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Goldmine Review: Snakes & Arrows
Ray Sidman
Rating: ****
This first studio album from Rush in five years finds the Canadian trio progressing forward from where 2002's Vapor Trails left off. In between, they've stayed busy releasing two multidisc live albums, a cover album, and two multi-DVD concert videos.
Though not prog rockers anymore, the group - now in their mid-50s - has always worked to change its music, not falling back on its prior sound, and Lee, Lifeson, and Peart again succeed on this count.
Peart's lyrics are wonderful, as per usual, and the music by Lee and Lifeson will keep their fans, as well as more passive listeners, happy. This is a solid effort, and though not one of Rush's best, a great album.
What Snakes & Arrows lacks is a song that immediately strikes the listener as a standout. Nonetheless, all the songs are good, and in particular, "Armor and Sword," "Far Cry" (the first single), and "Faithless" are the best of the 13 tracks.
Of the three - count 'em - instrumental pieces, "Hope" stands above the rest, and it is written and performed solo by lead guitarist Alex Lifeson. With this album, Rush continues to show that they are vital, dynamic, cohesive, and entertaining, even after more than 30 years.
Originally published on GoldmineMag.com, May 2007.
Blender Review: Snakes & Arrows
Relentlessly unfashionable Canadian trio returns to the tuneful virtuosity that inspired bands from Iron Maiden to the Bad Plus.
by J.D. Considine
****1/2
After spending half of the '90s on hiatus, Rush made a tentative return with 2002's Vapour Trails, then found their feet with two live releases and a collection of covers (the '60s?themed Feedback). On Snakes & Arrows, Rush combine their strengths, offering plenty of the flash that made them guitar?magazine pinups in well?focused, hook?savvy tunes. So, though they may play more notes per song than some bands play on entire albums, Rush ensure those notes matter ? from the churning, semi?orchestral swell of "Faithless" to the quiet intensity of the acoustic?guitar solo "Hope." Even better, there's an edge to the lyrics that makes bassist Geddy Lee's keening vocals seem unusually urgent (as when "Wind Blows" assails know?nothings "from the Middle East to the Middle West"). The result is their best album since Moving Pictures in 1981.
Download: "Faithless," "Spindrift," "Armor and Sword"
Originally published on Blender.com, May 2007.
RUSH Audio Interviews
Thanks to some fellow RUSH fans, audio of some recent specials and interviews the guys did promoting Snakes & Arrows is now available.
Nights with Alice Cooper interview with Geddy and Alex on 04.26.07 - Thanks to NightsWithAliceCooper.com.
Snakes & Arrows World Premiere from Q107 in Toronto on 04.26.07 - Thanks to Rush Is A Band for recording and sharing.
Sirius Rush Classic Rock Special on 04.26.07 - Thanks to tst4eko from Counterparts for recording and sharing this.
The FMQB Productions radio special Inside Rush: Snakes & Arrows - A World Premiere Event on 04.29.07 - Thanks again to tst4eko.
Interview by Max Webster's Kim Mitchell with Alex and Geddy on Q107, Toronto on 05.02.07 - Thanks to animateme from Counterparts for recording and sharing this great interview.
Icebergradio.com World Premiere Special with Neil Peart on 05.05.07 - Thanks to barney_rebel from Counterparts for this one.
Geddy and Alex on Rockline on 05.09.07 - Thanks once again to tst4eko.
Alex on Planet Rock UK on 05.30.07 - Thanks again goes to Rush Is A Band.
New Single: Spindrift
Spindrift is the second single from Snakes & Arrows and was sent to radio stations yesterday (05.29). The info sheet that was sent with the single reads:
To coincide with the start of the 2007 Atlantic Ocean Hurricane Season...Atlantic Records brings you the exciting new RUSH release that will leave you soaked and dizzy after one listen! "SPINDRIFT" from the band's #3 Billboard debut record "Snakes & Arrows", rocks you like a hurricane on June 1! RUSH will hit the road June 13 in Atlanta and will continue a massive world tour through 2008!
So start spinning the "SPINDRIFT" today!
Be sure to call your local rock station and request Spindrift often!
The info sheet also states "purging the country/ac/heritage" markets with The Larger Bowl this Summer. So it appears The Larger Bowl will be released as a single later this summer.
Snakes & Arrows News Update & More
A quick roundup of some Snakes & Arrows news and a couple other tidbits.
- The MVI DVD release of Snakes & Arrows has been delayed until at least June 12. Amazon.com lists the release date as June 19 however. It's unclear which of these is the correct release date.
UPDATE 05.29: According to the RUSH Backstage Club, the MVI release is now scheduled for release on June 26. Amazon.com is still listing a date of June 19 and Best Buy's web site is showing the release date as June 12. - RUSH's first music video since Half The World from the Test For Echo album is now available. The video for Far Cry is available on YouTube along with a higher quality version here. It is believed this video will also included on the MVI DVD release.
- On May 20, the CBC aired "Bob And Doug McKenzie's 24th Anniversary" prime time special, celebrating the 24th anniversary of the film Strange Brew. Geddy Lee, who grew up with Rick Moranis and sang on the duo's hit Take Off, made a guest appearance which can be seen on YouTube.
- Rounder Books is publishing "The Roadshow Illustrated Companion" on September 25th to coincide with the release of "Roadshow : Landscape With Drums: A Concert Tour by Motorcycle" in paperback. Here's the description from Amazon.com: "A stunning companion to Roadshow: Landscape with Drums, The Illustrated Companion combines eloquent text with a range of full color photographs depicting the byways, bystanders, backstage hands, and other features of Neil Peart's ever-changing landscape as he journeys by motorcycle between dates on Rush's historic 30th Anniversary World Tour. Including concert photos taken by official Rush photographer Andrew MacNaughtan The Roadshow Illustrated Companion vividly chronicles Peart's ultimate travel adventure delivering a sublimely executed treatise on the art of travel."
- The members of Rush are featured on the covers of magazines for dedicated to their respective instruments. Alex Lifeson is featured on the June issue of Guitar One, Neil Peart is on the cover of the June issue of Drum! and Geddy Lee can be found gracing the cover of the July 2007 issue of Bass Guitar Magazine. Neil Peart is also featured in the new Modern Drummer collectors edition, Drum Gods. Also featured in the June issue of Drum! is collector Michael DF Lowe, creator of NeilPeartDrumsticks.com.
Music Review: Rush - Snakes And Arrows
By T. Michael Testi
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.
"Spindrift" is a compositional song that the simple lyrics try to tie the song together. This is probably my least favorite song on the CD. "The Main Monkey Business" is a 6 minute instrumental that focuses on the musical talent of Rush.
While I like many of the tunes prior to this point, the rest of this CD is great! "The Way the Wind Blows" starts off with a bluesy feel; it quickly grows into a driving beat. This is the only attempt at a "political" statement, but at that is very minor in its statement. I love some of the intonations that Lee does with his voice on this one and the way it mixes with the blues lines from Lifeson.
"Hope" is a nice little ditty that at 2 minutes is truly a transitional piece for guitar. "Faithless" is one of those songs that balances composition with lyrics and harkens back to some of the old Rush circa 2112. "Bravest Face" is another one that combines a catchy tune with, Lee doing some funky vocalizations and lyrics that tie it all together.
"Good News First" is a slow driving tune that builds throughout the song with a catchy middle eight. "Malignant Narcissism" is another instrumental that drives on with the bass line playing off the guitar. A 2 minute transitional that works. "We Hold On", the final track that blends lyrics with instrumentals that not only is classic Rush, but may be a classic in and of it self.
Yes, I like this album! My first take was that the second half was better than the first half, but after three times through, there are no songs that I would remove and only with Spindrift; the worst that I can say about it, is that I don't always notice it when it is on. This album is worth the time and you will find many of the tunes remaining in your head long after the music's done.
Snakes and Arrows' song listing:
Far Cry
Armor And Sword
Workin' Them Angels
The Larger Bowl
Spindrift
The Main Monkey Business
The Way The Wind Blows
Hope
Faithless
Bravest Face
Good News First
Malignant Narcissism
We Hold On
Originally published on Blog Critics on May 28, 2007.
Classic Rock Revisited Reviews: Snakes & Arrows
Below find two reviews of Rush's new album Snakes & Arrows. Both CRR Editor Jeb Wright and CRR Scribe A. Lee Graham are Rush-a-holics so instead of fighting over who gets the limelight, here are two different views of Snakes & Arrows.
By A. Lee Graham
Rating: B
With Snakes & Arrows, Rush rekindles the prog-rock flame. Whether it pleases longtime fans depends whom you ask. Some await every release as if "The Spirit Of Radio" just hit airwaves; others dismiss everything since Moving Pictures. Yet the band's 18th studio outing holds something for everyone, for what we have here is a return to form. "Far Cry" has it all: breathless intro, insistent groove and chops aplenty. This is prog for the new millennium - lean, mean and catchy. Compared with the spare, solo-less mess that marked Vapor Trails, "Far Cry" sees the boys regain their footing.
