The Owl

Why we are all still in the thralls of the new music I have seen little mention of the art direction this album had, and while the main album cover is just "alright" I do have to say that throughout the booklet that the art direction and work put forward by Hugh Syme is in my opinion his best work on a Rush album to date.... I loved the art on this album, absolutly fantastic. The artwork complemented the album and story very well.... P.S I want to find a high resolution photo of the image of the pedler walking through the forest.... I want that as my desktop background

Yeah, I had the same question about the "Clockwork Angels" as well as the watchmaker.... they both had little to do with the story other than being things in which the protagonist has contempt for..... they seemed to have little importance as the album goes but maybe the novel will flesh that out moreso

I just finished my second listen of Clockwork Angels this time following along with the 2112-esk in between songs plot points, and the lyrics... and I must say that I love the concept... It was very Forrest Gump-esk in a way, or at least the way I saw it... The protagonist reflecting on various life experiences he had had (albiet in a very different setting), as opposed to a front to back story... While musically not my favorite, "Wish them Well" is an amazing song lyrically, and very accessible outside the confines of the album's story.. You can hold grudges, people can dick you over, hurt you...etc, that there's no point on lingering on and dwelling on those people.. in other words "all you can do is wish them well" or as I like to put it "f**k 'Em"...lol I do have a couple of questions about the plot (weird speaking of that in regards to a Rush album)... - What was the Anarchist's beef with the rest of the city, and what was the "Clockwork Detonator" , and why when he tossed it to the protagonist did the whole community turn against him forcing him to flee... (was it Weapon? a Bomb?) - The relationship with the woman he (and lost) described in "Halo Effect" was that before or after he left the city? And why did she shun him? (Being caught with the Clockwork Detonator? ) - Why did Neil keep the protagonist alive this time around....LOL Great Album, Great concept... I am really looking forward to the novelization

there is alot to absorb here, multiple listens is required

Nice to see it that way, for now... Yeah some over at that site can be as you said "elitist", but damn if it's not a good resource guide.

Yeah, I dont want to read too much into the whole "we got the next 2 years planned out" comment as (as previously mentioned) the tour would be just ending after only a year from now...... And while ill concede that additional tour dates/ a second leg of the tour is the most likely scenerio for that second year, I done deny that I hope Neil is implicating "something else entirely" here....enticed, I am!

QUOTE (Dscrapre @ Jun 12 2012, 12:41 AM) Good review but you should probably do a little bit of proofreading. Yeah, I know I need to proofread, but as I stated earlier, I am writing these as I listen to the album, and doing what I can with a somewhat divided attention. Thanks for the feedback though.

I listened to the leak, but I eagerly await cranking this tomorrow, on a good system... OH HELL YEAH

