RUSH

It would take Rush five more years to release their next (and final) studio album, Clockwork Angels. (The single "Caravan" b/w "BU2B" was released in 2010, though.) Clockwork Angels sees the band returning to a consistently heavy sound, as well as featuring some of their most complex and progressive songwriting in decades. Complementing this is the fact that Clockwork Angels is a concept album.

"Caravan" opens up the album and sets the tone well. It's full of big riffs, and Geddy's bass tone is especially aggressive. "BU2B" (short for "Brought Up to Believe") features metallic guitar tones and sudden shifts in dynamics and rhythm. The title track is a multi-parted mini-suite that hearkens back the band's best output of the late 1970s.

Other highlights include the driving, infectious "The Anarchist"?featuring a string arrangement that lends a distinct Middle Eastern atmosphere?"Seven Cities of Gold", and "Headlong Flight", my personal favorite track on the album.

Like most later Rush albums, though, there is some bloat. This 66-minute album could have been trimmed down by shaving off some time from some of the less essential songs, like "Carnies", "Halo Effect", and the disappointing closer, "The Garden".

Review originally posted here: theeliteextremophile.com/2020/04/27/deep-dive-rush/

2007 saw the release of Rush's next album, Snakes & Arrows. "Far Cary" opens the album strong. It features a heavy, slightly weird riff in the verses, and the chorus is some of the catchiest music the band had written in a long time. "Spindrift" is another highlight, having an idiosyncratic main riff.

Snakes & Arrows features a trio of instrumentals, which are some of the strongest tracks on the album. "The Main Monkey Business" shows Rush returning to their prog rock heyday. It's full of complex rhythms, just the right amount of instrumental flashiness, and Mellotron is deployed to great effect. "Hope" is a lovely little acoustic piece, and "Malignant Narcissism" is a funky, aggressive two-minute showoff session for Geddy and Neil.

There are weak points on Sankes & Arrows, though. "Armor and Sword" is one of the least-interesting songs on the album, which only serves to reinforce my bias against slow Rush songs. "Workin' Them Angels" shows continued alt rock influence, particularly in Alex's guitarwork in the chorus. The verses are weirdly folky, and folky wasn't really a sound that suited the band too well. "The Larger Bowl" reminds me of Test for Echo or Vapor Trails in how bland it is. Despite these shortcomings, Snakes & Arrows is considerably stronger than their previous couple albums, due in no small part to the tonal and textural variation deployed.

Review originally posted here: theeliteextremophile.com/2020/04/27/deep-dive-rush/

Rush returned to the studio in early 2001, and in contrast to their usual speedy recording process, it took them nearly a year to finish this release. The result was 2002's Vapor Trails. Vapor Trails was distinct from Rush's preceding albums in that it wholly lacked keyboards?the first time this occurred since Caress of Steel?and that there are almost no guitar solos. Lifeson's guitar tones are rawer than on past releases, and Peart's drumming is more aggressive than usual. He specifically cited The Who's Keith Moon as an influence on his drumming style for this album.

(Note: I'm using the 2013 remix of Vapor Trails for this review. The initial release was muddy as hell, and this remaster sounds much better.)

The increased aggression is a nice change of pace compared to some of their more anodyne releases in the '90s, but that doesn't exactly make up for weak songwriting. The opening "One Little Victory" is maddeningly repetitious, and it wears out its welcome about two minutes into its five-minute runtime. "Ceiling Unlimited", the second track, is stronger in that it has more ideas in it and those ideas are more interesting than those in "One Little Victory". Despite this, it once again runs too long, though it features one of the rare solos on the album.

"Peaceable Kingdom" is one of the more engaging tracks on the album, as it's not just big walls of distortion. There are some genuinely interesting dynamic contrasts, and there's a rather Collective Soul-y riff in there. However, like most songs on Vapor Trails, it's simply too long. "The Stars Look Down" is another strong point, featuring some of the band's most complex structures in a long time. It also helps that this is one of the shorter songs on the album. "Earthshine" is probably the best song on the album, though. It reminds me a lot of "Driven" off Test for Echo with its metallic riffs and highly melodic chorus.

Despite this handful of decent songs, Vapor Trails is mostly a slog. The individual songs are too long, and that piles up into an exhausting album. Caress of Steel may not have featured any keyboard tones, but Lifeson deployed a greater variety of guitar tones, and the band demonstrated much more ambitious songwriting. Vapor Trails is a monotonous, tedious record, though it's not their worst.

