British alt-rock band Bush are back with their sixth studio album, Man on the Run. Despite finding massive success in the ‘90s, the band fell apart in 2002 and took an eight-year break, only to return in 2011 with their popular comeback album The Sea of Memories. This time, Bush hope to achieve success once again with Man on the Run.
Something that really strikes the listener about this record is the fine balance between rock and grunge. The album’s title track, ‘Man on the Run’, has that no-frills rock sound that only comes from pure, unpolished modern rock (think Three Doors Down, for example), but the low, elongated riffs and gravelly vocals bring out the grunge tones of Three Days Grace. That’s not to say that Bush’s sound is entirely black and white, as tracks such as ‘Loneliness’ tease us with cool sound effects that bring an unexpected dimension to their music.
However, alt-rock like this is nothing that we haven’t heard before and, no matter how solid songs such as ‘Dangerous Love’ and ‘Eye of the Storm’ are, they inevitably begin to drag if there isn’t something fresh to shake things up. That’s exactly why ‘Bodies in Motion’ halfway through the album is a Godsend. It marks the turning point, where Man on the Run suddenly goes from understated alt-rock to an epic album with the larger-than-life anthems we’ve been waiting for. Thankfully Bush don’t drop into old habits and the overwhelming sound keeps going strong into pop-tinted ballad ‘Broken in Paradise’ and the heartfelt ‘Surrender’. The album ends on a high note, as Bush drop some serious attitude with the punchy ‘Let Yourself Go’ before their latest release comes to a close.
Man on the Run has a serious divide- the first half is grungey, angsty and stripped back while the second half is passionate, confident and ambitious. Although a more seamless blend between the two might make for easier listening, fans will no doubt love both halves of this two-sided record.