If "Far Cry" is a mission statement, then what follows is an exhilarating, if uneven, journey through Neil Peart's mind and the trio's seamless interplay. The drummer's well-chronicled motorcycle treks logged more than miles; they discovered contemporary religion, human suffering and the quirks that make the modern world so fascinating. Those observations reveal melancholy and joy, sometimes within the same song. Take "Armor and Sword," whose slow, churning power chords surrender to softer acoustic passages and bittersweet bite. Then there's "Workin' Them Angels." Is it just me, or does the beginning echo Supertramp's "Give A Little Bit?"
Heavier - at least musically - is "Spindrift." Check out the chilling introduction, invoking "Witch Hunt's" primacy while carving its own identity. On its heels is "The Main Monkey Business," the first of three killer instruments. Rush fans disagree on many things, but most have a soft spot for virtuoso musicianship, and "The Main Monkey Business," "Malignant Narcissm" and "Hope" deliver, the latter seeing guitarist Alex Lifeson offer his first unaccompanied acoustic performance since "Broon's Bane." The six-stringer even goes bluesy on "The Way The Wind Blows," no doubt influenced by the stripped-down Feedback sessions.
Much deeper is "Faithless." On its surface, it might reveal Peart rejecting faith. On closer inspection, he simply disputes society's definition, preferring his own viewpoint. Fleshing out the sound is Ben Mink, whose string skills enlivened Signals' "Losing It," not to mention Geddy Lee's My Favorite Headache project. While Peart delivers perhaps his bravest lyrical journey, and the trio fires on all cylinders. Snakes & Arrows wouldn't sound the same without Nick Raskulinecz.
Yep, the same guy who produced Foo Fighters delivers a crisp, taut production worlds beyond Vapor Trails. Geddy Lee's bass strikes the perfect balance amid layers of guitars and drum fills, but his voice occasionally falters. Still, there's no denying some amazing work from the multi-instrumentalist.
Snakes & Arrows should please most Rush fans. From die-hards who drew pentagrams on their high school notebooks, to younger listeners just discovering Moving Pictures on iTunes, Snakes & Arrows slithers with confidence and nails its target.
By Jeb Wright
Rating: B
The last Rush album, Vapor Trails, was a convoluted, confusing and coagulated piece of work. The album did not flow and the songs were not up to snuff. The band took some time off, recorded an album of cover tunes and released some concert DVDs. The time off did them good. They have returned with a CD that incorporates themes and sounds from each era of the band's career.
This time around the listener is asked to pay attention as the album features mostly mid-tempo tunes that can just as easily loose ones attention as gain it. You have to seek this one out as it is not going to bash you upside your head to garner your attention. Instead, all the ingredients are there but the flavors compliment each other to a degree that one must savor in the moments of music to discover the subtle genius that hides within each song.
The good news is that Alex Lifeson is at least plucking out a guitar solo or two. I wish he would leave the artistic sentiment to Geddy and Neal and pound out some six string heroics instead of relying on complex rhythmic passages to get his point across. At times, this happens as the songs, "Far Cry" and "The Main Monkey Business" attest too. Lyrically and emotionally this album has a lot of light and shade intermingling between songs. "Faithless" and "Bravest Face" deal with topics of God or the lack thereof and the underlying, inherent evil in mankind. "Hope," on the other hand, is a beautiful instrumental featuring Alex playing acoustic guitar.
In the end, this is a solid album. It is more prog oriented than it is hard rock. Snakes & Arrows shows that Rush is very in tune with where they want to be at the present time. Don't look for a new version of "Tom Sawyer" or "Working Man" though because there are simply not any songs with that spirit. Still, there is enough going on here to peak the curiosity and keep the disc calling back to you to play it again, which is the ultimate sign of a good collection of music.
Originally published on ClassicRockRevisted.com, May 2007.
Geddy Lee's Caption: The Pain Of Politics
Every month the Toronto Globe and Mail's Evan Solomon sends an unidentified image to someone in the public eye along with a challenge: Give it a title and share the ideas and experiences it evokes. This month it was Geddy Lee who submitted to the challenge.
Evan Solomon: Geddy, when I sent you this photo, what caption came to mind?
Geddy Lee: Being me, I over-thought the thing a million times. But since I think the photograph is dealing with North and South Korea, the caption that struck me was, "The pain of politics."
Why "the pain of politics"?
I look at this photo and I see this suffering woman saying goodbye to a family member of some sort - perhaps her husband or her father, I can't tell - and he's reaching out to her. Korea is still, essentially, at war, 54 years after the ceasefire. This photo reminds me of the limited visits that North and South Koreans are allowed to have in order to reconnect families that have been torn apart. The Korean War is kind of a forgotten war and this picture really provoked me to think about that time and how little has really changed in terms of the division of life for family members in Korea.
You're right about the picture. It does show some South Koreans crossing that heavily armed border this week to be reunited with North Korean relatives that they haven't seen since 1953. But, of course, after the short visit, they each have to go back to their own countries.
I can't imagine that - family members that you have no access to. They can't phone each other. They don't have Internet contact with each other. Unfortunately the kind of comic presence of Kim Jong-il has made us look at North Korea in a slightly ridiculous fashion, but we forget they are half of a state that is divided and still at war. I was thinking about the Cold War that we all grew up through and this is a "cold war" of a different kind - it's totally out of our mindset as North Americans, but in that part of the world it is very real and it's an ongoing thing and you look at this picture and you see that.
Geddy, earlier you said that in typical fashion you over-thought this caption. What do you mean by that?
Oh well, give me a project and I'll think about it six ways to Sunday. I tried to think of a caption that would be revealing.
At one point, I thought "Not Enough Time" would be good. Because these two people, as they're feeling this pain, they're thinking we don't have enough time together. So that was one feeling I got from this photograph as well.
So much of your life - in a very different way - has been about not enough time. You are always on tour, making connections and leaving. How did you handle that with your own loved ones, as a father raising a family, always saying goodbye?
Well, that's an interesting question. When I was younger, it was easier for me because I was so enthralled with the dream. The dream of chasing my career. So I justified the leaving and the pain I caused my wife and my children by saying this is the job I'm meant to do and I have to follow my dream.
But it's never that simple. Life got much more difficult. There were many times with my relationship with my wife and my kids where it was a very painful thing to have to leave. You know, things go on in your life that require your presence and the older I got the more I felt the damage from my continual departures, the divisions were growing. When you are not present in a marriage and not present in a parenting situation, there's going to be damage and there's going to be alienation.
So I realized at a certain point in my life I had make a stronger effort to be present, to tour less and to come home more and to make sure I keep my family together. I always tell my friends that marriage is the toughest job you will ever have and keeping a family together is tougher than any job in the real world.
Did you almost lose your family?
I will say my wife and I, we teetered on the brink at one stage in our relationship many, many years ago, but we both wanted to make sure that didn't happen. This was when my son was very young and I was touring at that point - oh my god, I don't know, almost 250, 300 shows a year.
That is the rock-star life, isn't it?
It wasn't so much the rock-star life as trying to be a rock star. When you are trying to get there, you don't say no to anything. We would stay on the road for months at a time without coming home and obviously all of us experienced damage to our home lives.
And that's when we started to institute some pretty strong rules. We wouldn't go away for more than three weeks without coming home for a week and we began turning opportunities down in order to preserve our family lives.
I think that was the smartest decision we've ever made.
The Korean photograph also has to do with loss and how people try to cope with it. How has loss affected your life?
I experienced a massive loss very early in life. I lost my Dad when I was 12. And that was a terrible disruption and a terrible thing for a 12-year-old boy to handle.
How did he pass away?
Complications from the war. My parents were Holocaust survivors. My father was never 100 per cent healthy and his heart was not healthy from his labour during the war. And one night, his heart just gave out.
Was he in a concentration camp?
Yes. Most of my family was in camps. My mother and my father were both in Auschwitz and they then got transferred to different concentration camps. My mother was liberated in Bergen-Belson and my father spent some time in Dachau as well before he was liberated.
Was living with a sense of tragedy and loss, and even the guilt of survival, a shadow in your family?
My mom is an amazing woman and she very openly talked about [her] experiences. I know other children of Holocaust survivors tell different stories - how their parents won't speak of it, they won't discuss that pain - so I feel very fortunate that I had a tough mother who had a good sense of humour, who embraced life and handed it off to us too. It really helped me get over the loss of my father. I lost a friend a couple of years ago to cancer and that was a very tough moment for me. Witnessing what [Rush drummer] Neil Peart has gone through with the death of his wife and his daughter was another difficult time. But somehow or another I feel like my mother prepped me for all of this...