Review originally posted here: theeliteextremophile.com/2020/04/27/deep-dive-rush/

Rush would wait until 1996 to put out their next album, Test for Echo. The title track opens the album, and it's not very good. I give Lifeson credit for trying something a little different in his playing style. He utilized harmonics and some ugly, metallic chords, but he couldn't quite pull it off. The production isn't too great, either. It sounds far too airy and thin during the clean sections.

"Driven" is the best song on the album by a wide margin. The chorus melody is strong, even if the lyrics aren't, and Lee's bass playing is especially on-point. "Resist" is unremarkable in the incarnation heard on the album, but it would later be reworked as a much stronger acoustic piece for live performances.

Most of Test for Echo sounds almost like an updated Presto. Rush draws a lot from the more boring tropes of mid-'90s alt rock, and the production is inconsistent. Clean parts are light and echoey, and distorted parts are muddy and unclear. Many of the songs feel disjointed, as if they were just slapped together from loose parts.

Review originally posted here: theeliteextremophile.com/2020/04/27/deep-dive-rush/

1993 saw the release of Counterparts. In the writing for this album, the band made an effort to forge more powerful-sounding songs, and they specifically cited Primus and Pearl Jam as influences. Those alt-rock inspirations are evident from the get-go. Keys are once more diminished on this album. "Animate" opens the album on a strong note, and that's followed by the standout "Stick It Out", which topped Billboard's Mainstream Rock charts upon its release. It blends the grittiness of grunge and alt-rock with the compositional complexity of progressive rock, and it's carried on the back of a strong melody. "Cut to the Chase" features a great guitar solo, and "Between Sun and Moon" mixes alt-rock with strong pop sensibilities.

Counterparts does sag a bit in the middle. "Alien Shore" and "The Speed of Love" are both too long and short on ideas. "Double Agent", though, is a weird, engaging piece that utilizes some sinister-sounding narration to great effect. The instrumental "Leave That Thing Alone" earned Rush another Grammy nomination, though they lost to Pink Floyd's "Marooned". "Leave That Thing Alone" is a return to form for Rush. It's filled with tight, complex riffs and varied textures. It's another brilliant synthesis of alt rock and prog rock.

Review originally posted here: theeliteextremophile.com/2020/04/27/deep-dive-rush/

In 1991, Rush released Roll the Bones. It opens with "Dreamline", and this is an immediate improvement over their last several albums. The production is miles better than Presto, Geddy's vocal melody is strong, and the three musicians sound like they're having fun. It features some weird chords in the chorus; this is the first time in a while where it sounds like Rush took a bit of a musical risk.

Then again, maybe my expectations have just been lowered after being subjected to Presto and Hold Your Fire. "Bravado", the second track on the album, is not as interesting as "Dreamline". It reminds me a lot of something off Presto, if Presto had good production. "Big Wheel" is similarly bland, albeit more uptempo.

The title track features funk and hip-hop influences. The rhythm rolls along smoothly, and it's got a pretty strong pre-chorus. However, this song is best known for Geddy's goofy, pitch-shifted rap break, featuring such lyrical gems as "Jack, relax/Get busy with the facts/No zodiacs or almanacs/No maniacs in polyester slacks/Just the facts/Gonna kick some gluteus max" and "Stop throwing stones/The night has a thousand saxophones".

The Instrumental "Where's My Thing?" was nominated for a Grammy and features prominent funk influence. Geddy's bass is high in the mix, as always, and the synthesizers add to the overall feel without being overbearing. Roll the Bones closes strong. "You Bet Your Life" is an energetic, poppy piece that features multi-layered vocals and guitarwork that sounds like it's from Grace Under Pressure.

Review originally posted here: theeliteextremophile.com/2020/04/27/deep-dive-rush/

After releasing Hold Your Fire, Rush left their longtime label, Anthem, and signed with Atlantic Records. The ensuing album, 1989's Presto, saw the band return to a more guitar-centric sound. However, despite ditching the synths, Rush were unable to shake off their generic '80s sound. This was just now a different type of generic '80s sound. Presto is hampered by thin, dry production that makes everything sound weak.