And one day before Clockwork Angels, is when I reach the penultimate review of this thread.... http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/c/c5/Snakesandarrows.jpg/220px-Snakesandarrows.jpg Snakes & Arrows 2007 - Track #1: Far Cry What a powerful kickoff to a great song and ultimately a mostly great album... the power and intensity of the opening unison and into the riff makes a Rush fan very happy. The song maintains the intensity throughout the album culminating into a fantastic finish...honestly one of the best opening tracks Rush has put forward, and a great set of lyrics dosen't hurt either. - Track #2: Armor & Sword We continue on towards another great track, I am gonna refrain from discussing the polarizing lyrics (from this song and the rest) in great deatil, until my final review section, but I will suffice to say that I really love them here. Musically the intensity dies down a bit, but builds and dips very well through the track. Satisfying the main problem with Vapor Trails, non redundant music... I love the dropped guitar mixed with the acoustic, wonderfully crafted, wonderfully written... while not my favorite of the album, I will say that this is the best track on the record... - Track #3: Workin' Them Angels This track keeps up the momentum slightly as with the previous 2 tracks, but does not carry the umph that Far Cry, and A&S had. Not a bad thing exactly, and kind of works in the albums favor.. I like that the guitar is brought back up and makes this feel a bit lighter than the previous track, and is very fitting with the lyrics. What really excels in this track is a great mixture of sounds and instrumentation in the track... The (I thinks is's a ) mandolin solo exemplifies this, and it's good to be able to see Alex branch out a bit in his selection of instruments as well, a very good song... not as good as the opening 2 tracks, but a track that keeps the album moving - Track #4: The Larger Bowl This track is a bit odd, very different from what we've seen the boys do, and it was a gamble to put a song like this on the album, and I know some don't like this track, but I do, for the most part. The lyrical arrangement a pantoum is utilized well. Geddy's "WOOAAAAs" in this song are not the best, and the song can get slightly repetitive. Both musically and lyrically (given the song style, it's hard to avoid)... but is made up with a great solo. Overall a very decent song, far from a classic, but pretty good nonetheless. - Track #5: Spindrift A very eerie song, reminiscent of "Witch Hunt" at the start gives the album a slight breath of air and exhale before going right back into some intensity. I love the tone of this track, keeping in that deep and ominous vibe that started the song, very complementary of the lyrics, accentuated as well as by Alex's sometimes haunting guitar. However Geddy's performance so far on this album has been fantastic, but I am not the biggest fan of the vocal arrangement on this piece, but is a very small gripe and does not take away from my enjoyment of this song too much. Another great track overall.. - Track #6: The Main Monkey Business It's been a long while since we've had an instrumental of this caliber. The instrumentals during the 90s and early 2000s, ranged from decent/likable to good, but nothing I would call utterly fantastic. TMMB finally reaches that in which I expect a Rush instrumental to be. This track, ever shifting, rich and layered, and expertly played by all involved is what I've been waiting to hear for a while. It's not YYZ, nor La Villa, but is worthy of mentioning in the same sentence... great job boys.. - Track #7: The Way the Wind Blows Gonna lay this all out right here, this has been since this album was released my favorite track on the record. This song screams emotion, from Alex's power chords at the beginning, to the lyrics, fantastic builds, and satisfying chorus...etc "Breathtaking" would be an apt word. The instrumentation and use of and when to use certain instruments is fantastically utilized. A personal high point for the album comes when the song goes quiet suddenly towards the end when the line "Like a solitary pine, on a bare and weathered shore....." and escalates into pure musical bliss and a fantastic conclusion. - Track #8: Hope Its a tribute to Alex's ability to convey so many emotions into a 2 minute acoustic solo, but WOW.... This short instrumental does what many cannot over the course of an entire album. The only bad thing to say about this track is that it could have been a bit longer... Blown away.. - Track #9: Faithless It's hard to discuss this song without going directly to the lyrics, and again I intend to save lyric discussion until the end, but once again, I on a personal level really love this song on a lyrically. Musically the song is good, but not the best of the album, and of all the tracks is the most straightforward. There is great acoustic and electric work done, as well as a great solo, but I find other than the instrumental break that the bass is lost in the mix for most of the track... but still overall a good track, IMO - Track #10: Bravest Face We finally get to a track that I am somewhat hesitant towards. It's not too bad but I would defiantly would consider it somewhat mediocre.. Not a bad song, but on all levels lyrically, and musically does not do to much for me. The lyrics and vocal structure are somewhat quirky, and the bluesy rock vibe does not complement them much either. It certainty is not bad, but considering how this album has been playing, it falls short of those standards, but I admit if this had been on an earlier album it would have fair better.. - Track #11: Good News First We reach my least favorite album on the track. And as with the previous track I could repeat alot of the same things I said of it. This song, once again not bad, but very mediocre, just never did it.. I don't like the vocal structure during the verses, the dragging sound of the singing kills the song.. though the bridge is very good. Musically the song is a tad better than the previous, but is slightly more repetitive... overall the song just never struck that rememberable notion that the other songs have... some might differ, but that's me -Track #12: Malignant Narcissism GO, GEDDY GO.. wow talk about tearing it up... this song is for the most part for Geddy that "Hope" was for Alex... just a showcase... not a bad thing in any sense, and while it features the entire band this time around, and some excellent playing by both Alex and Neil, does not overshadow what is paramount here and that is Geddys superior bass chops... great job Dirk - Track #13: We Hold On We get ready to close out this album with a fairly decent album closer. Musically it regains the power from the first half of the album, and with an inspirational lyrical message. It's not as some other album closers in Rush's catalogue, but betters than others as well. While far from my favorite, and not the most memorable track, does work well here... A pretty good closer to for the most part a fantastic album... ---------------------------------Overall Thoughts/Final Review----------------------------- Wooo, what a ride we get to the final review of this thread (more on this point a bit later)...and what a way to end it.. I love Snakes and Arrows.. It fixes almost all the problems I had with Vapor Trails, and excels into areas Rush has not achieved in over a decade and a half. Musically this album is very fantastic for the most part. Each song musically has it's own identity, there is great musical diversity in both the instrument selection and arrangement. This allows each member is allowed shine at different moments on the record, each one giving their own fantastic performance both at individual times both alone and together as a band.. The latter 3rd of the album however could have been better.. Alot of the intensity in both the playing and arrangement seemed to have been spent in the first part of the album, leading to a somewhat lackluster last 3rd when compared to the earlier tracks.. This album clocking in at over an hour really shows it's length during these moments and is to be said could have been done without.. parts during the end of the album, while they do have moments that are good, could somewhat be considered filler to extend album length.. And Finally the elephant in the room (there seems to be one of these at least on every album, did a pack escape from a zoo?), and that is the polarizing lyrical direction of this album, some of you absolutely hate this album because of it, and some hate it... I personally am of the former group of people. And while alot of the album, such as with songs like "Armor and Sword", "Spindrift", and "The Way the Wind blows" are certainty critical of religious matters, and it's effects in politics...etc there is, I feel a positive slant towards Neil's message as well.. On a personal level this album came out at the right time for me as I was dealing with my own reflections on faith at the time of this album's release as well... and I do feel a connection with this album that I, on my own personal level love, and I think alot can say the same... And while the lyrics might not suit your fancy, I do not think they could be considered "bad" lyrics..... Anyhoo, for the final album review of this thread (I will talk about my plans for Clockwork Angels tomorrow), I award "Snakes and Arrows 89/100

