In summary:

Bush’s third album lacks the hit singles of their earlier work, but provides a much more consistent listen from start to finish in what’s undoubtedly their most solid record to date.

The Science Of Things receives 8/11.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

You’ve gotta commend Bush for sticking with it, huh?

Few bands in history have faced a media backlash as brutal as that which was aimed at Gavin Rossdale and co., but they were finally able to unshackle themselves from the chains of those endless Nirvana comparisons on this brilliant third LP.

Having stormed the charts with their debut, and then tried (and failed) to win over critics with it’s much harsher follow-up, Bush have arrived at a stage in their career where they don’t care whether you like them or not.

This shift in attitude appears to have given them the confidence to experiment with new sounds and push their music to new levels, producing a blistering listen from start to finish on an album which sees them finally realize their huge potential.

The key to success here is the fact that frontman Gavin Rossdale now appears happy to go “all in” on his ability to pen massive choruses and radio-friendly hooks.

Boasting a much thicker and fuller production than either of their two prior albums, Bush seem at home n this environment, and the moment album opener Warm Machine detonates through the speakers it’s clear this was the right choice.

Guitarist Nigel Pulsford is able to take full advantage of his new surroudings on this track, drilling a soaring guitar riff through a veritable wall of noise as Rossdale delivers plenty more of his trademark ear-jarring wordplay.

“Tread slowly for I know,
There’s a thousand miles to go,
Without blinking.”

Warm Machine

Where formulaic grunge arrangements once rules the roost, now we have layers of electronic effects, tight drum loops, and an overall sense of urgency which seemed lacking on their earlier work.

Lead single The Chemicals Between Us is the perfect example of this.

A laster-focused song complete with a killer guitar riff, it was deliberately aimed at rock radio, and it subsequently spent an impressive 5 weeks at #1 on Billboard’s Alternative Airplay Chart, becoming one of the band’s biggest hits to date.

Other highlights include the fantastic breakdown section of the Gwen Stefani duet Spacetravel (“You’re scared of the government”), and The Disease Of The Dancing Cats which is heavy-as-a-motherfucker and catches Rossdale at his lyrical best, delivering lines which range from the sublime (“Your whiskey talks louder than most things I’ve read you’ve said”) to the ridiculous (“It’s all over for orangutans, looks like they’re back on the street again”).

When have Bush ever sounded this confident?

The answer is never.

Elsewhere, tracks like Prizefighter, Dead Meat, and Altered State showcase how effective Bush can be when they focus on writing straight-ahead rock songs (a skill they would master even further on their next album), and although the slower numbers on The Science Of Things never grace the heights of Glycerine they do show us that Rossdale is still at his best when armed with nothing more than a guitar and a microphone.

That’s not to say The Science Of Things doesn’t have any faults, of course.

When you stray outside of your usual genre you’ll inevitably fail to land some of your experiments, and there are a few instances of this throughout the 12-track running order.

It’s most notable on directionless rocker English Fire, and meandering ballad 40 Miles From The Sun, which starts off well but loses momentum and falls off a cliff.

The album closes out with a couple of incredibly strong tracks.

The first of these is the brooding Letting The Cables Sleep, which really benefits from the superior production (and became a sleeper hit for the band, spending an impressive 17 weeks on the alternative airplay chart) and that’s followed-up by the monstrous Mindchanger, which combines Gavin Rossdale’s tortured lead vocals (“We’ll never run when we’ve got all these broken bones”) with thick layers of eardrum-piercing guitars, looping drums, and a wonderfully effective mid-song explosion that’ll make the hairs on your arms stand up!

Sure, The Science Of Things might lack the impressive sales figures of their debut LP, and also the raw anger of their second LP, but it manages to succeed where both of its predecessors couldn’t, by proving that Bush are much more than just a grunge band with a pretty singer.

This will go down as one of the best rock albums of the year, and perhaps the loftiest compliment I can give is to say that there’s not a Nirvana comparison in sight!

In summary:

Bush’s third album lacks the hit singles of their earlier work, but provides a much more consistent listen from start to finish in what’s undoubtedly their most solid record to date.

The Science Of Things receives 8/11.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★