The opening "Show Don't Tell" is a five-minute slog that feels so much longer than it is, but "Chain Lightning" is the first interesting song the band had recorded in a long time. It features some of the band's trademark weird rhythms. I'm not wild about Alex Lifeson's guitar tones anywhere on this album, but "Chain Lightning" is a strong enough composition that I'm willing to overlook it.

The same cannot be said for most of the rest of the album. Every song is in the four-to-six-minute range, and almost all of them feel interminable. "Scars" isn't particularly good, but I give the band points for trying something a little different, at least.

There are only so many ways to call something dull. Presto is marginally better than Hold Your Fire, but both should be avoided. They're just not very interesting.

Review originally posted here: theeliteextremophile.com/2020/04/27/deep-dive-rush/

In 1987, Rush released Hold Your Fire. The opening "Force Ten" is a decent hard-rocker, but if it weren't for Geddy's distinct voice, I doubt I would have recognized this as a Rush song. "Time Stand Still" is another generic '80s pop-rock cut, but it's notable for featuring guest vocalist Aimee Mann and for having a truly, majestically terrible music video.

I really don't have much to say about this album. This was unquestionably Rush's worst album to date, but it's not that bad. It's just a bland mush of '80s rock clichés. The synths are overdone, the slow songs are as dull as ever, and the faster songs don't particularly sound like Rush. No songs stand out, either in a good way or a bad way.

Review originally posted here: theeliteextremophile.com/2020/04/27/deep-dive-rush/

Rush followed this album up with Power Windows in 1985. The opening "The Big Money" demonstrates some differences with the sonic qualities of Grade Under Pressure. Geddy's keyboards have more varied tones, and his bass has a much funkier tone than usual. Lifeson's guitar is also mixed lower, much like on Signals.

"Manhattan Project" is one of Rush's better slow songs. The synthesizer tones are rich, the chorus is big and powerful, and Lifeson's clean guitar tones cut through the walls of synthesizer. By the time the song's over, it's no longer slow, but the evolution is a smooth one.

"Territories" is another high-energy piece that reminds me a lot of the best output that Yes did in the 1980s. "Emotion Detector", meanwhile, is structurally similar to "Manhattan Project", and Neil's use of electronic percussion is especially noteworthy.

Power Windows isn't without its weak spots, though. "Marathon" has a terribly cheesy chorus, and the use of a choir only makes it sound more ridiculously overblown. "Middletown Dreams", for all its interesting sequencers, winds up sounding awfully generic. The closing "Mystic Rhythms" similarly fails to make much of an impression. None of these songs were bad?Rush were very good at not writing bad songs?and it's a testament to the band's skills as songwriters that the worst they usually did was a few bland tracks.

Review originally posted here: theeliteextremophile.com/2020/04/27/deep-dive-rush/

1984 saw the release of Grace Under Pressure, where the trends on Signals continued to grow stronger. Geddy introduced even more synthesizers and sequencers, and Neil incorporated electronic percussion into his already-immense drumkit. Meanwhile, Alex continued to utilize reggae-style guitar patterns on many songs, though his guitar was given more prominence than on Signals. The album's opening track, "Distant Early Warning" typifies all this. It's a great song and one of my personal favorites. (Plus, the video demonstrates how Rush fully embraced the stereotypical aesthetic of the 1980s. Alex and Geddy look like they're auditioning for a Canadian adaptation of Miami Vice, and Neil's got an especially unfortunate mullet.)

"Afterimage" is another example of the band's embrace of synth-heavy '80s-style hard rock. It's enjoyable, if a bit indistinct. However, over the span of the entire album, the same-y-ness of many of these songs becomes an issue. Most songs are similar tempos with similar atmospheres, and Geddy doesn't do much to experiment with the tones of his synths. Songs such as "Red Sector A" and "Red Lenses" both fall into this category.

"The Enemy Within" is a genuine highlight, though. It sounds like it could have belonged on Permanent Waves, with synthesizers largely relegated to the occasional flourish. The high-energy reggae-influenced verses make the whole song feel anxious, and that helps drive it along. "The Body Electric" is one of the weirdest songs on the album, and its contrast of jerky and smooth rhythms helps break up the flow of the album. The closing "Between the Wheels" is another strong point. Geddy's synths sound huge and threatening, and Alex gets a chance to show off a bit.

Review originally posted here: theeliteextremophile.com/2020/04/27/deep-dive-rush/