Sometimes they come back: Bush, Blixa Bargeld and the Alice Cooper band

In July, music lovers said goodbye to Ozzy Osbourne, but received new albums from other veterans of various "segments of the scene" — from industrial to indie rock. However, many of the new items were imbued with the spirit of nostalgia, while others were dedicated to the memory of departed rock and roll heroes. Izvestia — about the most interesting albums of July that you might have forgotten to listen to.

Alice Cooper

The Revenge Of Alice Cooper

No sooner had the rock community said goodbye to Ozzy - first symbolically, and then seriously, forever — than another "great and terrible" hero of the 1970s made himself felt. The father of "shock rock" (whatever this obscure term, coined by journalists 40 years ago, means) did not just delight fans with a new album - he reassembled the original line—up of the Alice Cooper band, which broke up exactly half a century ago. Guitarist Glenn Buxton, who died back in 1997, is also invisibly present: his solo, recorded decades ago, is used in the track What Happened to You. The producer is the great Canadian Bob Ezrin, who worked, in addition to Alice's 14 albums (both as a band and as an individual), on CDs by Kiss, Pink Floyd, Lou Reed and a dozen more personalities from any rock encyclopedia.

It is clear that such a "reunion" turned out to be deeply nostalgic, but not at all old—fashioned - it was just such a record that Alice Cooper could have released immediately after the brilliant 1973 work of Muscle Of Love, which turned out to be their final (now not quite). Alice, the vocalist, of course, dominates this show, but Alice, the author, like half a century ago, generously shares the opportunity to join her colleagues - bassist Dennis Dunaway, who once gave us such hits as I'm Eighteen and School's Out, is back in the saddle and once again demonstrates his the ability to create jaw-dropping hard rock riffs.

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Bush

I Beat Loneliness

Bush, the British rock band that rose to fame in the 1990s with the albums Sixteen Stone and Razorblade Suitcase, returns with their tenth studio release. It seems that today, more than three decades after the "golden era" of grunge, it is difficult to surprise anyone in this style, but Gavin Rossdale and his friends manage to do this, at least in places. The dirty guitar sound, slow, almost bluesy groove and completely "sabbatical", sometimes gloomy energy are complemented by an adult and sober attitude to life in the lyrics. Opening tracks like Nowhere to Go But Everywhere and the title track are powerful, driving, with choral choruses and cinematic scope.

However, despite the impressive start, I Beat Loneliness suffers from unevenness: the second half of the album slows down and loses focus. Melancholic ballads, though sincere, sound predictable and sometimes drawn out. Nevertheless, the album successfully balances between nostalgia and a modern sound in music, and English-speaking listeners will undoubtedly appreciate the lyrics of a noticeably matured (in all respects) Rossdale. This is certainly not a sensation, but honest, mature work that reinforces Bush's status as a band capable of evolving without losing its face.

Blixa Bargeld

Blixa Bargeld Sings David Bowie

Blixa Bargeld is an important figure in the history and mythology of modern music. The voice and guitar of Berlin-based Einstürzende Neubauten, ex-member of Nick Cave's The Bad Seeds, artist, performance artist and philosopher of the industrial avant-garde. His interest in David Bowie is not an accident or a gesture of worship, but rather a dialogue with another mythological character, partly his antipode. Bowie experienced his "Berlin period" in the 1970s, immersed in noise, cold and abstraction - the very environment in which Bargeld was born as an artist. Starting with the obvious German version of "Heroes" (we finally heard it with a reliable Berlin accent), Bargeld and his accompanist Nikko Weidermann move on to a less predictable selection of tracks: Where Are We Now, Lazarus and the completely unexpected in the context of the original instrumental Subterraneans.

The album sounds like a chamber opera sung in an abandoned factory. Bargeld hardly sings — he breathes, whispers, scratches his larynx, as if pulling the meaning out of dead words. The arrangements are minimalistic, almost soundless in places, but that makes them even more intense. This is not just an homage album, but a gloomy, philosophical gesture - Bowie, through the prism of Bargeld, appears not as a genius of gloss, but as a prophet of decay. It's hard to listen in places, but that's the power of recording.: She brings Bowie back to his demons, and gives the listener a reason for real empathy.

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Gaupa

Fyr

The Swedish quartet with the feline name "Lynx" has already appeared in our review with their second album. Since then, Emma Naslund and her friends have taken a rather long break, lost one of the guitarists, but finally a new album, at least with the prefix "mini". EP Fyr, although short (four tracks plus a bonus session in 2023), is not easy - the "Zeppelin" epicness that has been breaking through before comes to the fore here.

The EP itself is four carefully constructed mini-epics. Lion's Thorn reveals itself by slow development, as if dissolving into space. Heavy Lord is short, but it crushes with a dense, low sound with lyrics about dark thoughts. Ten of Twelve is thoughtful and a bit folkloric, with whimsical images and metaphors. Elastic Sleep is a hypnotic track where Emma, who always reminds me of Bjork, sings as if she had just woken up from a centuries—old dream somewhere in ice caves.

We Are Scientists

Qualifying Miles

The New York duo We Are Scientists thundered 20 years ago with their ironic indie anthems to the rising millennials. Today, millennials have matured, and Keith Murray and Chris Kane themselves have passed the fifth decade — however, neither of them seems to have "slowed down." The ninth album of "scientists" sounds like the result of a twenty-year journey: mature, melancholic, but still lively and witty. The opening track, A Prelude to What, sets up a personal tone, followed by bright guitar numbers like Please Don't Say It and Starry-Eyed, where post-punk is combined with a light britpop intonation and a signature sense of rhythm.

As in previous works by We Are Scientists, the sound is eclectic beyond measure — from The Big One's bouncy dance groove to the unexpected almost soul with saxophone in I Already Hate This. The cross—cutting theme of the texts is memory, regret, and an attempt to understand the path traveled. Despite the lightness of the sound, Qualifying Miles feels like growing up: less jokes, more reflection. A good summer record for those who haven't lost their youthful zest in their 40s (or are still getting younger in their 60s).