James_G

Geddy's enunciation is very good. I know a little about singing technique, and so I notice small things he does that are technically excellent. For example, he really articulates the "-v" sound when he sings "I never got my fair share of, My fair share of..." in the Anarchist. If anything, his vocals are more understandable than they used to be (e.g. parts of 2112 are almost impossible to decipher without the lyrics sheet). Even in "Seven Cities", all of this esses ("country like this) are perfectly enunciated. Geddy also has a technically great vibrato which he uses in the long notes here and elsewhere. The indecipherable lyrics in Seven Cities are that way partly because the vocals aren't too prominent in the mix and slightly obscured by flange effects, and partly because Geddy is singing at the top of his range, so the word sounds are a little stretched to meet the needs of his strained vocal cords (in the extreme, he occasionally uses falsetto or "yodels"). In other words, Geddy is a much better singer nowadays than he used to be, and more technically accomplished than most rock vocalists - but the natural decrease in his range means that his higher vocal lines are slightly less decipherable than they once were.

These pictures are incredible, OP. You should contact Rush and see if you can get them included in something - the stage show, maybe. Seriously, these are better than the official album art! BTW, I suspect that Neil's lyrics for Clockwork Angels might have been inspired partially by the famous Prague Astronomical Clock. This is "high above the city square", it has an astrolabe on it, and once every hour a procession of clockwork Apostles (not angels) show themselves above the astrolabe. Often, a crowd of tourists will be there gazing up at the clockwork figures when the clock strikes, although if their hands are raised it would be in order to take a picture and not "as if to fly"!

The best 3 songs from Victor and MFH are: 1. Promise 2. My Favorite Headache 3. Home On The Strange in that order (imo).

When Snakes and Arrows came out, I listened to it through a couple of times. Far Cry - not bad. Working Them Angels - pretty good. Main Monkey Business - cool. Good News First - ehh. Bravest Face - hmmmm. We Hold On - are my ears deceiving me, or did I hear this song randomly skip a semiquaver??? When Clockwork Angels came out: Clockwork Angels - holy sheet this is good. The Anarchist - O - M - G. Carnies - damn. Seven Cities of Gold - wow. The Garden - OK, this is a ridiculously good album. Totally different impressions for me. In fact, Clockwork Angels is so good that I now think less of every other Rush album since Power Windows, because I hold them to a higher standard. (Not that I have anything against S&A and its fans, mind you.)

Great video. This illustrates the profound influence of Nick R in bringing the best out of Rush. The marriage of Geddy, Alex and Neil's musical ideas with Nick R's energy and focus seems to be what made Clockwork Angels as good as it is.

QUOTE (DistantEarlyRushFan @ Jun 5 2012, 03:29 PM)I completely disagree with the Spindrift example. It is an atmospheric stand out track on S&A, IMO. Well, I was trying to emphasise how good the new piece is more than be negative about other music for the sake of it. Spindrift does have some good aspects, but the rhythmic problems spoil it for me. I'm glad other people like it though!

(Retracted)

QUOTE (ThinkingBig)I hear the music, and I know that I'm listening to a very polished composition that has built upon earlier efforts, but you fleshed out the specifics so well. Thanks.

QUOTE I would definite like to hear a representation of the album -- especially if they play it in two-song blocks. e.g. Caravan / BU2B in the first set. Clockwork Angels The Anarchist Seven Cities The Wreckers The Garden For some reason, I'd really like to hear The Anarchist and The Weapon back-to-back. I feel like they belong together. Someone (likeclockwork?) said that The Anarchist could easily have been a song on Signals, and I can totally imagine that too. The Garden is a special song; I can see that being the concluding song of the second set before a more upbeat encore.

Random observations: The way Geddy sings "as if to fly" at the end of the title track is quite amusing. The fairground music at the start of Carnies is part of The Liberty Bell, a march by Sousa. This march was also used as the theme tune of Monty Python's Flying Circus.

