Crush - Crush (Rock) (CD 1993)

Crush is a name that has been used a lot in the music world — various alternative rock, dance-pop, and rap acts have all used the name. Not to be confused with the British female dance-pop duo that gave listeners "Jellyhead," the Crush that provided this self-titled CD in 1993 specialized in alternative rock. Produced by Pat Moran, the disc often manages to be aggressive and moody at the same time. It also manages to be relevant to the alternative rock scene of 1993 without forgetting about the rock sounds of previous decades. When this album came out, alterna-rock was getting bigger and bigger. The pop-metal and hair metal bands that were huge at the start of the 1990s were taking a pounding commercially, and major labels were hoping to find the next Pearl Jam or the next Nirvana. Majors were signing alternative bands left and right; at East West America, one of the signings was Crush. This CD isn't grunge, although it's definitely alternative rock — a term that can mean a lot of different things. For Crush, it means having a variety of influences. Crush's melodic material isn't just influenced by early-'90s alternative bands, but also by everything from 1960s psychedelic rock to arena rock, new wave, and goth rock from the 1980s. However, the album never sounds retro (by 1993 standards), and melodic tunes like "Oblivion Scream" and "Please Your Head" have a certain freshness. One of the nice things about this CD is Crush's lack of dogma; if the band finds psychedelic elements useful on "Here Burns the Night" or "Love's Cruel Ways," it will employ them without hesitation — and if Crush feels like giving an industrial flavor to "Groove Kings," it will do so. This excellent release is as unpredictable as it is rewarding.