Gavin Rossdale takes a dive with Institute
Ex-Bush frontman Gavin Rossdale takes a dive with Institute.
Published Sept. 27, 2005
Rising from the ashes of Bush, Gavin Rossdale combines forces with producer Page Hamilton, guitarist Chris Traynor, bassist Cache Tolman and drummer Charlie Walker to form Institute. Their debut album, "Distort Yourself," showcases a few rock clichés and repetitious lyrics and music, but Rossdale's talent as a singer and musician cannot be discounted.
In some ways, this album might as well be a solo project with accompaniment — taking hints from wife Gwen Stefani perhaps? He is in the foreground of every picture in the album and his face appears the most throughout the insert. But Institute is not a second Bush.
Rossdale did a good job selecting musicians to form Institute. The musical quality of this album is great but repetitious. Out of the 12 songs on the album, four have a high-pitched '80s metal guitar intro. Almost every track has intense moments of silence in the middle of the bridge, but the repetition does not keep this album from rocking.
There is a definite distinction between Institute's music and that of Bush, which is noticeable in the lyrics, but in this aspect, Institute has taken a turn for the worse.
Rossdale is clear and understandable with his singing, and there is no doubt he excels in the art of vocalization. He has a great voice and knows how to use it. His writing, however, is littered with strange metaphors and indecipherable symbolism. Some of the lyrics are downright confusing.
In the second track of the album, "When Animals Attack," Rossdale sings, "What is good for your survival may be not good for your health."
The entire song is compiled of metaphors, but they are so offbeat the listener has almost no idea what the subject of the song is. This problem is repeated throughout the entire album. With lines such as "disinformation dancing on graves," "doesn't feel like Christmas in Hollywood" and "she cooked my mental bones" listeners find themselves on a quest for what exactly Rossdale is talking about. "Save the Robots" is another confusing lyrical number, going from the subject of robots to love to being saved by a guru. Are these metaphors? Symbols? They obviously are too abstract for the average listener to understand.
Another problem Rossdale encounters with his writing is repeating clichéd titles and lines. For example, "The Heat of Your Love" — a track left out of the lyrics book — also is a line repeated in "Mountains." Some lines, such as, "To lose you is to never love again" are so tired and overused, it seems as if Rossdale is just trying to fill space.
Despite its lyrical handicap, "Distort Yourself" is a worthy rock album. The musical aspect of the album is admirable. It is a good choice for listeners who value musical quality over lyrics.