Your father died so long ago. He never saw you succeed, or raise a family. I wonder, does the ache ever really go away?
Not really, no. I think about that. I think about how great it would be to have him around to see my kids. More than my success, that's what I wish he was here to enjoy - my children and my wife and all that. But what can you do? Life throws you curve balls and you got to do your best to handle them.
You and the band are about to tour for your new album. Do you still get a kick out of playing older hits - or do you want to move on to the latest material?
One of the reasons we tour without an opening act is so we can have 2 1/2 to three hours to indulge everything - play the old stuff and play a good amount of new stuff. But for me to walk out on stage and after, what, 33 years of touring, see people who still want to hear something I've written 25 years ago... Well, I'm very happy to play that for them.
Some people say that when rock musicians get older, they lose their creativity. Do you still feel creative?
Absolutely. We've been through a lot in the last couple of years on the personal side, but now I feel like we're acting like a band again. We're still having fun with it, so the spirit of rock and roll is back with us.
Is that the caption for Geddy Lee right now?
Maybe. It could well be.
Evan Solomon is a writer and journalist. He is also the host of CBC News: Sunday and Sunday Night. How They See It will appear monthly in the Focus section.
Originally published in the The Globe And Mail, Toronto, ON on 05.26.07.
About.com Review: Snakes & Arrows
By Alun Williams
*** 1/2 out of 5
Rush is Back with New CD and Tour
Canadian rock trio Rush, what can you say? Almost 40 years in existence, formed in 1968, although they didn't release their first album until 1974. Since then, they have more than 20 gold albums and over a dozen platinum albums to their credit. That's some track record. How do they do it, and what makes them so unique?
Is it Geddy Lee's piercing vocals, pitched so many octaves higher than any other male vocalist (perhaps only with the exception of, say, Jon Anderson of Yes and another Canadian power trio Triumph)?
Neil Peart is the true drummer's drummer who has won award after award for his amazing skills, specifically his signature timing. He puts fills where you'd least expect them, cymbal crashes likewise, and, to boot, writes ALL their lyrics, but sings none!
These guys certainly seem to have the longevity thing nailed. Perhaps that's because they record an album, release it, tour, and then disappear. In recent years have taken anywhere from three to six years between albums. Their last full release - not including the covers EP Feedback in 2004 - was Vapor Trials in 2002.
Pure Rush
Although hinting that they are somewhat reclusive, both Alex Lifeson and Geddy Lee have released solo albums: Lifeson in 1996 with Victor and Geddy Lee with My Favorite Headache in 2000.
The band has not been without tragedy, with Neil Peart losing his daughter in a car accident in 1997, and his wife to cancer the following year. 'That would be enough to get most folks to quit, I'm sure, but not Neil Peart!
So power to these guys as they release Snakes and Arrows, which debuted on the Billboard Top 200 at #3! Fans have obviously been greatly awaiting this release!
The album opens with the first single, "Far Cry" which has really got its hooks in me and is pure Rush, no question!
We then have "Armor and Sword," which has hints of Def Leppard's Hysteria in places, but the structure and phrasing is typical Rush, seriously progressive rock stuff. There's also an acoustic section that brings back memories of their track "Trees" from the Hemispheres album. This track is also excellent Rush fare!
"Working Them Angels" has a kind of dark feel as it builds, but then has folk / prog element with Alex Lifeson playing some mandolin. The song has a great feel. It has grown on me over this past week of listening.
Strange but Good
"The Larger Bowl" -- strange title but great stuff. The intro kind of sounds like a 60s song and it actually grows into a very straightforward easy going melodic rock track, beautiful stuff.
Next up, "Spindrift" starts with an eerie edge and remains fairly dark as it continues and maybe a little repetitive after a while.
"The Main Monkey Business" intro sounds a little like the intro to the old Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy TV shows, but then becomes something more intriguing, with many elements. A very powerful instrumental track, the first of three on the album.
"The Way The Wind Blows" kind of reminds me of Cream in places, but hardly surprising as I know Rush have quoted the 60s trio as influences and even covered them on the Feedback EP. The track is much more in-depth though than you might think from that statement, but the solo reeks of Cream-era Clapton.
"Hope" is the second instrumental track. It is an acoustic piece with just Alex Lifeson.
"Faithless" is a track with interesting timing changes throughout, but that's Rush for you. It reminds me of Signals-era Rush and the lyrics make you wonder if Neil Peart is trying to make a point here about his beliefs. Another track that's a grower after a few listens.
Good Return for Rush
"Bravest Face" is next: laid back Rush building in the choruses and towards the end, although in general it starts to feel a little repetitive.
"Good News First" kind of reminds me a little of "The Main Monkey Business" in areas, but then gets very detailed with lots going on, behind a great melodic vocal. Good song.
"Malignant Narcissism" is the third and final instrumental, a haunting piece, with Geddy Lee and Neil Peart playing bass and drums parts off each other.
The closer is "We Hold On," which will leave a smile on the faces of long time Rush fans as it ends with true Rush elements as a grand finale.
I'm not the biggest Rush fan, but I do have about 10 of their albums in my collection so, yes, I like the band. This album was good to hear, but for me the stronger tracks were in the opening half of the album. They tended to lose a little for me towards the end.
This album is a good return for Rush and for their fans.
Originally published on About.com on 05.23.07.
Chicago Sun-Times Review: Snakes & Arrows
By Jim DeRogatis
As longtime fans well know, the long-running Canadian progressive-metal trio Rush nearly came to an end in the late '90s, when Neil Peart suffered the losses of his wife to cancer and his 19-year-old daughter to a car crash. The lyricist and virtuosic drummer found himself by writing several cathartic books, including two chronicling his Beat-odyssey travels across North America by motorcycle, and the band rebounded with "Vapor Trails" in 2002, which rocked harder than most late-era Rush but was still a far cry from the band's best. The group's 18th studio album therefore comes as a pleasant surprise, finding Rush recapturing a measure of the power it had in its prime, and debuting last week at No. 3.
To say that Peart, bassist-vocalist Geddy Lee and guitarist Alex Lifeson have reconnected with a more old-school sound means different things to different fans: There is none of the dense conceptual and musical intricacy of the band at its most progressive, circa my personal favorites "2112" (1976) and "Hemispheres" (1978). But as the more streamlined and melodic Rush goes, "Snakes & Arrows" is easily the equal of FM-radio favorites "Permanent Waves" (1980) or "Moving Pictures" (1981).
Lee has found a strong mid-ground between the early days' Donald Duck-on-helium yelp and the later, throatier baritone; he and Lifeson are playing with considerable fire and invention, especially on the three stunning instrumentals ("The Main Monkey Business," "Malignant Narcissism" and the lovely acoustic tune "Hope"); Peart remains a force of nature as a drummer, and in place of the academic, philosophical and sometimes inscrutable lyrics of the '90s, there's a plainspoken humanism that is more heartfelt and direct.
Driven by some of the group's strongest melodies, lyrics such as "One day I feel like I'm ahead of the wheel / And the next it's rolling over me" (from the single "Far Cry," which, like the equally effective "The Way the Wind Blows," contemplates a world turned upside-down by terrorists) and "Our better natures seek elevation / A refuge from the coming night / No one gets to their heaven without a fight" (from "Armor and Sword," which, like the equally strong "Faithless," espouses self-reliance over blind faith) combines to create some of the smartest and best music the band has ever given us.
***1/2
Originally published in the Chicago Sun-Times, Chicago, IL on 05.20.07.
San Francisco Chronicle Review: Snakes & Arrows
By Jaan Uhelszki
Rush was one of the progenitors of North American prog rock, defining the world with the help of Ayn Rand's rather self-involved philosophies during most of the uncertain '70s and the bloated '80s. Three decades later, their music can hardly be called progressive, but they're still struggling to explain their place in the universe, although with less harsh tools than Rand. Perhaps tempered by age, and surely by the tragedies drummer and main lyricist Neil Peart has endured -- the death of both his daughter and wife a decade ago -- there's more of an acceptance of one's limitations and far less intellectual swagger than this power trio exhibited in their earlier canon. On their first album since 2002, Peart has gotten his emotional equilibrium back, not by answering the question why bad things happen to good people, but by realizing, like REM before him, that "Everybody Hurts." That is one of the underlying themes of this album, along with his attempt to unravel the question of faith -- something the drummer grappled with while on yearlong motorcycle sojourn. At the end of his travels, he found a harsh symmetry between evangelical Christianity and fundamentalism, and tried to reconcile his own beliefs in that continuum, penning these 13 songs as if they were his own personal investigative logbook. The musicianship is at a uniformly high level, and they've included three instrumentals -- something they haven't done in quite some time. Peart's off-rhythm drumming continue to thrill, while Alex Lifesong plays feverish guitar, taking sonic risks that he didn't even attempt during the first half of his career. Most profoundly, Geddy Lee has lost much of his shrill high register and has become a more tuneful and convincing singer on par with Robert Plant during his heyday.