QUOTE (GeminiRising79 @ Jun 9 2012, 05:23 PM) Just an awful album. Another wasted effort/opportunity, imo. It would be too painful and arduous to dissect each song for critical review, so I'll stop here.

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/537757_2201715258701_1996544836_n.jpg Dream Theater in Austin on July 7 Maiden in Houston on Aug 18 Rush in San Antonio Nov, 30 plus I got to see Roger Waters a month ago.. I believe that entitles me to a "Win" if I do believe..

Finally Listened to this beast....very impressed, like it more after 1 listen than I did with Snakes and Arrows after 1 listen, I am not gonna mention any favorites right now, can't do that just yet.. - No Filler, For the first time in a long time, Rush I feel makes the most out of every minute of music, I don't feel as if any of this album could be considered filler, Even after 1 listen of S&A I felt alot of the second half of that album was not quite as good as the first half... CA was pretty solid from front to back..just a few points of note - The Title track: I loved this, but as noted by others, It is a heafty song, and will take more than one listen to fully digest.. -The Wreckers.... good job for all of you pointing this out, easily one of the best...we'll see how my impressions change after a few more spins... - Seven Cities of Gold: Probably my least favorite after my initial listen, but the instrumental break, and the ending did kick some major amounts of ass. - Halo Effect: I really enjoyed this song.. very nice breath of air after some intense listening, very melancholy and enjoyable... dont understand why this seems to be at the bottom of people's lists. - Wish them Well: Liked this as well, not a favorite, but very appropriate for the penultimate piece.

I know it's almost irrelevant to alot here, but I still like to see the boys get recgonition.....so.... I wonder that if Snakes and Arrows came in at number 3 on the billboard 200 at it's debut, I wonder how will it will place after a week of being out.... Rush's populairity has certaintly increased over that last 5 years, so you would think they can do better than the achievement of 3.. I looked at what albums Rush is up against, and Rush has 3 real other main competetors... A New Smashing Pumpkins, Linkin Park, and uggghhhh Justin Beiber..... Sadly, I really have no doubt that "America's Youth" will raise that little shit to have the number 1 album...but I think it would be cool if Rush got the #2 spot (and what a dichotomy that would be between 1 and 2) One prediction that I will make is that they will last longer on the list than they did on S&A, who droped to i think somewhere in the 60s after 2 weels... and was off after 4 weeks... I think they will possibly fall down the list a tad slower and might stay on the list for at least 2 months...that's just me though

Finally got it ready to go.... got it loaded... no work tomorrow....gonna listen shortly!!! I will limit myself to one listen only pre-release...

