The album starts with a luscious synthetic chord sequence in "big wings", a motif which is carried on throughout the album, and symbolises a certain euphoria which it pulls off nicely without becoming too roomy or hazy. And to cement its position as something urban, it proceeds to introduce a rolling hip-hop break. Complementing the synthesism of the chord sequence are horns, giving a full and natural sound. A strong album opener, if I've ever heard one.
And then it proceeds on to an interlude track, with crowd atmosphere and a shitload of bass, a certain "party next door" sound. Now, I do like this. It's a good interlude. It has a strong atmosphere. But the second track of an album, I believe, is there to complement the first. Preferably with a similar sound (for a poor example of this, see "tell her tonight" after "Jaqueline" on Franz Ferdinand's eponymous album). This shows a lack of direction, to be frank. And I feel that in other areas of the album.
The third track - the title track, "Blush" - is the first with male vocals. It utilises the motif, and hip-hop beats, much like the first track. However, this is nowhere near as strong. The singing is simply not strong enough for bass-beats. The voice is thin, much like Chris Corner's in Sneaker Pimps' later albums. And the orchestration (which is plentiful in the album) doesn't make up for the cringe-worthy singing that we have just witnessed.
But the album moves on, instantly throwing to another interlude song. I'm not criticising this choice, but so far there has been little material to the album. However, I will forgive Bows as the short song has some interesting sounds. But anyway.
"King Deluxe" is another orchestrated song, which works well... but still feels like an interlude, despite its length of nearly 5 minutes. The female vocals wash together with string sections and a slow high-pass-filtered drum beat, feeling perfect for a Film4 advert. But this song consists of exactly 4 chords. The album has, so far, offered 2 real songs out of 5, and one of those has not particularly impressed me.
Now add another interlude, which is a comical advertisement for Bows. I'd like this if this were on a fully hip-hop album, where you can afford to be funny, or even if they had preceded the song with any glimpse of humour. But there it is, out of the blue. It doesn't fit. Sure, it has some jazz in the background, that's nice. It's not developed though. I hate to point out the obvious, but this screams "Lack of Direction".
So far I have sounded very negative about the album, which is unfair. I like it. But it often doesn't do itself any favours.
However, by the 7th track we hit another great song. "Britannica" joins orchestration with drum and bass in a very Lamb-like manner. I'm sure that it's directly influenced, their eponymous album being released 3 years prior to Blush. But they aren't trying to hide this. The song is a little lacking in true content, but works well on an atmospheric level - and that's what trip-hop's all about, right?
So Britannica passed without a problem. Then comes "Aquavella". Another interlude track. Yeah. With the motif. Nevertheless, this track feels natural after Britannica, and presents the motif in an under-watery sort of texture, so I'll let them have this.
This flows into "It'll be half time in England soon". This, much like King Deluxe, has little content. It feels like ANOTHER interlude.
I'm not asking for singles. I'm not asking for verse-chorus-verse. And I like the album. But looking at it objectively, what has the album given me? Texture and timbre, a blast of tune here and there, but not much else.
However, the next song "Girl's Lips Glitter" shows itself as a fantastic saviour in terms of "Song over Sound". Another drum 'n' bass driven track, with a tumbling, descending electric piano phrase. And this, along with an occasional orchestral flourish, is all the song needs.
The male vocals return in this song, and they work to a greater extent than before. I'll throw it out there, the lyrics are terrible. But I ignore this, instead focusing on the hypnotising "American Beauty" feeling it has going on. Seriously, they could plant this in the film and it would work perfectly. A certain understatement is in here, and whilst maintaining a fast beat it succeeds in chilling to the core - in the best way possible. Guitar harmonics sprinkle its path like stars, until the electric piano glides off into the darkness, setting the next track a difficult standard to beat.
And whilst "Sleepyhead" doesn't beat "Girl's Lips Glitter" it tries its hardest. It maintains the introspective aura, but slows down the rhythm. The song is guitar driven, but it is used in a minimalist manner, giving a dry feeling, which explodes into a luscious fusion in what could be described as a "chorus". The female vocals in the song are used sparingly (a rare feat in trip-hop, I admire the choice). This then flows into the next song, "Rockets".
And here ends the album. Rockets is a dedicated finished, using the motif once more, identically to Big Wings, for a cyclical climax. It's a success. It has grandeur. It makes the album feel finished.
But what was there to finish, exactly? The album had like... 4 real songs. Many of the interludes were of throw-away quality. There was a lack of direction.
But the album is a classic example of "Sounds over Songs". Because, to be fair, in terms of texture, tone and timbre, Bows was generous. And I suppose this is the reason why the album was not a commercial hit like Dummy or Becoming X. And whilst it had a lack of direction, it did (for the most-part) maintain a hypnotic atmosphere of introspection and euphoria; a truly late-night album, like many of my favourite albums are.
Also, the production is flawless (save the male vocals, which could have done with being mixed down). Every intended emotion is out there, naked and obvious. And nothing says this more than the opening track.
I have been negative about the individual songs on the album, because the album does not work in terms of songs. It only works as a whole, and in that sense it works well. It is driving-home-late music, it is pre-drinking music, it is poker music. But don't bother playing it to your Oasis-loving friends.
The album, to me, will by no means stand out as a trip-hop classic to me, or even one of my favourite. I would, however, describe it as a gem. It serves its purpose well, and so rare is it to find an album completely dedicated to mood. Unfortunately for Bows, in this sense it is drastically out-shined by Sofa Surfers, who create mood more efficiently, with more variation and stronger memorability. But Bows sits in its place as a trip-hop runner-up, and of this it should be proud.
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