Originally published in the San Francisco Chronicle, San Francisco, CA on 05.20.07.
Touring Summer Preview: Shed Tours To Watch
By Ray Waddell
classic ROCK
Headliner: Rush
Support: None
Agent: Adam Kornfeld
Prognosis: Rush at outdoor venues is destined to be one of the top 25 tours of 2007. Produced by Live Nation through its TNA division, the band has been a consistent draw every time it hits the road, without relying on a multi-act package to move tickets.
"Rush has been together over 33 years, and their fan base is not only not eroding, but it seems that it may be growing," the band's agent Adam Kornfeld says. "Rush is another testament to what happens when great songwriting and musicianship come together. People recognize it."
Rush toured quite successfully in 2002 and 2004, but its box-office muscle in 2007 could very well eclipse those efforts. With new album "Snakes & Arrows" released May 1, Rush may be the sleeper tour of the year.
Live Nation North American music president Jason Garner says Rush "came roaring out of the box" on initial on-sales.
"Having Rush back after some off time is very exciting for us," Garner says. "We think it will be one of the blockbuster tours of the summer."
Originally published on Billboard.biz on 05.19.07.
Leader-Post Review: Snakes & Arrows
By Andrew Matte
Three 1/2 (out of five)
Canada's favourite nerdy prog-rockers have another milestone with Snakes and Arrows, only because it's their first CD since 2001's Vapor Trails.
These 50-somethings haven't reinvented themselves -- guitarist Alex Lifeson has produced some splendidly unique and heavy riffs, master drummer Neil Peart's careful fury is predictably awesome and Geddy Lee's nasal, controlled wailing is there in all its glory.
With soulful rockers reminiscent of early '80s Rush contrasted with contemporary sounds, Snakes and Arrows, like most of Rush's post-Moving Pictures work, is a bit of a hit-and-miss effort. The single, "Far Cry" isn't the CD's best, but songs like "The Main Monkey Business" and "Workin' Them Angels" make this CD worth recommending. And three instrumentals might not be a good idea for most bands, but they work here.
For those who never liked the band, Snakes and Arrows won't change your mind. But for fans, it comes recommended, even though it doesn't rate among the band's best work.
Originally published in the Leader-Post, Regina, SK on 05.19.07.
Music Review: Rush - Snakes & Arrows
By Fumo Verde
As an avid surfer, I always have a tune in my head to keep me in rhythm, and Rush?s Snakes & Arrows has a collection of songs that will keep me charging all the way through summer. The album drops in like a heavy wave at the Wedge with power not only in the music but in the lyrics as well, tapping into the Rush of old by combining the storytelling of the past with the ideas and passions of the present. Charging guitar solos, ripping bass lines, and the hard working drive of one of the world?s greatest drummers creates the fetch for the new swell of Rush rock while questions about the very ideals we believe we should stand are examined.
Whisking one away to the past or opening one?s eyes to world events are ideas that fill this album. "Far Cry" and "Armor and Sword" differ in their musical aspect; the latter has the tone of elder songs such as "Red Sector A" or "Witch Hunt," but both question our humanism and ask us to look in the mirror carefully. In the song "Armor and Sword" the lyrics are "Sometimes the damage is too great/ Or the will is too weak/ What should have been our armor/ Becomes a sharp and burning sword./ A refuge for the coming night./ A future of eternal light./ No one gets to their heaven without a fight." These words ask us the reasons we as humans are so quick to get into a conflict with each other. Similar ideas are expressed in "Far Cry," the opening track that bursts in like Vikings on a rampage. The trio crash down like a pipeline in late December and hold that beat throughout the song as the lyrics remind you, "It?s a far cry from the world we thought we?d inherit./ It's a far cry from the way we thought we'd share it."
Complex lyrics blended with the intricate and ever-changing instrumental structures have always been the mark of a good Rush album, and S&A has them. "The Larger Bowl" is a pantoum, a rare form of poetry where the second and fourth lines of each stanza are repeated as the first and third lines of the next and the first line of the poem is the last. Again, Neil Peart shows us his intellect as Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson show theirs by fitting chords and beats, making this song one of my favorites on this CD. With few words Rush can open such big doors where giant questions lay. "The golden one or scarred from birth/ some things can never be changed/ such a lot of pain on this earth / it's somehow so badly arranged." Yet not all the songs on this CD are socially energized. Tracks such as "Spindrift" and "Workin' Them Angels" open a window into the life of wordsmith Peart. One can hear his pain and his joy as he puts it all out there with no regrets, and for those reasons alone I admire this man.
Writing profound lyrics with amazing melodies isn't anything new for Rush, yet S&A has a harder edge, as "The Main Monkey Business" will prove. One of three instrumentals, it keeps Rush at that fine edge their fans have come to adore. "Hope" is guitar only and was composed and performed by Lerxst Lifeson (that's what it said in the liner notes). My hats off to Lerxst for this composition is beautiful and brings my mind back to trips into the Arizona desert, as Lerxst's guitar leads the way.
This CD has brought me back into the Rush fold, and even if the band moves into another direction with the next album, this one is a testament to a band that isn't afraid of making rock music with a point. "Faithless" is a song that holds true to that statement. "I don't have faith in faith/ I don't believe in belief./ You can call me faithless/ But I still cling to hope/ And I believe in love/ And that's faith enough for me." These men will stand behind what they believe in and aren't scared of some old crone who challenges others while skirting around the faults of those she supports.
I have to say that Counterparts, Test for Echo, and Vapor Trails left me wondering if Rush was still the same band I was looking for. I know bands change over time, that's a given, they have to if they want to succeed. Snakes & Arrows will go down as another change in the direction of Rush and one that will bring them a legacy of standing up for those who cannot stand up for themselves. The music is pure Rush while the words cut and sting like the lip smack of a cold winter wave. The melodies will keep you moving as the lyrics make you think, and thinking leads to change, and change is what these modern day Tom Sawyers are all about. If you get a chance to see Rush this summer, make it so. Look me up on the lawn at Irvine.
Originally published on Blog Critics on May 15, 2007.
Cool comeback, part 2
By Steven Greenlee
Rush
Snakes & Arrows
(Anthem/Atlantic)
Essential: "Far Cry"
Let's be honest with ourselves, fellow Rush fans: The Canadian rock trio hasn't made a good studio album since 1993's "Counterparts," and it hasn't made a great one in about 20 years. That said, "Snakes & Arrows" is several steps ahead of more recent efforts. The album manages to harken back to the band's prog-rock roots while addressing contemporary issues and laying down some zesty riffs. The opener, "Far Cry," is as muscular a leadoff track as they've done, no less satisfying than the "Force Ten" from "Hold Your Fire" or "Big Money" from "Power Windows." Geddy Lee's high, nasally vocals are vibrant and strong, Alex Lifeson's guitar work is driving and fierce, and Neil Peart -- well, he's still the best drummer in rock. Peart still writes all the lyrics, too, and he's turned his attention to current events, taking a few whacks at war ("No one gets to heaven without a fight") and the Bush administration ("Now it's come to this/ Hollow speeches of mass deception"). On the whole, though, the disc gets bogged down in songs built on predictable chord changes and rock-by-numbers melodies. If only the guys had held off going into the studio until they had a few more good songs written, then we'd finally have another great Rush record.
Originally published in the Boston Globe, Boston, MA on 05.15.07.
Manchester Evening News Review: Snakes & Arrows
By Glenn Meads
2 stars (out of five)
This is Rush's first new collection of new material in five years. Like so much music nowadays, it has to hit the jugular via the first few tracks, pleasing the old fans and inviting a few newbies.
The sound is fairly formulaic but with Nick Raskulineccz (Foo Fighters, Velvet Underground) on production duties, you would expect it to have a more contemporary feel.
The first single 'Far Cry' does everything a rock anthem should do and this sets the course for the rest of the album. Guitar solos, slow burning anthems, Guns N' Roses style vocals and head banging choruses fill each track, pleasing rockers everywhere.
But what the album lacks is a sense of danger; everything sounds so safe and cliched. 'Working Them Angels' almost sounds 'Spinal Tap' - with lyrics that would suit the heavy metal spoof band. "Taking high roads, working angels over time" - you gotta laugh. Then comes some wailing and several more humdingers.
I doubt if this is going to turn off any of the die hard fans. But with so many new bands experimenting with sounds and lyrics, you wonder where Rush fit in anymore. Many of their ballads sound like Extreme's cast offs from long ago.
Rock, paper, scissors; but blunt and lacking rough edges, ideal for Eurovision, then!
Originally published in the Manchester Evening News, Manchester, UK on 05.14.07.
Better Canadian: Geddy Lee or Bryan Adams?
By Sean Daly
Tom Sawyer vs. Cuts Like a Knife?