Not too bad

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/8/85/Rush_Vapor_Trails.jpg/220px-Rush_Vapor_Trails.jpg Vapor Trails 2002 - Track #1: One Little Victory Drums and a Rocking guitar riff open the first album of the new millennium, and it is pretty epic. The track keeps up well through the track. I like the bare essentialness (not a word, I know) to the song.. Guitar, Drums, Bass just going all out, very little overdubs, nice opening piece.. - Track #2: Ceiling Unlimited Another pretty decent song, not as good as the previous track, but does maintain the up-tempo nature and the pace set out by the previous track... there's nothing particularly special about this track, but nothing to especially take away from either. A bit of filler is a good way to quantify this track. - Track #3: Ghost Rider I will go ahead and say this right now... this is my favorite song off this album...and would be in my "top 5 tracks of later-era Rush"... I was gonna refrain about talking about the lyrics until the final/overall review, but I will note on them here just a bit... very moving.. Knowing Neil's story and what these lyrics represent carry a very great emotion... very powerful... The bass work in the track is fantastic especially during the beginning. -Track #4 Peaceable Kingdom Okay, fist note I am liking this a bit more musically than the other tracks, as in it sounds a bit different from the other songs... much more musically diverse than the previous track... Though the horrible mixing of this album (more on this in the final review) really is alot more noticeable here than on the previous tracks I really cannot discern what Geddy is singing half the time. - Track #5: The Stars Look Down This at the beginning sounds about the same as the rest of the album has been so far, very good playing, alot of good riffing and bass grooves, but almost redundant and very little to distinguish it different musically from the rest of the album, though I do like the little bit during the choral sections, and we actually get a guitar solo in this song (however clouded by the mix), and the ending is very nice as well. - Track #6: How It Is Another something a bit different musically, and a bit lighter than the heavyness that the album has been laying on us thus far.... I hardly contemplate this track all, but I am surprised by how I am liking this.. It is a tad forgettable, but has a slight redeeming factor. Not the biggest fan of the vocal arrangement on the track too much, which has up until this point something Geddy has been real strong on. Could have been better shortened by 30 seconds or so, but not a real issue. - Track #7: Vapor Trail We come upon the title track. There is alot to like here. Despite the muddiness of the sound the tones on the guitar are really good, and accentuate the lyrics and vocalization.. We get another taste of a guitar solo, that have been very lacking on this album...but I still think there are things that could have been expanded upon to make it a better track, alot of room to grow that was left musically un-nurtured - Track #8: Secret Touch Bass Groove galore leads us into one of the Live staples from this album... and there is some justification for it's inclusion on several tours... It is one of the standouts of the track... There are mood shifts musically, it's not all just "PLAY LOUD AND PLAY HARD", though there is some of that here as well, and those sections could have been trimmed down a bit as the song is in my opinion just a tad overlong. A great track, still when you break it all down.... - Track #9: Earthshine I almost could not resist the urge to just listen to the Retroactive III version of this track, I really wanted to, but I am gonna stick with the VT version...though the bad mixing is not too noticeable on the studio version of this particular track. This song is another track that does manage to differentiate itself from half the album musically as well.. while still doing alot of the same things as the tracks Ive had problems with.. The opening and driving riff are memorable, the song structure is great, it goes through mood changes, and the solo is very good as well... After Ghost Rider this would be my second favorite of the album...and rightly so, it's a fantastic listen. - Track #10: Sweet Miracle Okay, this song, like "How It Is", is a bit on the liter in it's tone, which does help it out a bit as well. I love that a bit of acoustic guitar can be heard throughout the track, as well as some very good bass work. But that's most of what could be said about this song... I don't find it all that memorable, and it comes off as another filler song in a way, at least one that is slightly shorter than the others, and dosen't overstay any welcome. - Track #11: Nocturne This is another track that I am not too big a fan of as well... Here too, I am slightly disappointed lyrically here as well... the only real weak point Neal has in those regards thus far. A very repetitive and un-remarkable track. - Track #12: Freeze (Part IV of Fear) What, the Fear "trilogy" has a fourth part? Does it work, and the answer is like alot of this album "mixed"... Lyrically yes, I get the vibe it has and where they are trying to go to connect it with the themes displayed in "Witch Hunt/The Weapon/and The Enemy Within", musically it is much less so... The music is not bad, in fact very good (though, once again slightly overlong), but It feels really out of place calling this part of the "Fear series" without a bit of musical connection with those other tracks..... small observation though.. - Track #13: Out of the Cradle The last track on the ride of this album, and I must say the drive of this song at the start at least is very uplifting, and clashes nicely with the lyrics....though getting slightly a bit poppy (I know I've been asking for a bit of musical diversity here, but let's not get carried away), during the choral sections... Despite the mood change though from the rest of the album, the track does get a bit repetitive towards the end, and in all honesty is not the best track to close the album. (Though lyrically it's perfect, how's that for a weird dichotomy?) ---------------------------------Overall Thoughts/Final Review-------------------------------- Oh! What a meaty morsel of an album... what a lot to say.. So first, and I won't tread long here as I kind of harped on this fact quite a bit in the song reviews... but this musically a very uninspiring album... Half the album sounded the freaking same to me....Hard riffing and hard playing.. which I hate to criticize because the playing is fantastic most of the time, but there is little to different the songs musically, there is very little soloing, I'll be damed if I can find an instrumental break that lasts longer than 30 seconds, very few mood changes, and I know I harped on the over-reliance on the synth on the 80s albums, but f**k a little of that would have been more than welcome on here as well.......... ..........however, what is great musically (about half of the album), is great, and I did noted where I stated so in the song reviews, so Ill quit beating the dead horse and move on to my next point of note...a much more positive one... The lyrics, are in my opinion, very good, a return to form for Neil after several albums of him not living up to his fullest... I don't want to go too much into the tragedies and subsequent "recovery" that he went through in the years prior to the album's release, but enough to note that to put all those emotions and reflections into this album as lyrics does carry alot of weight, and feel really real... I also need to state that reading Neil's book "Ghost Rider" does help one appreciate the album slightly more.... These lyrics would of course not be worth noting without the overall great vocal arrangement and performance by Geddy on the album, that helped in some way give the individual identity these "sound alike" songs lacked... a much better performance from him than in "Test for Echo" Okay, the elephant in the room...The mix.......... I really cannot elaborate more than everyone already has....It's shit... It's muddy...It sucks, and it's beyond wonder as to why Rush would release an album with such poor production quality... It takes away from the overall enjoyment of the album, that's what has to be said. I tend to overlook the small sound quality issues in my reviews, but here it's just un-ignorable. I look forward to the remix (If it ever will happen), but until then the mix as well as my pluses and minuses of this album has helped it earn an overall score of.... 77/100 Though, pending a remix of the album, I could see myself giving this album 3-4 extra points overal.

