For their sophomore effort "Razorblade Suitcase," Bush went into the studio with producer Steve Albini to replicate what Nirvana had done with "In Utero"-- strip away the gloss and create a jagged, thorny, live-sounding record. (Not that Bush had that much gloss in the first place. Compared to "Sixteen Stone," "Nevermind" sounds like a Michael Jackson album.) They succeeded, resulting in a(nother) string of huge radio hits and one of my personal all-time favorite albums.

Albini's rough-edged production is a perfect fit for Bush. Drums are impossibly loud, guitars churn and scrape unpredictably, and Gavin Rossdale's voice floats crystal-clear above the rest of the mix. His songs are a blend of straight-ahead rockers and more intricate songs filled with twists and tangents. "Swallowed" and "Greedy Fly" have to be two of the weirdest, least straightforward hit singles in rock. Ballads "Straight No Chaser" and "Bonedriven" are like skewed, dissonant reflections of the bands' earlier signature hit "Glycerine." As the album progesses, the mood darkens, culminating in the austere "Communicator" and the menacing "Synapse," before closing with the more hopeful "Distant Voices" and a short reprise of "History." There's not a bad song to be found, all of the tracks building on "Sixteen Stone"'s strengths while simultaneously branching out into more obscure territory.

Bush took a lot of critical punishment for following in Nirvana's footsteps, and while the kinship is undeniable, it's also nothing new in rock music: Nirvana is indebted to the Pixies, who are indebted to the Jesus and Mary Chain, and so on. Bush's music stands on its own despite its influences, and "Razorblade Suitcase" is their crowning acheivement, an album that perfectly captures its era yet hasn't dulled with age.

Ok. I've looked @ the other reviews (ah-umm, the bad ones) and I can see how a person might not like this CD. I almost returned it b/c, like one other reviewer said,the music kinda sounds the same (and I was let down by "mouth" @ first). But after listening to each one, I discovered that they're all different in their own ways. "Swallowed" "Greedy Fly" and "Mouth" are probably the most recognizable tracks on here. (Note:The version of "mouth" on this album ISN'T the one you hear on the radio & is on the American Werewolf In Paris SndTrk) "Synapse" "Bonedriven" "Straight No Chaser" are the 3 that are really good, even though they're not well-known.Try it; I wasn't really a hard-core Bush fan before. :)

everyone loves sixteen stone and hates everything bush did after it, but i say that razorblade suitcase was their best work and the rest weren't as good. how can anyone hate razorblade suitcase? it appears to be a emotion-filled album about a marriage gone bad. sixteen stone was just corporate, commercial rock for the time it was released. razorblade suitcase is a great, serious album.

It all starts off in fine style once again with "Personal Holloway" a song with more punch than a ballon on fire, which so to speak is more of a pop, but its all great and "hooray!"

Then Bush's best song "greedy fly": it'll hit you in the back when your not looking and bring you down again with an almighty crash which will shake the ground like a..........balloon.

The rest of the album is "tops" and is just as good and probably alot better, yes this is a better album than Sixteen Stone, although its just as good.

You may of only heard "Comedown" "Glyrcerine" and "Swallowed" the overplayed songs on the radio. But if people actually took the time to really listen to Bush's albums, they would actually discover that this band is much more than three songs.

The guitars in the this band, will just blow your head off.

They have so much full throttle it justs blows you away (especially the stop start part in "greedy Fly")

This album is not a sing along album, or a sing a long band.

And if your you've heard "Sixteen Stone" and are expecting something similiar. Then don't.

Its completley different from it and is a very raw and uncut album with songs that are'nt over worked. Which is excellent because it gives the album character and a unique sound.

If you like music that involves guitars, then you'll love this band and this album.