Thanks to the guy who provided the link for this album (obligatory note: of course I'm paying for the CD too!). My overall impression: it's vastly better than the last three albums, and furthermore unlike every other Rush album since Power Windows, there are no genuinely poor, half-hearted songs on Clockwork Angels. There is no tail end of mediocrity, no shortage of ideas and energy, no...Dog Years. It's debatable whether the stronger songs on the new album are better than (or in particular, as well-formed as) the best songs from other albums in this period: Mission, The Pass, Ghost Rider et cetera. Debatable...after a few listens, I would say that The Anarchist, Clockwork Angels and The Garden in particular are strong candidates for best Rush song since Power Windows. The album is very dense with ideas and rhythms (this is why some of the samples gave a poor impression of the music - most of these songs are based at heart around sustained rhythmic motion). If anything is lacking over the album as a whole, it's the careful arrangement of these ideas into elegantly formed songs ("The Garden" being a notable exception) but the music is all there. The character of thrusting energy exhibited by several of the songs on Clockwork Angels is similar to that of songs like "Ceiling Unlimited" from Vapor Trails, only the musical ideas, chord progressions, vocal melodies, hooks etc. herein are much better. Note that most of the songs take multiple listens to absorb fully - it's also well worth listening to this superbly-produced album with headphones. Track-by-track: Caravan: This is very slightly improved, with some added phaser effects being the most significant change. BU2B: The new introduction is a little tacked-on but makes the start of the piece less jarring - another slight improvement to an already good song. Clockwork Angels: I'm really surprised that some people don't like this one, because it's the proggiest cut and a highlight of the album. The verse sections feature a bass rhythm and sustained chords reminiscent of the bridge from Digital Man, and these are interchanged with driving riffs a la Double Agent. Something that stands out in this piece and others on Clockwork Angels is that Alex's solo is actually given space and prominence within the structure of the song, rather than being perfunctory and stuffed in the background. This is a complicated song with a lot of different sections, but it's no different to (say) Natural Science in that respect; there's a current of energy running through it that holds it together. The Anarchist: Neil's switches between a loose African drumming style and his usual rock style to great effect in this cut. Again, there's a lot of different ideas in this song apart from the opening riff; in particular, there's a recurring motif that sounds just like something from Permanent Waves or Moving Pictures, and it's undergirded by a warm analogue-sounding synth wash to boot. It reminds me in particular of Jacob's Ladder. Really melodic vocal lines with flowing lyrics, and some Eastern-sounding strings woven in effectively. A guitar solo towards the end of The Anarchist is reminiscent of both Rainbow's The Gates of Babylon and Tool's Third Eye. This is a brilliant song, particularly on repeat listening. Carnies: The fifth whiplash-inducing song in a row. The bass joins in with that awesome guitar riff, only to make way for an evocative, exotic rising motif. The verses feature a chord progression reminiscent of Max Webster's Night Flights with a guitar figure similar to the bridge from The Trees. Really creative bass playing, too. There's some of that power-chord jamming from Secret Touch, Earthshine etc., but it's a lot cleaner-sounding and more balanced here - and it works better over Neil's new African drumming patterns. Halo Effect: In short, the verses are similar to Nobody's Hero, and the choruses are almost a direct lift from the verses of Half the World. In common with Half the World, this piece also features a mandolin section. Despite it being a little self-derivative, the album benefits from the inclusion of a slower song at this point, and the production of the strings and acoustic guitar is excellent. Seven Cities of Gold: Primus-style bass theatrics from Geddy at the start. This builds to a snaking, Zeppelinesque riff shared by Geddy and Alex that winds its way and surfaces repeatedly throughout the song. Another catchy chorus, and at some point Alex gets to scream and solo over the crazy bass lines from the intro. Parts of this have a classic rock feel, there's red hot jamming and also a few characteristically modern Rush elements present. The Wreckers: The intro, which is reiterated later in the song, is pure mid-90s alt-rock; however, the heart of The Wreckers is in the contemplative strummed chord progression of the verses, and even more so in its haunting, melodic chorus. The song, which also features an ominous Pink Floydian bridge, seems like a much more successful realisation of what Rush were aiming for with songs like Spindrift, Faithless and Bravest Faith. Headlong Flight: Still good. BU2B2: This seems to be a nod to the soliloquy section of 2112 - with a more optimistic outcome. It also adds a little credence to Clockwork Angels's status as a "concept album". The pulsating string rhythm is unsettling in a similar way to the outro of I am the Walrus, and ominous synth noises rumble in sonic space below the string ensemble. It's more or less a purely rhythmic track of an atmospheric nature. Wish Them Well: This is a deliberately straightforward anthemic rock song, alternating between strident major chords and a rising figure mildly reminiscent of The Pass. The bridge section bears a passing resemblance to the verses of Grand Designs. Despite it being a generally simple piece, a brief jam session breaks out in the middle of Wish Them Well to provide Alex with an opportunity to solo. It's a little clumsy perhaps, but this piece has an infectious, high-spirited and bold simplicity that makes it a worthwhile addition to the album. The Garden: Dolorous bass harmonics backed by fluttering strings introduce the album's concluding song. The acoustic verses are wistful, with a harsh edge imparted by the string ensemble; the chorus is abruptly melancholy. Geddy's voice conveys the meaning of the song beautifully, particularly when duetting with a piano in the fragile bridge. Alex produces a well-measured solo. The overcast but hopeful tone harks back to Different Strings, but the pain is much darker - "the hours tick away, the cells tick away", if I hear that correctly, is a particularly sad line. This is the fitting conclusion to a late classic album from Rush.