f***ing long ass work week.... This time tomorrow I'll finally be able to listen

Goober, you're not allowed to play BTW..... ...... just for the fact that you'll embarrass the lot of us.

Another give me the stats of your library thread, but a different one.. Rank from lowest to highest the amount of music you have per decade (You can include #of songs/#of albums/the overall time/Gigs/...etc any stat you would like), leave a small comment on each decade.. - A bit of instructions, If you have iTunes like I do just go to "Create new smart playlist" -----> Set the Search criteria to (Year) is (in the range of) and set the year to the decade in question I also must state that 98% of the music I have was bought, and the CD the music was copied onto my library from exists on CD in my house... so I know alot will have significantly larger libraries and wider decade selection than I do, but I tend not to download music from torrent site...etc. Organizing this by # of Tracks, but I wonder if (amount of time of music, would shape the countdown in any other way...?) 7. Pre 1960s: Nothing Whatsoever... (I am really ashamed of this statistic, but one I do plan on fixing, there's alot of old blues artists, and some older pre-60s rock) 6. 2010s(so far): 686 songs/ 66 albums/ 3 days-5 hours-13 minutes worth of music... (not bad for only 2 and a half years worth of a decade) 5. 1960s: 708 songs/68 albums/ 1 day-17hours-6 minutes worth of music....(This could be better, I know...the fact that the current decade is close to surpassing this is almost a cause of shame. And most of it is from the latter half of the decade) 4. 1980s: 967 songs/110 albums/ 3 days-5hours-58 minutes worth of music..... (Alot of classic metal in here, and later classic rock, and it's kind of the inverse of the 60s.. most stuff here is from the early half of the decade) 3. 1990s: 1404 songs/136 albums/ 5 days- 8 hours-48 minutes worth of music.... (Most of the bands that dominates my 2000s/2010s got their start in the 90s and that's whats most represented...hardly any actual "90s bands") 2. 1970s: 2083 songs/219 albums/ 7days-8hours-23 minutes worth of music..... (Oh, hell yeah! Like this one here.... so much so that it actually makes me feel bad on how much my 60s are lacking) 1. 2000s: 3347 songs/ 307 albums/ 13 days-10 hours-52 minutes worth of music.....( I am actually shocked, not that it beat the 70s, but by how much it overtook the 70s by, well over 1000s songs, 80% of which would be newer prog and prog metal, and quite a bit of Texas Alt. Country or "Red Dirt" music)

Dubstep? Awww Come on!

