Bush
Razorblade Suitcase
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Bush
Razorblade Suitcase
Interscope, 1996
RiYL: Everclear, Matchbox 20, Nirvana, Alice In Chains |
Why? Because it was original. It was different. Our teenage brains hadn't heard much, if anything, like it before.
Years later, Nirvana still stands as a bastion of revolutionary rock, despite having inadvertently created the grunge movement and scores of worthless musical offspring that continue to betray their predecessors.
The imagined ringleader of these groups is Bush, fronted by singer/songwriter Gavin Rossdale, a pompous, polished spokesman for today's voiceless teeny-boppers. Rossdale and his bandmates are enjoying the millions of dollars they've earned since the release of their debut album Sixteen Stone, a record that spawned a never-ending stream of singles and fueled a marathon tour that sold-out arenas across the world.
How did they accomplish it? By doing nothing more than shamelessly assaulting Nirvana's catalog of songs and liberally stealing any gem possible for their own use. Day after day, Bush trotted out this inferior product in front of adoring fans, never once informing its audiences of Nirvana and Cobain's obvious influences on its own work.
Again, one must stop to ask why. Maybe because the 15-year-old at the time of Bush's debut was only nine or 10 when Nirvana first broke onto the scene. Thus, Bush's music sounds new to these listeners. Maybe because Bush's music gets played all day long on modern-rock radio and MTV. Thus, Bush makes millions.
But I digress.
Bush's second record, Razorblade Suitcase, contains plenty of songs that draw comparisons to tunes on Sixteen Stone. Unfortunately, Razorblade Suitcase desecrates Nirvana to a point of near absurdity. The decision to hire acclaimed producer Steve Albini to record the disc is the first evidence of this (Albini produced Nirvana's In Utero record). The abundant pillage of Cobain's voice and guitar style is the next. It is flabbergasting to think that Rossdale, who is given credit for writing every song on the album, can pass off these pieces as anything but lame Nirvana rip-offs.
The first single, "Swallowed,'' drips Nirvana, be it in Rossdale's futile attempts to sing like Cobain or to produce "weird'' guitar riffs. Listen to this song followed by anything Nirvana ever wrote. If you don't hear a ridiculous amount of similarity, visit your nearest ear doctor.
That being said, there's virtually nothing of note about the rest of the songs on Razorblade. Albini's production has definitely added an element of bizarreness, clearly his own doing and not the band's. But even strange studio manipulation can't hide the fact that songs like "Insect Kin'' and "Personal Holloway'' are horribly written and loaded with faux angst. On Razorblade, one will find a host of meaningless songs with even more meaningless lyrics.
Imitation is often the most sincere form of flattery. Ironically, by its actions, Bush only cements Nirvana's eternal place amongst rock's most important innovators.
JONATHAN COHEN | Jonathan Cohen co-created Nude As The News with his Indiana University mates Troy Carpenter and Ben French. When not traversing the globe for business and pleasure, he holds down the fort as a senior editor for Billboard in New York. Stop him and he just may ask, "what for lunch?"