Issue #19: Bush – Sixteen Stone

Released:  December 6th, 1994

Recorded:  January 1994

Genre:  Post-Grunge

Record Label:  Interscope / Atlantic

Duration:  52:28

Producers:  Clive Langer, Alan Winstanley, Bush

Personnel

Track Listing

Singles

Why Sixteen Stone is One of My Favorites

Bush’s debut album, Sixteen Stone, would be one of the first (and one of the best) examples of the wave of artists riding the popularity of grunge.  “Post-grunge” seems to imply a lack of authenticity, as if anything that sounded like Seattle but didn’t come from Seattle was someone less than genuine.  Wast post-grunge more commercially viable?  Maybe, but I tend to see this as an evolution of the genre rather than a deliberate sabotage of the grunge ethos.  Regardless, it’s been an accepted and acceptable term for 20 years now.

Sixteen Stone is a great example of how the genre itself matured over time, fusing aspects of alternative rock and grunge into a singular package that would persist through the 90’s as it got more and more difficult to tell the 2 genres apart.  Bush’s debut has the sad and angry mood of grunge (“Glycerine,” “Swim”) along with the more variable musical stylings of alternative rock (“Machinehead,” “Testosterone”).  Distorted guitars still comprise the heart of the music, but chord progressions are typically more complex, as are the song structures themselves.  Most songs on Sixteen Stone also account for limited lead guitar parts as well (“Little Things,” “Body”).

Rossdale’s vocals change very little throughout the album.  His delivery has a rising and falling quality to it, starting out as a low rumble and peaking with mournful shouts.  There may not be as much pain or passion in his voice as in earlier grunge bands, though there is a sadness or perhaps longingness that keeps the music personal.  He does, however, cut loose at the end of several songs (“Little Things,” “Comedown,” “Bomb”) with impassioned singing/shouting.

The lyrics on Sixteen Stone are pretty cryptic.  As a teenager it’s easy to relate them all back to a bad girlfriend or something awful that a friend did, but many of the songs are a little too vague to specifically imply as much.  Truthfully, there are several songs I can’t make sense of.  “Everything’s Zen” seems to be making some commentary on our instant-gratification culture, but I would in no way swear to this.  “Swim” leaves me completely baffled, though it could be related to relationship woes.  The chorus of “Little Things” would seem to speak to the “little things” in a relationship, but the rest of the song is completely perplexing (words about empty cupboards, needing food, “two howling moons,” “I bleach the sky”…).  “Machinehead” and “Monkey” follow similar routes as well.

Most of the remainder discuss some aspect of love, typically the ugly side.  “Bomb,” “Body,” “Comedown,” and “Glycerine” all touch on inadequacies or perceived inadequacies on the part of the singer.  I wish the confusing songs were a little less confusing, because I really love the way that Rossdale manages to put together a poetic picture of love and love gone wrong.  “Comedown” is especially powerful, with the singer refusing to accept whatever awful event has happened because of how good being with this person has felt.  The concept is articulated so powerfully that it touches on some of the nuance of interpersonal relations that more straightforward songwriting is unable to accomplish.

“Alien” is my personal favorite from the album, and sort of the odd-man out from the rest of the album.  Musically it’s mellow and atmospheric, featuring some of Rossdale’s softest and most genuine vocals.  It’s a song about the beauty and awe of falling in love, and how completely otherworldly the feeling can be.  It’s so different and amazing that it’s like being taken away by an alien, or so the song’s metaphore goes.  Soft bass notes carry the verses while Rossdale creates some amazing imagery, “she felt like velvet,” and, “will you rain down / in your cinematic love truck,” and “in silence we still talk / by the light of the stereo waltz.”  Artists have a tough time doing songs that are both happy subdued, but “Alien” nails it, and will always go down as one of the best love songs I’ve ever heard.

Sixteen Stone is a solid, consistent piece of work, which makes it a little harder to describe than other records.  It’s not necessarily groundbreaking or wildly original, but it does what it sets out to do well, and in more than a few ways its refinement over “true” grunge is commendable.  There’s great riffing on the album well worth hearing (“Testosterone” comes to mind) and I think anyone interested in either alternative rock or grunge will find something to like.  Sixteen Stone maintains a familiar sound but also introduces a few new twists and turns that keep it from sounding like a mere Nirvana or Soundgarden clone.  The angst would be all but bred out of the ancestors of grunge within a few more years (and inherited by nu-metal, no less), but Bush does a great job of keeping their material personal and relevant while balancing out the angsty elements for a more accessible, everyday listen.

Written by The Cubist

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Written by The Cubist

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I collect as much video gaming paraphernalia as I can get my hands on, especially when it comes to hardware. With over 40 systems including oldies like the ColecoVision and Intellivision, obscurities like the CD-i and 3DO, and the latest and greatest including the Wii U, PS4, Xbox One, 3DS, and PS Vita, I get easily overwhelmed. Most of the time you can find me firmly nestled sometime between 1985 and 1995 when it comes to my games of choice, but I’m also having a great time seeing what the 8th generation has to offer.

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