Rossdale takes us back a decade

In 1997, I chose to see Bush over Beck for my 13th birthday. Beck's music has endured longer, but Bush was the essence of cool for many teenagers at the time.\nThose years were a great time for alt-rock, but the last few have been rough on Gavin Rossdale. One of the biggest post-grunge rock stars in the world ten years ago with Bush, Rossdale is now best known as Mr. Gwen Stefani, a decade after his former band's premiere, Sixteen Stone. \nWith Institute, Rossdale finds himself paired with former Helmet guitarist Chris Traynor and former Rival Schools bassist Cache Tolman, creating a sort of latter 90s alt-rock supergroup. All of the signs of Bush are there, with Rossdale's growl and bombastic, crashing guitar-and-bass combos, reminiscent of many modern-day imitators of the sound Bush and others helped rise to fame.\nOn Distort Yourself, Institute pairs with producer Paige Hamilton, also of Helmet fame, to make a sound that combines some of the better aspects of the members' previous groups, but at the cost of making them a little homogenous.\nThe first track, "Bullet Proof Skin," made an appearance on this summer's "Stealth" soundtrack, and it sounds like most other post-grunge imitators of the last few years. Echoes of Three Days Grace and Chevelle can be heard in the start-stop guitar dynamics and predictable vocal arrangements in the first tracks, though Rossdale's voice is notably more pleasant.\nAs the album progresses, the band shows signs of what made Bush's earlier albums so potent and successful. Rossdale is earnest and even melodic, and the pace slows to offer a break from the repetitive patterns that dominate earlier tracks.\nThe album peaks with tracks like "Wasteland" and "Secrets and Lies," though parts of the album sound like a band going through the motions.\nLike Bush's latter albums, loads of electronics -- from synthesizers to vocal effects -- litter tracks that may not necessarily need them. These experimental moves were the seeds of his former band's demise, and they don't even seem fresh and exciting this time around.\nIt's interesting to note that Rossdale personally thanks Bush in the liner notes of the album. Despite the breakup, there doesn't seem to be any ill will -- almost as though he misses his old mates. That said, Distort Yourself could easily have been one of the most successful albums of 1997, but its formula seems a little dated now. Rossdale and crew should be given credit for staying true to the sounds that once made them great, and withstanding the whim of all of the awful music fads that have come in recent years. Maybe there's hope for our post-grunge heroes yet.