Just finished the episode (and now the season).... Loved the finale! Nice to get an up close and clear view of the White Walkers, and to see the difference between them and the Whites. Great cliffhanger....and as I mentioned before this scene actually happens as the prologue to book 3, and not at the end of book 2, but it also takes place at the point of view from 2 no name characters and not Samwell... I did like that change. Zombie horses were fantastic by the way. I liked but had issues with the House of the Undying scene... If I was going into this blind I would have loved it without question, it was really well done.... but as a book reader there is some stuff that happens there that is totally left out of the episode... Important stuff as well... as in the visions that Dany has foreshadow some MAJOR events to come... sad to see that was cut, but I liked the scene...... I had been frustrated with Dany on the show this whole season, but to see her actually not being a negative nancy (as she had been this whole season) and actually get something done and take command at the end (once again despite book differences) made me happy. Loved the Jaquen H'ghar scene, and while I was in the books this way, I was totally hoping the show would go total Doctor Who when Jaquen changed his face.. I loved the Winterfell scenes, and how Theon lost it, but was sad not to see "Reek"..(cannot elaborate on that more without going into spoilers) Jon and Quorin was good, very different from the books, but it's a lot less vague in the books why Jon kills the Halfhand. In the books after Jon lets Yegritte go, he returns to Quorin and the other Night's Watch men...later they are cornered in a cave when Quorin makes the suggestion to go into Mance Raider's camp as a spy, but that John would have to kill him... and he does so at the Halfhand's command. And if you missed the quick line he says that one crow with the wildlings is worth 20 outside, you might miss on that point completely. Season 2 overall was great, though watching it as a book reader has changed my outlook on the show.. I had watched season 1 before I read the books, and was not looking for changes at every turn... so my enjoyment of season 1 was a bit better, but in terms of pacing and thrills there was a lot more to enjoy in season 2. Now to wait 10 months for season 3......oh, joy! Probably gonna re-read the books.

