BUSH

BUSH is back with its first album in 10 years and still haven't released anything that will reignite anything close to the kind of passion fans felt with 1994's seminal modern rock (or alterna-metal) masterpiece "Sixteen Stone" nor its less successful, though still musically relevant follow-up "Razorblade Suitcase". Fourth album "The Sea of Memories" does have its moments, most of which occur during the first five cuts and none of which — with the possible exception of "The Mirror of the Signs" — even rival something like "The Chemicals Between Us" from 1999's "The Science Of Things" or "The People That we Love (Speed Kills)" from its decade-old predecessor "Golden State". Getting close is not good enough.

Doesn't exactly sound inviting, does it? Well, you can at least relax and allow your heart rate to return to normal, as "The Sea Of Memories" is not an outright embarrassment nor is it a complete failure. It is just not memorable. By the time you've finished listening to "All Night Doctors", a moving piano ballad that ends up a surprise album highlight, things ascend into blandness, beginning with "Baby Come Home" with arguably the most irksome chorus on the album (at least the bass-pumped minimalist verse grabs attention) and ending with an atrocious ballad in "Be Still My Love". More of the creative use of effects, cold atmospherics, the percussive coloring, interesting rhythms, and the clever way in which riffs impact with selectivity, best evidenced on "The Mirror Of The Sign", would have injected a great deal more life into the near-drivel of songs like "I Still Believe in You" and "The Heart of the Matter". Heart, soul, and vocalist/guitarist Gavin Rossdale still brings a voice that is eerily alluring, but patterns like those heard on the quirky verse of "All My Life" just don't work. A Bob Rock production still makes a difference, but the guy can only do so much.

What makes "The Sea Of Memories" most disappointing is that Rossdale and Co. show that they can write memorable tune ("The Sound Of Winter" another notable example) while painting unique soundscapes and still remain grounded in the style of rock that got them to the dance in the first place. Without those flashes of near brilliance, "The Sea Of Memories" wouldn't have even scored a mediocre rating.