Prog-rock yelping vs. soft-pop overemoting?
Geddy Lee vs. Bryan Adams!!!!
While contemplating your crucial vote, please enjoy the following review of the new Rush album, irrelevant to some, raison d'etre to most of Tampa Bay.
By the way, Rush plays Ford Amphitheatre in Tampa on June 16. That sucker's gonna sell out -- 20,000 dudes air drumming their asses off!!!
Rush
Album: Snakes & Arrows (Atlantic)
In stores: Now
Why we care: Five years after its last album - and 30 years after its artistic height - Rush sees its new disc debut at No. 3 on the Billboard charts. Crazy, huh? Of all the '70s prog-rockers, Rush was the most accessible, three dudes with high-concept dreams and school-bus hooks. Neil Peart is a folk legend, like Paul Bunyan with drumsticks.
Why we like it: Peart, the band's lyricist, has gone through hell, losing a wife and a child. As a result, the songs, both political and personal, are angry and self-indulgent, complex and brutally simple. The playing remains over-the-top as always: singer Geddy Lee's vocal is still elastic, Alex Lifeson's guitar is still prickly, Peart's pounding is still spellbinding.
Reminds us of: Air drumming to Tom Sawyer in 6th grade
Download these: Far Cry and The Larger Bowl
Grade: B-
Originally published in the St. Petersburg Times, St. Petersburg, FL on 05.14.07.
Lexington Herald-Leader Review: Snakes & Arrows
By Walter Tunis
If you think Rush is mellowing in its fourth decade, then grab the Excedrin as the trio bludgeons its way through the anthemic tales of war and inner apocalypse that make up Snakes & Arrows. While the music is a bit more metal-driven than usual (think early Black Sabbath with a Nine Inch Nails makeover), there is still a drum boom large enough to rattle the rafters in another state as well as the pensive whine of Geddy Lee's singing. Keyboards are again downplayed save for Lee's occasional orchestral dabs of mellotron. In its place is an even greater reliance on Neil Peart's monstrous drum attack, which sounds amazingly busy given the contained, riff-ridden tempo of Spindrift and Bravest Face. As usual, guitarist Alex Lifeson steals the show. Sure, he concocts enough riffs here to keep air guitarists blissed out for the five years it takes for another Rush album to surface. But bouzouki propelling the charge of Far Cry? A mandolin breakdown during Workin' Them Angels? Seems Rush still has a surprise or two up its sleeve.
Originally published in the Lexington Herald-Leader, Lexington, KY on 05.11.07.
Rush hour
By Brett Milano
Rush
Snakes & Arrows
Atlantic | Grade: A-
As deep and complex as Rush albums go, this one is especially deep and complex. The music is densely textured and nearly all midtempo, with ominous minor-key riffs and few obvious hooks. Acoustic guitars are more prominent than before, and Geddy Lee's layered vocal harmonies are a long way from the screechy leads of old. The lyrics are pro-faith and anti-religious, with drummer/lyricist Neil Peart getting both personal and topical. It's heavy going, but stay with it: The melodies start grabbing hold the second or third time around. And if you need cheap thrills, the instrumental "The Main Monkey Business" offers a good six minutes' worth. Download: "The Way the Wind Blows."
Originally published in the Boston Herald, Boston, MA on 05.11.07.
NOW Magazine Review: Snakes & Arrows
By Jason Keller
Five years after Vapor Trails, Toronto's most consistent stadium-fillers return with another epic journey of technical rock prowess. Neil Peart, as usual, delivers high-concept lyrics via Geddy Lee; this time spirituality, war and faith are the prevailing metaphors. By prog standards the songs are reined in (most clock in at five minutes), but in typical Rush fashion the compositions tend to feel coldly scientific or laboriously calculated. What with Peart's metronomic perfection, Alex Lifeson's restless guitar proficiency and Lee's shape-shifting vocal structures, you might find yourself wondering what just a minuscule amount of pop carelessness would do to this time-tested prog recipe. Nevertheless, it's a solid record on the hour-long whole, and definitely in keeping with the trio's inhuman standard of rock excellence.
Originally published in NOW Magazine, Toronto, ON on 05.10.07.
Rush (The Band) Takes On The Religious Right
By Bob Cesca
Within its first 60 seconds, the new Rush album, Snakes & Arrows, throws down against the Christian right:
Pariah dogs and wandering madmen
Barking at strangers and speaking in tongues
The ebb and flow of tidal fortune
Electrical changes are charging up the young
-Excerpt from Far Cry
Snakes & Arrows is, musically and lyrically, one of the best recordings of Rush's 35 year history and probably the most important as it tackles themes we're facing with respect to everything from the "barking strangers speaking in tongues" in the movies Jesus Camp and Alexandra Pelosi's Friends of God, to the crusades of the Bush administration and radical Islam, while appropriately and ominously describing this era in history as if "we're back in the Dark Ages."
Rush's drummer and lyricist, Neil Peart, has always been an intelligent and outspoken proponent of secularism. In the song Faithless, Peart describes himself as not having "faith in faith." But it was his series of cross-continental motorcycle journeys -- first, his Ghost Rider exile following the deaths of his wife and daughter; then his road trips during the Rush 30th anniversary tour, documented in his book Roadshow: Landscape With Drums -- which motivated the construction of an album around the themes of religious fundamentalism and its symptomatic penchant for misguided warfare. Peart defiantly stands for his cause and even though he, also in Faithless, says that he's "quietly resisting," he and the band are far from quiet about the way the winds are blowing.
Peart describes this album as his "lover's quarrel with the world," and as such, it offers both dire and insightful observations, as well as reasons for hope. It's not necessarily a protest album, but more of a sympathetic mouthpiece for those of us who are seeking some fashion of light in this dark place: "a refuge from the coming night," as Geddy Lee sings in the album's second track, Armor And Sword.
What should have been our armor
Becomes a sharp and angry sword
We hold beliefs as a consolation
A way to take us out of ourselves
Meditation, or medication
A comfort, or a promised reward
-Exerpts from Armor And Sword
Backed with a nasty and heavy Alex Lifeson chord progression, these words offer a metaphor for both the religious and elemental motivation of our present wars, but also the nature of America's military power. First, isn't faith and religion supposed to be a means of protection and salvation rather than attack? Yeah, except when its been bastardized -- like now -- for the selfish "promised reward" of salvation. Second, isn't our military supposed to be used for defense rather than preemptive war? Yep. But more than either of these themes, America has, more often than not, tempered its unprecedented strength with reason (reason and balance is another longtime Peart theme). Cooler heads tend to win the day. Not so much recently, though.
Cooler heads, as described by Rush and Peart, have been almost drowned by the "dry rasp of the devil winds."
In the allegorical song Spindrift, Peart describes himself as frustrated, separated and disillusioned -- almost stymied -- by the devil winds from the east: the television pundits and radical religious "fools" who rip across the waves of modern reality.
The spray that's torn away
Is an image of the way I feel
As the sun goes down
On the western shore
It makes me feel uneasy
In the hot dry rasp of the devil winds
Who cares what a fool believes?
What am I supposed to say?
Where are the words to answer you
When you talk that way?
Words that fly against the wind and waves
Where are the words that will make you see
What I believe is true?
-Exerpts from Spindrift
I actually missed the climatological allegory here for the first couple of listens. The album concept of religious zealotry applies, in this case, to the mouthpieces in cable news who promote the radical Christian right's agenda. They know who they are. (It's worth elaborating on the allegory: Peart has lived in Los Angeles -- "the western shore" -- where he's observed firsthand the mystical phenomenon of the Devil Winds for the better part of this decade.)
But the most striking and moving song to play within this theme is the track The Way The Wind Blows:
Now it's comes to this
Wide-eyed armies of the faithful
From the Middle East to the Middle West
Pray, and pass the ammunition
So many people think that way
You gotta watch what you say
To them and them, and others too
Who don't seem to see the things the way you do
Now it's come to this
Hollow speeches of mass deception
From the Middle East to the Middle West
Like crusaders in unholy alliance
Now it's come to this
Like we're back in the Dark Ages
From the Middle East to the Middle West
It's a plague that resists all science
-Exerpts from The Way The Wind Blows
"Pray and pass the ammunition" is one of Peart's most precise and simultaneously big lyrical passages. In five words, Peart nails down the hypocrisy and madness of the American religious right movement. Genuflect to the Prince of Peace while dropping white phosphorous on civilian populations. But more subversive here is how Peart conflates radical Islam and radical Christianity. One fuels the other and the Dark Ages return as each side requires a Them to exist and flourish. Science and reason are demonized as the enemy and dismissed as sacrilegious myth while myth is promoted as science.
Pray and pass the ammunition -- until the end of days.