Here we go, vertigo! http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/b8/Rush_Test_for_Echo.jpg Test For Echo 1996 - Track #1: Test For Echo As Opening songs, this one ain't all that bad, it's got a nice intro into the main groove and subtle riff driven body. The lyrics are different but enjoyable, and fit the song nicely. Geddy's voice does get a bit high in places, but a decent performance still. The solo comes a bit out of nowhere, and leads out what is a very good opening track.... hopefully the rest of the album can be as good as this............ - Track #2: Driven The opening riff builds very well of the previous track, into another nice track. The mix of acoustic guitar sporadically throughout the song really impresses me during bit before the chorus. There is a lot of good sound layering and it meshes well with the heavy down-toned guitar. A very good guitar driven rocker, with a decent set of lyrics... not much more to add - Track #3: Half the World Yes the lyrics are a tad cheesy (comparatively with what's to come on this album, they are Shakespearean), but I actually like the lyrics on this track, and they are pretty clever, or at least I think. Musically this is another standout song. Once again there is a good mix on this track, a nice mix of acoustic and electric guitar, and a subtle bass line underneath. It does come off a tad like a generic rock song, but it does have the "Rush" edge..and at a short 3 and a half minutes it does not overstay it's welcome..and I love the almost folkish sound towards the end. - Track #4: The Color of Right This song has a great epic start with some powerful unisons, and over-arching guitar chords, before falling into somewhat of a bland rock song lyrically and vocally. But is somewhat sustained by strong playing, albiet not the best arranged. Overall a decent, but forgettable track. - Track #5: Time and Motion This song is very strange, musically it's all over the table, and I am getting alot of vibes from this song.. The heaviness and tone of the guitar harkens back to a bit of Witch Hunt (which I adore here), but with a tinge of the 80s synth era arrangement....... both can be great, but mixed it feels a bit awkward, I recognize the playing is pretty good, but I cannot really get into this song, and it does go on quite a bit too long.... not a bad track, but not the best either.. - Track #6: Totem This is kind of becoming a theme on this album, but I can iterate again.. Great playing/ Great instrumental arrangement/ Mediocre lyrics/ bad vocal arrangement/ Ultimately forgettable song. Not much to add that would not make me repeat the same thing I said about the previous 2 tracks.. -Track #7: Dog Years.. Ughh, boy... here we go. I've already stated when I reviewed "Tai Shan" that I though that particular song was the "worst" Rush song ever. But it is worth noting that this song is certainty down there as well..... What can I say about these lyrics that hasn't already been said? Nothing really, they're bad, and I'll leave it at that. (But as far as I know this is the only track where Geddy swears). The song could somewhat be musically redeeming, if it weren't very generic rock sounding, bleeding top rock of the mid-90s. - Track #8: Virtuality The song starts out great, nice riff driven melody. But once again the lyrics, especially in the chorus drag this song way the hell down... Fortunately the mix on this song is kind of bad as well and the music somewhat drowns out the vocals during the individual verses. Musically it's quite better than Dog Years, but not as good as some of the previous tracks..... slightly better than mediocre. - Track #9: Resist. Ahhh, back to a good track. I know most people like the acoustic arrangement of this song that was on 2 of Rush's live albums better, but I have to say I disagree here. I love this version. The mix of the acoustic and electric elements is perfect. And for once on this album Geddy gives a pretty phenomenal performance vocally... as opposed to the rest of the album where the vocal arrangements are less than perfect. The song carries a great deal of emotion that bleeds all the way through the end of the track. A set of decent lyrics certainly help as well , where "decent lyrics" seem to be in a minority on this record. - Track #10: Limbo We come upon yet another Rush instrumental.. How well does this one hold up? Well, it's probably my least favorite of all of Rush's instrumentals personally... It's not bad, in fact there are alot of great moments. The bass playing is great, and I like Geddy's "non-singing vocals" (a la 2112 "Overture"). I really dislike the sound effects, and the coughing screamed out phrases randomly in the middle of the track. But around 3/4 of the way through the track I really don't feel that we've gone anywhere with this track, and we're listening to pretty much the same musical phrases and reprises from the first half of the track..... Not a bad track, but I expect better out of an instrumental by Rush. - Track #11: Carve Away the Stone This track has a good feel to it that I like, it's got a very nice pace throughout the track and never feels repetitive or redundant musically. Maybe not the best album closer, but an overall decent track, and (once again considering what's been on this album already) fairly likable lyrics. It's not the brightest spot on this album (musically or otherwise), but considering the highs and lows on this album, I would still put this on the better half of the songs on this album... ---------------------------------------------Final Thoughts/Overall Review---------------------------------------- What a mixed bag of an album, there is alot to love about Test for Echo, and considering the less than stellar reputation this album has I came into this review (after not listening to this album in quite a long time) expecting to be a bit more harsh, but I really cannot do so. It's alot better than people give it credit for (at least in some areas), but alot of the criticism it does get is deserved.... Musically this album is pretty phenomenal... The playing these guys accomplish is very impressive. And moreso than alot of the previous albums I do get the vibe that Rush is trying very hard to make a great album musically here... I really get the sense that in terms of playing, they are really giving it their all, and it comes out quite a bit on the album.. It dosen't always hit, and there could have been alot more soloing for my taste, but I can understand the effort that it went into writing the music for T4E... Lyrically and vocally however.... this could be one of their worst efforts. There are some lyrics I like on this album, but alot contain the worst Neil has written. And I hardly ever criticize this, but I thought on a vocal level this was one of Geddy's poorest performances. I did not dig the vocal arrangement on over half this album at all... Truth be told, there is only one real stinker on this album (Do I have to name it?), and that is more than can be said about a few other albums, but this album is packed with mediocrity, and is an album where I can say that I truly like less than half of the songs on all levels. What's more is that it really feels like the momentum built with Counterparts is lost.. So where to rate this album? What is good and done right, I love, but the lows also define "Low"... Overall Album Score: 75/100

I still need to watch the episode tonight, cannot wait to do so. But ive been hearing alot of praise for the final scene and have read some comments of kinda what happens, plus Ive seen the soundtrack tracklisting and noticed the final song is titled "three blasts".... And if it is what I think it is that scene is not in book 2 at all, but is actually the prologue for book 3.

Acually this whole thread has been a trap......i've weeded out all who have downloaded the album illegially... government agents will be knocking at your doors shortly.... Just joking, loving the feedback and i cannot wait to hear this! I might sacrifice some sleep and listen to this tonight....

Sorry for all the typos in the OP, posting from my cell phone, the keyboard sucks.... If I do wind up listening early, I wont be able to until friday, got a busy 56 hour week at work... oh well i guss its better im really busy this week than the actual week of release