Although Rush was formed in 1968, it wasn't until 1976's 2112; the band's fourth album, that they defined their progressive rock style they would become famous for. The album would be come gold on November 16, 1976. Now, over 30 years later, Rush has released their 18th album, Snakes And Arrows on Anthem/Atlantic Records.
The CD contains 13 tracks whose listing can be found below. Rush is made up of the legendary trio of Geddy Lee on vocals, bass and mellotron; Alex Lifeson on guitars, mandola, mandolin and bouzouki (a Greek long-necked lute); and Neil Peart on drums, percussion, and tambourine. All songs were composed by Lee and Lifeson with lyrics by Peart with the exception of Hope which was written by Lerxst Lifeson (Alex Lifeson) all by his own self!
What I found as I listened to this CD is how mature this band is within the culture of their style. At heart, they are an instrumental band in that they really focus on the composition of their music. They have a very complex system of integrating their instruments together to create a powerful wall of sound. The lyrics, which are sometimes simple, sometimes profound, act as a thread that ties the whole package together.
Take for example the first track, "Far Cry", it is a swirling sound that plays against a driving bass line. The lyrics are not complex, but they work as conduit bringing the song back to a home base allowing the instruments to take off on their own threads.
"Armor and Sword" begins as an acoustic tome with the lines: "The snakes and arrows a child is heir to/ Are enough to leave a thousand cuts/ We build our defenses, a place of safety / And leave the darker places unexplored."
Clearly a song about life and how the things that happen to us can make us put up defenses to protect ourselves and can also cause us harm. Here the music revolves around the words and it is the words that drive the song from its acoustic tone to the hard driving finish.
"Workin' Them Angels", is a typical Rush song, transitioning from tones and sounds; from hard guitars to mandolins. This is more of a transition song. "The Larger Bowl" is another song that begins with acoustic and forms around the lyrics and builds to a catchy refrain that ties the song together.
Article comments
1 - Paul Roy
Give this album some time to grow on you. The first few listens left me dissapointed, but after a few weeks I can find much more to enjoy about it. The songs open themselves up and become more distinctive with each subsequent listen. Unfortunately it is still only in the same league as their previous few albums, and doesn't come close to capturing the magic of the Permanent Waves, Moving Pictures era. I look forward to hearing how the new songs go over live when I see them in June.
2 - Jeff Martin
Good review. Although, I really like Spindrift. It's definitely not one of the top songs on the album, but it's not the worst, in my opinion. My least favorite so far is The Larger Bowl. I like it (especially the guitar solo), but it feels too long.
If you get a chance to see them live, do so. The new material sounds great live. I went to the Atlanta show and it was great. They played a couple of the new songs during the first set (Larger Bowl and Main Monkey Business), but the 2nd set opened up with several of the new songs. They started with Far Cry, then Working Them Angels, Armor & Sword and The Way the Wind Blows. When they finished that one, I told my son "Now, they need to play Spindrift." and sure enough, they started Spindrift. A little later in the set they played Malignant Narcissism which was the setup for Neil's Rhythm Method/solo.
3 - T. Michael Testi
Jeff,
Thanks for the comment!
If they get around here, I am going to try to get to the show. I find that depending on the mood I am in, there are quite a few songs that I like. Even Spindrift has become a much more enjoyable tune to me over time.
T.
4 - dann
Been listening to this band for almost 30 years. What can I say - they are great. Still miss the style from the older albums ( Perm-Waves, 2112, etc)but that is just one man's opinion from what was once a better life.
5 - T. Michael Testi
Dann,
Thanks for the comment, I loved the early stuff as well, but do love this one too!
T.