sing-songy album, as there are a lot of catchy melodic lines for Geddy to sing. I also noticed that the choruses on these songs tend to be softer than the verses, making for some strange dynamics. I guess when I heard this was going to be different that the ones before, I was expecting more than just a shift in which layers get the attention.
Again, I don't think this is a bad album. (In fact, I'm getting the impression that Rush has no bad albums.) Taking it as it is, Rush carries on their legacy of interesting songs, full of clever lyrics and interludes, while letting each member shine. As before, I may need to listen to this a few times to really wrap my head around it, but first impressions leave me a little underwhelmed.
Starting up just as the grunge wave was peaking, Bush's debut album was definitely the right album at the right time to go big. While I never listened to it at the time, I remember a lot of kids in school talking about this band, and since then I've always been mildly curious. Finally getting around to it, it definitely sounds like pretty typical mid-90s alternative rock, and not much more.
At the time, critics bashed the band for sounding too much like Nirvana, and I admit I have to agree. Not only are the guitar tones, vocal melodies, and song dynamics similar, the angst-filled lyrics on alienation and drug addiction are pretty standard for the genre. However, I do think there is more going on than just copying a popular band. Gavin Rossdale is more of a singer, almost crooning at times, and there is more of a musical touch, giving them a bit of a Pearl Jam vibe, especially as many of the songs escalate towards the end. It's hard to know if they have anything to themselves, though "Alien" feels like it wanders into post-rock or shoegaze. Still, considering all the songs, I can hear the transition to post-grunge, as I'm hearing ideas I'd hear from later bands, like Nickelback and Our Lady Peace.
Coming out at the end of a rough year for grunge, I guess folks flocked to it, despite it's reputation, as the album sold quite well on release, thanks to a handful of big singles like "Comedown" and the cinematic "Glycerine." I also liked "Little Things" and "Machine Head." Overall, it's some pretty typical grunge for the time, but I think there are signs of the band's potential, which, as it seems, carrying them well into the future.
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