I don't like most album reviews, so I intentionally didn't spend a lot of time on the songs as a whole. Record reviews, and especially Rush reviews, have become almost ridiculously and cynically dismissive or riddled with clichés like "a return to form!" or "sounds like their previous album X!" or "it's an anthem!" or "it's powerful and majestic!" or the pejorative "old prog dinosaur suck rocks!" You name it. Rush isn't prog rock. Or, I've never seen them in that light. They've evolved into their own genre. Progressive, alternative, heavy rock. I have no idea and I don't care. But I've always liked Rush for their ability to reinvent their sound. So suffice to say, this album is very different from their previous release, Vapor Trails. No disrespect intended to Vapor Trails, but this is simply a better album in terms of production values and songwriting, and, thematically, Snakes & Arrows is a vastly more important album.
And fortunately for the cause of reason, it hasn't fallen upon deaf ears. It premiered this week at #3 on the Billboard Top 200, beating out Avril Lavigne, ex-Idol doofus rocker Chris Daughtry, and ex-Idol cupcake Carrie Underwood. Here's to hoping (there's a warm Alex Lifeson acoustic instrumental on the album called Hope) that everyone who bought a copy of the record this week will pay attention to what Peart and Rush have to say this time around. The stakes are high and the current's flowing...
It's a far cry from the world we thought we'd inherit
It's a far cry from the way we thought we'd share it
You can almost feel the current flowing
You can almost see the circuits blowing
-Far Cry
PS. Watch Mark Crispin Miller's latest video about the theocratic movement here. While I disagree and believe that satire is always a valuable tool against extremists like the religious right, he makes about a million other brilliant points -- as only MCM can do.
Originally published on The Huffington Post on 05.10.07.
Montreal Mirror Review: Snakes & Arrows
By Johnson Cummins
First, let me come out of the closet and say that I'm a big vintage Rush fan. Unfortunately, what I love about Rush is when they're wanking up a storm, as Lee, Peart and Lifeson are all obviously masters of their instruments. Over the past 25 years or so, though, Rush have actually tried writing choruses while nipping at the heels of whatever the contemporary music of the day is-and Snakes and Arrows is sadly no wank. Rush obviously have the skills to show young bucks like the Mars Volta how it's done, but this just sounds like an I Mother Earth reunion. 5/10
Originally published in the Montreal Mirror, Montreal, QC on 05.10.07.
Pop Matters Review: Snakes & Arrows
By Adrien Begrand
The back-to-basics album has been done so often by veteran rock bands that by now it's become painfully predictable, as aging rockers attempt to rediscover the magic of their band's nascent days by either simplifying the sound, recording live off the floor, digging out the acoustic guitars, recording covers, or doing all of the above. What's even more remarkable, though, is how often such tactics actually work. Coming on the heels of the aggressive, yet impenetrable 2002 album Vapor Trails, Rush's 2004 EP Feedback, which featured an assortment of ebulliently performed classic '60s rock tunes, was just what the doctor ordered for the Canadian legends. Beset in previous years by drummer Neil Peart's personal tragedies and guitarist Alex Lifeson's legal hassles, it was good to hear the guys having fun on record again, and the positive vibes carried over onto the band's successful 30th anniversary tour that same year. The only thing left to do was hammer out the big comeback album, and true to form, Rush has delivered what is arguably their best work since 1990's Presto.
Rush's studio output over the last decade or so (which basically includes two albums, Vapor Trails and 1996's Test For Echo) has not been without its share of memorable moments, including such tracks as "Resist", "One Little Victory", and "Secret Touch", but the band's move away from the synthesizer-enhanced music of the 1980s in favor of a more robust power trio set-up seemed to come at the expense of the band's normally reliable sense of melody, in particular in the guitar work of Lifeson. His riffs started to sound too grungy, too thick, and in the case of Vapor Trails, actual solos were nonexistent. Snakes & Arrows, on the other hand, has Lifeson taking a completely different approach, and the band and its music sounds re-energized in the process.
Lifeson's variation on the new album is like suddenly switching to Technicolor after a decade of monochrome. His guitar work is rich, melodic, and diverse, and fans will be thrilled to know that it doesn't come at the expense of the band's overall heaviness. In fact, lead-off track (and first single) "Far Cry" lets us know immediately that the fire still burns. Unlike "One Little Victory", which relied perhaps too much on blunt force, "Far Cry" sounds far less stifling, the 2112-style intro underscored by fiercely strummed acoustic guitar, coming off as a cross between A Farewell to Kings and the Who, before the trio launches into a midtempo groove, slinky filtered guitar melodies interweaving with Geddy Lee's authoritative basslines. Lee's lead vocals hold up exceptionally well here; age has lessened his ability to emit those high-pitched screams of old, but the man is well aware of his vocal range, and he sounds comfortable, not only on the entire record, but "Far Cry" especially. It's one of Rush's best vocal hooks in many years, made all the better by Peart's lyrics, which continue to reflect his own personal spiritual journey: "One day I feel I'm ahead of the wheel / And the next it's rolling over me / I can get back on."
There's a spaciousness to Lifeson's chords and accents during "Armor and Sword" that we haven't heard since the days of Power Windows and Hold Your Fire, as he provides layer upon layer of clean chords, chiming picked notes, acoustic guitar, and tastefully-mixed distortion, highlighted by the wonky intro riff that hints at late '70s Zeppelin, and his screaming, discordant solo. Acoustic guitar dominates "Workin' Them Angels", but it's Peart's lonesome traveler lyrics (continuing where "Ghost Rider" left off on the last album) that lead the way, sung by Lee in a superb vocal turn. "The Larger Bowl" sounds downright relaxed, a masterful display of dynamics and discipline, restrained enough to keep those heavy chords from overwhelming the song, yet not above letting Lifeson shred away on one of his finest solos on the record. Lee, meanwhile, dominates the ominous "Spindrift", thanks to his most assertive singing on the album, while providing a murky bassline that makes Lifeson's mellifluous notes sound all the more foreboding. Meanwhile, Lifeson channels Stevie Ray Vaughan on the politically charged "The Way the Wind Blows", and then gets all jazzy on us during his solos on "Bravest Face".
Of the three instrumentals, two are especially noteworthy (not to discount Lifeson's acoustic interlude "Hope"), showcasing the trio's renowned chemistry. "Malignant Narcissism" cranks up the funk, anchored by Lee's muscular bassline, while "The Main Monkey Business" is old school Rush mixed with a Middle Eastern element, Lee contributing both mellotron and subtle vocal harmonies, Lifeson balancing acoustic and electric guitar. For all the attention his massive drumkit gets, Peart has become even more restrained as the years have gone on, often exhibiting his usual technical flair, but at the same time laying down one of the most consistently air-tight backbeats you'll ever here. Here, though, he's clearly enjoying tossing different elements into the mix, from elaborate tom fills, African-inspired polyrhythms, jazz-influenced breaks, and even a very cool flange effect on hi-hat.
"Hold On" brings Snakes & Arrows to a conclusion that wavers between rousing and philosophical, the band's propulsive performance grounded by Peart's expressions of optimism in the face of adversity ("We could be down and gone / But we hold on"). Lifeson's the star of this album, though, so it's fitting that he leads the way as the album closes, unleashing serpentine guitar squeals over the taut rhythm section, climaxing with his most manic solo on what is, in the end, an immensely satisfying return for all three musicians. It's enough of a marvel that Rush has managed to remain intact for 33 years now, but the fact that they've done so while retaining their musical vitality and integrity is an even mightier achievement.
Rating: 8 out of 10
Originally published on PopMatters.com on 05.09.07.
Rush's CD complex but languid
By Robert Johnson
After coming back from the dead with "Vapor Trails" in 2002, Rush earned the right to bask in the limelight for a bit.
And bask they did. The next few years found the Canadian trio taking multiple bows, including a greatest-hits compilation and a live CD and DVD (all in 2003); an album of covers ("Feedback") in 2004; and a 30th anniversary tour that produced "R30," a double CD/DVD set, in 2005. As a result, Rush, which used to produce new studio albums every year or two, waited five years to put out "Snakes & Arrows" (Atlantic).
The band's 18th studio album is a densely layered, painstakingly crafted work that sounds like it took the whole five years to assemble. The 13 cuts, which include three instrumentals, are piled high with Alex Lifeson's guitars - so high, bassist/singer Geddy Lee at times can barely be heard.
The complex arrangements caress and underscore another set of drummer Neil Peart's mystical/spiritual/apocalyptic lyrics. But the artistry doesn't translate into much excitement; the songs are too much alike and run together. An occasional jagged riff threatens to break through the smooth surfaces, but it quickly fades away. Is it too much to ask a rock 'n' roll band to play with some energy?
Originally published in the San Antonio Express-News, San Antonio, TX on 05.08.07.
LiveDaily.com Review: Snakes & Arrows
by John Voket
Nurturing and constant prodding from youngish producer Nick Raskulinecz (Foo Fighters, Velvet Revolver), an admitted life-long Rush (music) fan, apparently inspired a breakthrough project for this progressive rock outfit which, has seen its share of tragedies--and even a near breakup--in recent years.
