When Bush released its debut album Sixteen Stone in 1994, grunge hadn’t faded from popularity quite yet, but the genre’s offshoot had already started. That genre offshoot was known as post-grunge. The following year, Silverchair emerged from Australia with a teenage take on the Seattle sound as major labels tried to fill the void left by Nirvana’s tragic ending.
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Though Gavin Rossdale and his band began in London in the 1990s, the group wasn’t interested in Britpop. Even with the Britishness of Bush’s album title, Rossdale was instead inspired by American alternative rock bands like Pixies and Throwing Muses.
It doesn’t take much detective work to trace Rossdale’s tracks back to Nirvana. However, his voice became nearly as recognizable as the artists he admired. And Sixteen Stone was even more massive than the 224 pounds its title converts to.
“Glycerine”
Rossdale uses the combustible potential of a chemical as a metaphor for a toxic relationship. The stripped-down song features Rossdale singing over a distorted guitar and strings. If you were a Bush critic, “Glycerine” might just be the song to change your mind about the band. This is Rossdale’s “Wonderwall”.
“Machinehead”
Many Rossdale lyrics resemble bits of phrases stitched together simply because they sound good that way. And they do. “Machinehead”, like many others from Sixteen Stone, was a radio staple. It almost doesn’t matter what the words are with a hook this catchy.
“Everything Zen”
“Everything Zen” also has a quilt-like set of lyrics, borrowed from David Bowie, Jane’s Addiction, Tom Waits, and Allen Ginsburg. For the riff, Rossdale mines the Godfather of Grunge, Neil Young, and his anthem “Rockin’ In The Free World”. The song mirrors a collection of things that inspired Rossdale to form a band in the first place.
“Comedown”
Bush released five singles from Sixteen Stone: “Everything Zen”, “Little Things”, “Comedown”, “Glycerine”, and “Machinehead”. Between 1994 and 1996, you couldn’t escape them. Many of them are still mainstays on modern rock radio. The chorus in “Comedown” and its wistful sentiment describe soaking up the high before it’s gone. Perfect for the summer festival season.
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