On September 13, 2011 "The Sea Of Memories" was released which is "Bush's" fifth album, almost a whole decade has passed since the previous album !!
In 2002 after four albums the band decided to break up, their first two albums "Sixteen Stone" and "Razorblade Suitcase" were huge successes. Despite many comparisons and criticisms from grunge loyalists about such and such imitations of the band, there was no doubt that singer and lead singer Gavin Rossdale is an extraordinary talent and apart from his mesmerizing voice (there is no other way to define it) his writing and processing ability is also amazing.
But let's dwell on Gavin's voice for a moment...
Some say he imitates Eddie Vedder, some say the range of sounds he produces is very limited, and some say he does not vary his singing style on albums but there is no denying that Gavin is one of the singers whose voice touches you in a magical way.
There is something about the frequency, the hoarseness, or maybe the tone that is just mesmerizing and addictive. By listening to the band's songs no matter what song, you can find yourself drowning in his voice without remembering what the guitar or drums played, his voice is so dominant that it affects every listening experience in a crazy way!
Eleven years have passed since we listened to Gavin's voice and to tell the truth apart from the first two albums and maybe a little from the third, the band has lost a bit of its power. After the fourth album failed at the box office the band decided to break up and everyone went their separate ways, in Gavin's case he was busy marrying Gwen Stefani from No Doubt. But beyond that, he also formed a band called Institute which released one album and after its dissolution, he also released a solo album.
(Photo: vinylmeplease.com)
In June 2010, 8 years later Gavin decided to go back to making music again and he tried to reunite the band again together, the other two members besides drummer Robin Goodridge decided not to "reunite" and the bass and guitar players were replaced by Corey Britz and Chris Traynor respectively. In order to warm up the atmosphere and create chemistry before creating the album, the band members went on a hasty tour of 10 performances, playing songs from the band's previous albums.
In September 2011 we had the pleasure again to indulge in the voice of Gavin, who wanted to release an excellent rock album with a sound reminiscent of the band's first two albums but with new and refreshing elements. He also wanted this album to be successful and bring Bush back to its great glory days, maybe not quite like then but at least half, and for that, he recruited one of the famous producers Bob Rock (Metallica's black album and more...) and indeed an excellent album came out here !!
There are many beautiful things on this album, songs that are fun to sing with, ballads that you can cry with, and also ones that will make you jump with your hands in the air as if you are performing.
The album opens with "The Mirror of the Signs" which is an amazing opening to this album, a dramatic opening accompanied by a guitar that prepares us for the mesmerizing combination of Gavin's voice with the bass and the amazing Chinese effect that is just exciting, increase it now and get addicted.
Continuing with "The Sound of Winter" which was also the second single released from the album and is literally the musical reversal of the previous song, here Gavin begins to give more energy.
The next song "All My Life" begins with a contorted and shrill riff that is a refreshing change in the band's sound with a chorus that makes you want to sing out loud.
It is followed by "The Afterlife" which is a particularly bouncy and fun performance song, an experience that does not prepare us at all or may even have been done on purpose to smash us in the next song.
The song "All Night Doctors" is a smashing song, it touches precisely this point that is somewhere inside the heart and it does not matter if you lost someone as a result of an illness, lost the love of your life, or anything else that could not be saved. You drown in a sea of emotions that flood you every time Gavin sings:
"All night doctors All night preachers All night girls to get you through Lost and wasted Hope is fading And I'm waiting here For You"
Take a handkerchief, it's okay to shed a tear... take a deep breath and move on. We will understand if you want to pause for a moment and listen to the song again.
So we wiped... we drank a glass of water and now you can imagine what a huge festival in the middle of torrential rain and everyone loses themselves knowing when the band plays "Baby Come Home" a bouncy and fun song, even if it is a song of longing.
The next "Red Light" continues a bit of the previous and fun line with guitars that accompany a continuous rhythm and Gavin occasionally hits some highs.
We will continue to "She's a Stallion" which opens with jarring guitar sounds and continues to a slightly industrial riff with fickle lyrics that also make you want to sing.
The next three songs do not represent anything special and are a bit reminiscent of works by other bands like Placebo, Bad Company, and the like but Gavin's voice gives them the Bush stamp.
The album ends with a heartwarming ballad called "Be Still My Love" and how cliché it sounds you believe love will win, especially when the violins accompany Gavin's guitars and voice and the mesmerizing drumming work here.
Although the album did not bring the band the success it had on the first two albums, it undoubtedly brought them back to the headlines in a big way. The album reached No. 5 on Top Alternative Albums and No. 8 on Top Rock Albums. And since then they have continued, releasing two more albums and another one on the way according to rumors.
Listen to the album on: Apple Music