While the period since drummer/lyricist Neil Peart lost his wife to cancer and 19-year-old daughter to a car wreck yielded two stellar live projects, "R30" and the CD/DVD "Rush in Rio," as well as a successful tour, it was justifiably a period void of top-form songwriting.
But those days are over. Peart has since remarried, and produced four cathartic books, two chronicling his travels and travails across North America by motorcycle. And together with fellow 50-somethings Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson, he has delivered one of the most exciting new musical projects from Rush since the band's "A Farewell to Kings" and "Hemispheres" days.
"Snakes & Arrows" combines some of Peart's most introspective, honest takes on spirituality and the ironies of organized faith, weaves them together with Lifeson's arsenal of power-guitar crunch, stinging leads and tasty bits of acoustic peppering, and leaves it up to Lee to articulate the visions vocally, all while holding it down with a hearty bottom end.
Even casual listeners may want to have lyrics in hand when they settle in to check out "Snakes & Arrows"--maybe even dragging out headphones for the pleasurable chore of enjoying the mix of words and music without distraction. The effort will certainly supply Rush fans with a holistic experience that has been too long in coming.
The CD is punctuated by three exceptional instrumental tracks: "The Main Monkey Business," "Malignant Narcissism" and the short but very sweet solo-acoustic tune, "Hope." Lyrically, the debut single, "Far Cry," alternates between leaps and lapses of faith, with a hammering beat and instrumental punch to help carry the number through to the last jangling chord.
"Good News First," conjures up shades of more recent Rush material, with an industrial drum line and the wash of acoustic-backed choruses begging the eternal question: "What happened to your old Benevolent universe?"
"Workin them Angels," is another catchy, straight-ahead rock number offering something of an apology for taking eternal good luck for granted. The hard-hitting "The Way the Wind Blows" offers harsh observations of world religion with Peart's flailing but tightly controlled drumming giving way to sentiments like: "From the Middle East to the Middle West, Pray and pass the ammunition."
If long-time fans have fallen from the fold as a result of lackluster output during the past decade, it's time to get religion again. "Snakes & Arrows" has all the musical ingredients that Rush devotees have been craving, and a lyrical bite signaling a new direction--a renaissance, if you will--for this tried and triumphant power trio from the Great White North.
Originally published on LiveDaily.com on 05.08.07.
Denver Post Review: Snakes & Arrows
By Keith Morse
Prerelease word on Rush's new CD was that it would be a "throwback." Some expected - or feared - a return to the sci-fi of "2112" or the philosophizing of "Permanent Waves."
"Snakes and Arrows" harkens back not to the ambition - or pretension - of those 1970s efforts but to 1989's and 1991's "Presto" and "Roll the Bones." Acoustic guitars provide the texture instead of keyboards. Neal Peart's lyrics are literate and probing, but the melodies often sound forced. Geddy Lee's voice stays in the lower register.
"Far Cry," the opening track and one of the strongest, serves notice that this is a guitar-driven album. Acoustic guitars dominate "The Larger Bowl," which would have sounded at home on "Presto" or "Bones."
Three instrumentals - "The Main Monkey Business," "Hope," and "Malignant Narcissism" - break up Peart's bleak lyrical landscape. "Hope," guitarist Alex Lifeson's acoustic showcase, is the album's most pleasant surprise.
Originally published in the Denver Post, Denver, CO on 05.07.07.
Austin American-Statesman Review: Snakes & Arrows
By Rob Palladino
Rush
'Snakes & Arrows'
(Atlantic/Anthem)
****
With co-producer Foo's/Stone Sour wunderkind Nick Raskulinescz, the Canadian trio has seemingly thrown in all the finest moments from its lengthy career into "Snakes & Arrows." The result could be the band's finest moment.
From thunderous opener "Far Cry," to lush, masterly rocker "Armor & Sword," and from the haunting guitar-play of "Bravest Face" to insane instrumental "The Main Monkey Business," "Snakes & Arrows" is a rare combination of well-written songs and warm, clear production.
As with any Rush album, drummer/lyricist Neil Peart has more than a passing influence on proceedings. Past albums have had lyrical themes and "Snakes & Arrows" is no exception, as Peart writes of his distaste for organized religion.
In the blues/folk tinged "The Way the Wind Blows" he observes: "From the Middle East to the Middle West/Pray and pass the ammunition." While on '70s Mellotron prog-fest "Faithless" he admits: "I've got my own moral compass to steer by" concluding "I don't have faith in faith/I don't believe in belief/You can call me faithless." It all comes across as a tad over-emotive lyrically, and feels like Peart is overreaching in an effort to make a point.
Despite this, "Snakes & Arrows" is an album of enormous musical muscle and song-writing creativity with a shimmering intimate subtlety.
Recommended tracks: 'Armor & Sword' and 'Bravest Face'
Originally published in The Austin American-Statesman, Austin, TX on 05.07.07.
Modern Guitars Review: Snakes & Arrows
By Brian D. Holland
Snakes & Arrows is the latest release from Canadian power trio Rush. Though it's their first studio release since 2002s Vapor Trails, the band hasn't been dormant by any means, especially in the DVD department. They released a covers EP-CD entitled Feedback in 2004, showing their ability to simply rock out in songs like Stephen Stills' "For What It's Worth", Jim McCarty's "Shapes Of Things", and others. Also, The Spirit Of Radio: Greatest Hits 1974 - 1987 was released on CD (with bonus DVD) in 2003. Rush In Rio, released on both CD and DVD format in 2003, was the definitive concert experience from the perspective of the band's extremely devoted South American fans. R30, their 30th Anniversary Tour DVD, was released shortly thereafter. Already an onslaught of Rush music for fans to grasp, the 4-disc Replay X 3 was released in 2006. With no shortage of recent live footage to go around, it's the perfect segue into a new album and another tour for 2007.
Snakes & Arrows is a marvelous indication of just how tight and together the band is currently. The music is fresh and exciting, and the sound is massively full. It overflows with strong melody and sonic punch. There's a lot of what fans expect, of course: the archetypal vocal sound, keyboard aptitude, and incredible bass lines of Geddy Lee; and Neil Peart's massive percussive clamor, along with that incredible knack for imaginative lyric composition. Billboard magazine noted that Peart's reflections on personal faith while journeying throughout North America via motorcycle inspired the lyrical content.
But the icing on the cake is Alex Lifeson's massive guitar sound, layered with potent crunch and amazing diversity in tone, lots of quality acoustic work as well. "The Larger Bowl" is exemplary, with its layered rhythm tracks, arpeggio acoustic arrangement, intense chops, and amazing soloing. You can listen to many of the tracks endlessly and still pick out fresh segments and sounds missed early on. The chosen single, "Far Cry", rocks out solidly and forcefully, as does most of the album. There are three instrumental tracks on the album as well, which is unusual for Rush. The band, as a whole, has definitely evolved over the years, and they're not to be taken lightly. Though the album sits easily on a level with the most intricate works of King Crimson, Yes, and Dream Theater, it's incredible that three people can sound so massive.
Snakes & Arrows is a colossal journey and an epic saga, leaving no doubt that the live Rush shows of 2007 will be nothing less than amazing.
Originally published by Modern Guitars Magazine on 05.07.07.
Spirit of Rush reborn
Fresh, back-to-basics approach breathes new life into band
By Jane Stevenson
Veteran Toronto prog-rock band Rush is going through a major renaissance right now.
Together for 33 years, singer-bassist Geddy Lee, guitarist Alex Lifeson and drummer-lyricist Neil Peart are enjoying their most successful single in a decade, Far Cry, from the band's just-released studio album, Snakes & Arrows.
Meanwhile, ticket sales for the accompanying tour, which kicks off June 13 in Atlanta and hits Canada for a slew of dates in July and September, are up 35% from the last time Rush hit the road in 2004.
Lee said there were two key ingredients in making Rush sound fresh again: Recording the 2004 EP of '60s covers, Feedback, and recruiting Grammy-winning co-producer Nick Raskulinecz (Foo Fighters, Velvet Underground) for Snakes & Arrows, which was recorded in the Catskills and mixed in L.A., where Peart has lived for the past six years.
"It felt fresh," said Lee, relaxing in a back room recently at Rush's management offices in Toronto.
"A couple of things happened. The way we recorded Feedback was so basic and so back to roots, you know the three of us just in a studio playing together, that made us realize how much more exciting recording should be, rather than computerizing the whole thing and belabouring it. And also, playing those songs from that period was a great way of reminding us about certain truths that existed about writing rock songs back then, that shouldn't have changed. But in our own way we got very dense about our songwriting, and that was a way of bringing us out of ourselves a little bit more and reminding us about some of the fundamentals that go into writing a great rock song."
