Moderator: Priests of Syrinx
I suspect I'm going to really enjoy the three "droning instrumetnals". But I'm really afraid I'm going to agree with him on the rest.By Chris Mertan
Associate Hiatus Editor
April 26, 2007 ? Classic-rock radio mainstays Rush are unimpressed with the state of the world and feel the need to let it know. Granted, they haven't released a killer album since Signals in 1982, and its masterful predecessors Moving Pictures and the criminally underrated A Farewell to Kings are even further gone.
It should come as no surprise that their state-of-the-world album Snakes and Arrows (did Samuel L. help them out?) doesn't rank up there with the legendary rock-god riffs that showed us that Tom Sawyer really did have a mean, mean stride. This new venture kicks off with two relatively decent tracks - "Far Cry" and "Armor and Swords" - which, on a greater album, could serve as decent filler. From there, Rush descend into hollow religious insights, pun-filled political sleepers and lyrics cheesed in anti-Bush rhetoric that even Neil Young wouldn't touch (in "The Way the Wind Blows," singer Geddy Lee wants to know why we let our "child get left behind") - not to mention three, count them, three droning instrumentals. Even the percussive beat of Neil Peart (still the greatest drummer of all time) and the Jimmy Page-lite guitar of Alex Lifeson fade into the expressionless noise of repetitive crescendos and stunted melodies. Once successful in combining the heavy metal of Led Zeppelin with the experimental prog-rock of Pink Floyd, Rush repeat the same error of their past 25 years: They abandon the progressive virtuoso that once connected them to their fans. Then again, this calls for another tour, delivering generations of pseudo-psychedelics the epic sounds of yore blasted through 3,000-watt amps three inches from their faces. Just like the good ol' days.
ElfDude wrote:Here's a review from the UCSD Gaurdian.
I suspect I'm going to really enjoy the three "droning instrumetnals". But I'm really afraid I'm going to agree with him on the rest.By Chris Mertan
Associate Hiatus Editor
April 26, 2007 ? Classic-rock radio mainstays Rush are unimpressed with the state of the world and feel the need to let it know. Granted, they haven't released a killer album since Signals in 1982, and its masterful predecessors Moving Pictures and the criminally underrated A Farewell to Kings are even further gone.
It should come as no surprise that their state-of-the-world album Snakes and Arrows (did Samuel L. help them out?) doesn't rank up there with the legendary rock-god riffs that showed us that Tom Sawyer really did have a mean, mean stride. This new venture kicks off with two relatively decent tracks - "Far Cry" and "Armor and Swords" - which, on a greater album, could serve as decent filler. From there, Rush descend into hollow religious insights, pun-filled political sleepers and lyrics cheesed in anti-Bush rhetoric that even Neil Young wouldn't touch (in "The Way the Wind Blows," singer Geddy Lee wants to know why we let our "child get left behind") - not to mention three, count them, three droning instrumentals. Even the percussive beat of Neil Peart (still the greatest drummer of all time) and the Jimmy Page-lite guitar of Alex Lifeson fade into the expressionless noise of repetitive crescendos and stunted melodies. Once successful in combining the heavy metal of Led Zeppelin with the experimental prog-rock of Pink Floyd, Rush repeat the same error of their past 25 years: They abandon the progressive virtuoso that once connected them to their fans. Then again, this calls for another tour, delivering generations of pseudo-psychedelics the epic sounds of yore blasted through 3,000-watt amps three inches from their faces. Just like the good ol' days.
Keep an open mind. Keep an open mind.
Trying hard here Elfie. Maybe I'm just too old-school. Is that a BAD thing?
LOL Yeah! The tour is definitely cause for excitement.awip2062 wrote:Well, at least if we don't like the album, we know the other songs on the tour will be good! \m/
the exact opposite holds true too. I liked album version of 'Resist' better.ElfDude wrote:Yeah! The tour is definitely cause for excitement.awip2062 wrote:Well, at least if we don't like the album, we know the other songs on the tour will be good! \m/
I've also noticed that songs I'm not crazy about from a new album come off better live than they did on the album. Like Earth Shine.
It was fun the first time, just because it was different. But they didn't need to do it again on the next tour.CygnusX1 wrote:the exact opposite holds true too. I liked album version of 'Resist' better.ElfDude wrote:Yeah! The tour is definitely cause for excitement.awip2062 wrote:Well, at least if we don't like the album, we know the other songs on the tour will be good! \m/
I've also noticed that songs I'm not crazy about from a new album come off better live than they did on the album. Like Earth Shine.
Not too crazy abooot the acoustic effort.
Why? It's shiteby-tor wrote: Check out Skid Row's cover of "What You're Doing"
Aye, the quiet introspective soul that you are. You simply must learn how to assert yourself a wee bitty more oftenschuette wrote:you should know by now I'm a woman of few words
.Couldn't have put it better myself.Big Blue Owl wrote: I absolutely love it and it has inspired me to remain alive at LEAST until the next one comes out. They are like, 55 years old now. I don't expect (from Rush) razor-sharp metal flying off of a speeding Bentley anymore. But what they have done oozes personal, introspective and inspirational combinations of lyric and music, and a surprising amount of balls from the 'Elders'.