The problem with these sample clips is that they're very short and taken from the middle of the tracks - that simply doesn't flatter music good or bad. Samples excerpting the first 30 seconds of each song are better because that's the music one is supposed to hear first. Furthermore, in spite of any ho-hum samples I expect this album to be a winner on the basis that the 3 songs I've heard in full are all very good, and if they are representative of the album's average quality (as seems to be the opinion of those who've heard Clockwork Angels in its entirety) then it will inevitably be a far better album than Snakes and Arrows, and perhaps their best since Hold Your Fire.

Caravan - Very similar to the original, maybe Neil's cymbal has been brought out a little. BU2B - Geddy sounds like a muezzin singing the blues. Clockwork Angels - Geddy still finishing the adhaan. Some kinda Fripp/Eno soundscape, then Alex kicks in with the rhythm from Knights of Cydonia. The Anarchist - Neil's new loose African drumming style...chord progression reminiscent of Fear of a Blank Planet (the song)...OK Neil's had enough of that...nice crisp and distinguishable instrument sounds, definitely an improvement on the wall of sludge from the last couple of albums. Carnies - For the Benefit of Mr. Kite covered by Brian Eno...holy crap that's a riff. Halo Effect - More Eno sounds, acoustic riff reminiscent of Nobody's Hero. Seven Cities of Gold - Bass riff like My Favourite Headache crossed with MalNar crossed with Primus's Hamburger Train. Overlayed with Alex's whale noises from By-Tor and the Snowdog. The Wreckers - Alt-rock sound. Kinda like early Radiohead (e.g. Stop Whispering). Would never have guessed it was Rush (Geddy's voice aside). Headlong Flight - Good as ever. BU2B2 - Edgy...string rhythm from the end of I am the Walrus? Wish Them Well - Half-speed "I set a course just East of Lyra..." + "All of us get lost in the darkness...". Seems to work well anyway! The Garden - That's a really dolorous riff on the bass harmonics. Overall impression: I can't wait to hear the album in full! It may be a little early to jump to this conclusion but I get the sense that these songs are darker than the usual Rush, and that may reflect the influence of Nick Raskulinecz who seems to have become almost the fourth band member. Either way, as far as I can tell this seems much better than S&A, and possibly Rush's best work in a long time.

"the Willy Wonkas of prog metal"

"Plenty of people will kill you, For some fun and a good cause" ahem. "Look around this world we've made, The quality of stock exchange, Come and join the Brotherhood of Man" ...kinda subverts the meaning of the song in hindsight