Rush has penned eight songs for its next studio album, which should be out in early 2007, according to drummer Neil Peart. The artist tells Billboard.com his lyrics for the as-yet-untitled set were greatly influenced by his motorcycle journeys throughout the United States, chronicled in the new book "Roadshow: Landscape With Drums."
Peart says he was struck by the ubiquity of religious billboards that have sprung up on America's highways, which got him thinking about some weighty topics. "Just seeing the power of evangelical Christianity and contrasting that with the power of fundamentalist religion all over the world in its different forms had a big effect on me," he says.
"You try to put your own way of seeing the world into some kind of congruence with other peoples, and that's difficult for me," he admits. "I mean, I see the world in what I think to be a perfectly obvious and rational way, but when you go out into it and see the way other people think and behave, and express themselves on church signs, you realize, 'Well, I'm not really part of this club.'"
"I looked for the good side of faith," Peart says. "To me it ought to be your armor, something to protect you and something to console you in dark times. But it's more often being turned into a sword, and that's one big theme I'm messing with."
Musically, the new album is continuing in much the same vein as 2002's "Vapor Trails," which returned Rush to a more guitar/bass/drums-driven sound. But Peart is quick to add that the music is "remarkably organic in a way that I haven't heard [from Rush] before. We spent a month together in May working on those songs and developing our individual instrument parts for them. It's early to characterize it, but it's definitely fresh and different and that's certainly satisfying."
Peart, bassist/vocalist Geddy Lee and guitarist Alex Lifeson will regroup next month to finish pre-production and will begin recording in November. However, as Peart writes at the conclusion of "Roadshow," he is ambivalent about putting himself through yet another massive world tour.
"It is true that in 1989 I announced that I wasn't going to tour anymore, and have said that every time since and have gone back and decided [to do it] for all good reasons," he says. "One of the main ones to me is that a band plays live, so if I want to consider our band as a living, working thing then that's the case. I haven't in my own mind committed to [another tour] yet, but of course I haven't ruled it out, either."
Don't tell me about rock and roll I'm out there in the clubs and on the streets and I'm living it! I am rock and roll!
It's a really intriguing route for them to take? it seems to diverge almost completely from their recent releases. Perhaps this (admittedly fun) round of celebratory live videos has created a need to return to their high-minded concept-driven tendencies, which really haven't seen the light of day since Hold Your Fire (one of their most spiritually significant records, if I may throw in my two cents).
Andrew? Is this THE Andrew from way back when? The kid we all thought would look like the Power Windows kid?
And that is a very true two cents you have tossed in. I will agree with you that they haven't pursued that side of human nature since HYF. And I for one am anxious to hear the results!
I don't have faith in faith, I don't believe in belief, You can call me faithless, I still cling to hope, And I believe in love, And that's faith enough for me... Neil Peart
Yes, 'tis I, one of the lost children of By-Tor, and I wanted to say hello again to my faithful Rush friends. What's new, PV? I'm afraid I've betrayed my New Jersey heritage.
Until next time...
P.S. Rush is a great band, and I can't wait either.
Andrew! Andrew! What's up??? So good to see you!!!
And it's cool that you "betrayed" Jersey... NYC is just a suburb of New Jersey anyway so it's all good.
Stick around for a while???
I don't have faith in faith, I don't believe in belief, You can call me faithless, I still cling to hope, And I believe in love, And that's faith enough for me... Neil Peart
I don't have faith in faith, I don't believe in belief, You can call me faithless, I still cling to hope, And I believe in love, And that's faith enough for me... Neil Peart
The kid we all thought would look like the Power Windows kid? 
What's up??? So good to see you!!!