WILLING
Secondly, as you might imagine, when the trio, which has sold 35 million albums worldwide, sets out to make a studio album -- the most-recent being Vapor Trails in 2002 -- there are many willing participants. Lee said finding the right one is key.
"We were talking to a number of producers and they were all very accomplished but we remained unsure. And then (Nick's) name was put forth, so we asked for a reel to be sent to us, and his reel was really good. It was well recorded. All the songs were well-written songs and really well-arranged songs, which is a rarity. You'd be surprised how many producer's reels have bad songs on them and let me tell ya, if you hear a bad song on a producer's reel, it's not a good sign."
Raskulinecz was then summoned to Lee's house in Toronto for a first meeting.
"Alex and I were working at my house at that time and we just sat down with him and within an hour we were totally enamoured with him," said Lee. "And we played him a couple of songs and he really responded and made some insightful comments right off the bat and we just had a feeling that this was a good thing to be around."
Raskulinecz then went to meet Peart in L.A., and the drummer, whose lyrical explorations of religion and war on Snakes & Arrows was partially inspired by his motorcycle trips across America's Bible Belt, came away with the same good feeling.
It was only when they got Raskulinecz into Allaire Studios that they realized what a big Rush fan he really was.
"He was a very stealth fan, I didn't really know he was that big a fan when we met him," said Lee. "He kept it quiet. He was very professional. And slowly as we got working together, it started to seep out. And the engineer we worked with Canadian Rich Chickie, also knew a lot more about our music than he initially led me to believe. So throughout the making of the record there was this little relationship they were having, little obscurities, like certain lyrics would be quoted out of the blue, and they'd be riffing on our songs from the past that I couldn't even remember. And I'm going, 'What's that from?' And they'd go, 'That's from one your songs, dude!' You couldn't help but smile because they very sweet."
As for Peart, who lost his wife to cancer and 19-year-old daughter in a car accident in a 10-month period in the late '90s, Lee said it was good to see him laugh again in the recording studio.
"He's doing great," said Lee of Peart. "I mean, what he's gone through in his personal life, I don't think it's something that ever really heals, but you move on. I think having the environment we had in this studio session and working with Nick and Rich, just created the most pleasurable recording experience in many, many, many years. And I think that showed us all, and particularly (Neil), how much fun it is to make a record. To be in a rock band. There are many, many aspects of what we do that are work, job-like, and there's a lot of pressure involved in it.
"(But) the appeal that rock music had to us as kids, it made us want to do this. And it's important to remember that because your music needs it to really be 'rock.' There's got to be fun in it. There's got to be that spirit. It was great to see everybody in that headspace again."
Originally published in the Toronto Sun, Toronto, ON on 05.06.07.
Practice makes perfect
By Jane Stevenson
When Rush launches its first tour since 2004 on June 13 in Atlanta, the band will be ready.
The veteran prog-rock trio from Toronto is as meticulous about gearing up for the road as it is about making albums -- in this case the just-released Snakes & Arrows.
"This time we're rehearsing in Toronto," Rush singer-bassist Geddy Lee told Sun Media recently.
"Rehearsal kind of takes three different stages. We do a couple of weeks of rehearsing on our own so that we can know all our notes and get them all in right order. Then we do four weeks of rehearsal as a band in a small hall. That's where we fine-tune the music. Then we spend two weeks in an arena with the full production while everybody tweaks the audio-visual. At the end of that, the show's ready for public consumption."
Adding to Lee's already hectic work schedule is the June wedding of his 26-year-old son, Julian, a mere four days before Rush hits the road.
"I have to be around," said Lee of why the band eventually will be rehearsing at a Toronto arena. "We're cutting it close."
As for whether Lee will be bringing new appliances on this trek -- for their 30th anniversary road trip he had both clothes dryers and vending machines on stage -- he's definitely mulling over his options.
"That's a hard decision," he said. "Listen, if a guitar player can have a bank of amps that he doesn't really need, I can have a bank of things that I don't really need. It's a comment. People ask and you always have fun with it, 'Well, you know, we want that warm, dry sound.' I don't think I'm bringing dryers on this trip. I have a few ideas I'm working on right now."
Originally published in the Edmonton Sun, Edmonton, AB on 05.06.07.
Round Table Review: Snakes & Arrows
Louis Koot's Review
To come straight to the point: I was initially disappointed with the new Rush album. I was having high expectations partly due to the little appetizer that was on the Rush website for a while. The preview played the little intro part of Rush's new single Far Cry. This sound byte kind of reminded me of the old-school Rush (at times of Hemispheres) with powerful chord staccato and symphonic undertone. But just like in the song Far Cry, the album takes a left turn and ends up being different from what I expected (and hoped for). The single changes after the intro part in a rather simplistic guitar riff making it a modern sounding back to basics approach. The single is a great song though, with some fine guitar sound effects and the neat pattern of the bass beneath it. It's a good choice for a single because of the accessible chorus. Definitely a song you get to appreciate further after hearing it more often.
I had to think of Geddy Lee's solo album My Favourite Headache when I heard this song for the first time. Mainly the way the vocals sound made me link it to that album. I have the feeling Geddy Lee's vocals are somewhat modulated by effects making them sound this way perhaps to create a modern and a bit melancholic sound. But I rather prefer the straight-in-your-face high vocals from the older days. My Favourite Headache is a decent enough album but here I find some tunes that took me a while to convince or left me unaffected altogether (Spindrift for example). My main point of criticism is that some of the songs are in the same pace and don't sparkle enough. At first it sounds all a bit too mellow. I would have welcomed more fire and more instrumental wizardry. I wasn't happy with Vapor Trials with its odd production that left much to be desired. So I have to go back to Counterparts or half of Test For Echo for the Rush that fascinates me the most.
Anyway when I set aside this criticism I find this album slowly unravels a lot of great moments and gets me more enthusiastic. Like when Rush does fire things up the result is overwhelming as shown in the instrumental The Main Monkey Business which is right now the highlight of this album for me. The main guitar theme throughout this song is magnificent and gets repeated in various forms. A perfect symbiosis between the heavy and the melodic! This instrumental will make a killer track in the live setting so I hope it will be included on the set list of the upcoming tour. And what a joy to hear Neil Peart's drum acrobatics thrive spectacularly! Also instrumental Malignant Narcissism spices things up to my delight with frantic bass and full- blown power chords. The guitar effects in this song are very tasteful. Unfortunately the track ends abruptly way too soon. The third instrumental Hope is a short acoustic ditty by Alex Lifeson.
The acoustic guitar has found a prominent place in some of the songs on Snakes & Arrows to my content. Like there is The Larger Bowl. This is a relaxing tune with some very meaningful lyrics. But of course we are accustomed to some significant lyrical meandering from Neil Peart. The same goes for the well-built Bravest Face. The lyrical contradictions that are used here remind me of Rush's song Resist. Intriguing substance! And there is a groovy little bluesy guitar solo in this song. Luckily there are some enthralling guitar solos here and there on this album that show Alex Lifeson was having fun. This fun is shown through by the other musicians as well but mostly in the before mentioned instrumental tracks. This lifts up the spirit of this album and would have been a good thing for more of the songs. More blues we find at the start of The Way The Wind Blows. Outstanding stuff! The rough guitar riffs in the verses contrasts nicely with the laidback chorus. We won't be surprised anymore at Rush experimenting with different musical styles so a little bit of blues is welcome as well. As the album proceeds I think the songs get stronger with more appealing and heavy instrumental parts. Good News First has a neat clean guitar lick alternating with heavy chords and the same mellow chorus we find in most of the songs. We Hold One concludes the album with some very sleazy guitar work. More of this please!
I always liked the smart way in which Rush interacted the guitar with the keyboards. So I might be inclined to miss something on this album. Well I don't. Even though the synths are missing, the organic and bold approach on Snakes & Arrows finds it's way rightly. Especially the exploratory mixture in Alex Lifeson's playing and the use of different guitar sounds gives enough variety and dynamics. And the album shows its strength as a grower. In conclusion I can say Snakes & Arrows ends up being a great album despite the initial disappointment I had.
Martien Koolen's Review
I became a Rush fan back in 1975 after the release of Fly By Night and especially Caress Of Steel and now 32 years later the best Canadian art rock trio ever bring out their 18th studio album called Snakes & Arrows. And for those of you who would like to read an objective review of this new masterpiece I would advise you to read other reviews as well, because Snakes & Arrows is already my best album of the year 2007. After five very long years without a new Rush album, this year finally I could look forward to a new album of my all time favourite band.
Snakes & Arrows is a concept album dealing with religion and the lyrics of Neal Peart on this CD probably belong to the best he has ever written, just check out the lyrics in a song like Armor And Sword and you will see and hear why. The album features three instrumentals of which The Main Monkey Business is one of the best and most original instrumentals I have ever heard. It is eve