MusicRadar: Clockwork Angels full album review

[snowdog2112]

[drgrendel]

All this hype can mean only one thing...it will fail in its goal to satisfy expectations.

[losingit2k]

QUOTE (drgrendel @ May 8 2012, 11:12 AM)

All this hype can mean only one thing...it will fail in its goal to satisfy expectations.

Maybe, but they are 3 for 3 right now!

 

[ridertoo98]

Am waiting, sounds like the guy liked it!

[ReflectedLight]

QUOTE (losingit2k @ May 8 2012, 11:40 AM)

QUOTE (drgrendel @ May 8 2012, 11:12 AM) All this hype can mean only one thing...it will fail in its goal to satisfy expectations. Maybe, but they are 3 for 3 right now!   1 for 3 in my book. dropped the ball on the first two but 1 for 3 is still a good batting average.

[LyndseyG]

I'm not paying attention to the whole "it's better than..." stuff. I'll make up my own mind about that when I hear it. I was more interested in reading how the songs are structured: fast/slow, hard rocking/ballad, Alex's solos, that kind of thing. I can't pretend though that I'm not more intrigued by reading this. The waits' gonna be harder now.

[EmotionDetector]

QUOTE (ReflectedLight @ May 8 2012, 01:24 PM)

QUOTE (losingit2k @ May 8 2012, 11:40 AM) QUOTE (drgrendel @ May 8 2012, 11:12 AM) All this hype can mean only one thing...it will fail in its goal to satisfy expectations. Maybe, but they are 3 for 3 right now!   1 for 3 in my book. dropped the ball on the first two but 1 for 3 is still a good batting average. They're batting perfect 3/3 for me.   Maybe they just don't like your team.

[snowdog2112]

I don't know why I kind of forgot about this since I'm about to order the fan pack anyway but shouldn't the album start shipping out next week for those people?

 

 

On sale a full three weeks before the regular UK album release date.

 

http://www.myfavouritemagazines.co.uk/clas...ngels-fan-pack/

 

 

 

If people do get it early then it should be all over the web soon. Maybe I'm just not reading that right.

[snowdog2112]

I don't know why I kind of forgot about this since I'm about to order the fan pack anyway but shouldn't the album start shipping out next week for those people?

 

 

On sale a full three weeks before the regular UK album release date.

 

http://www.myfavouritemagazines.co.uk/clas...ngels-fan-pack/

 

 

 

If people do get it early then it should be all over the web soon. Maybe I'm just not reading that right.

 

 

 

Nevermind, I just realized that the UK general release date is much later so that explains it.

 

 

[greg2112]

Sounds like Alex is back in a HUGE way. Perfect

[snowdog2112]

Alex is back? Pretty much everything going back to at least Counterparts is dominated by guitar.

[danielmclark]

QUOTE (snowdog2112 @ May 8 2012, 11:51 AM)

Alex is back? Pretty much everything going back to at least Counterparts is dominated by guitar.

Agreed. I've been hearing "Alex is back!" for the past 15-20 years. What did you guys think Vapor Trails was? A Ben Mink solo record?

[presto123]

QUOTE (snowdog2112 @ May 8 2012, 12:51 PM)

Alex is back? Pretty much everything going back to at least Counterparts is dominated by guitar.

Solo wise he hasn't been back in a long time. A lot of people(myself included) think that is one of his greatest strengths and one of the most important aspects to Rush's music. The only memorable solo I can think of on SnA right now is Faithless I guess. T4E had a few here and there but not in the traditional sense. Vapor Trails had..........oh never mind.

Edited May 8, 2012 by presto123

[snowdog2112]

QUOTE (presto123 @ May 8 2012, 12:04 PM)

QUOTE (snowdog2112 @ May 8 2012, 12:51 PM) Alex is back? Pretty much everything going back to at least Counterparts is dominated by guitar. Solo wise he hasn't been back in a long time. A lot of people(myself included) think that is one of his greatest strengths and one of the most important aspects to Rush's music. The only memorable solo I can think of on SnA right now is Faithless I guess. T4E had a few here and there but not in the traditional sense. Vapor Trails had..........oh never mind. I get what you're saying and I love his solos too but really none of the 3 new songs have traditional melodic solos either and from what I can tell from the review (which is hard to decipher) it's difficult to tell if the other songs do either other than maybe The Garden. Even though The Larger Bowl is near the bottom of S&A overall for me it's got a terrific constructed guitar solo, so does Faithless, so does Good News First, even The Way the Wind Blows is more of a concrete hummable solo than anything from the new album we've heard so far. Even songs like Armor and Sword have solos that are at least as notable as what's in BU2B. TMMB has another good one. As much as I love Caravan I was really hoping it would be re-recorded if for no other reason than to replace that solo. I appreciate what he was going for, an intentially "wrong" solo like in AFTK, but it didn't work.

[cygnify]

[cygnify]

whoops - double post....

 

"fast reply" just kinda hangs there....

Edited May 8, 2012 by cygnify

[snowdog2112]

Yeah, I've got that issue and remember the article but I didn't remember that it was the same author.

 

It's hard to forget articles that have things like:

 

"Workin' Them Bones" features some of Peart's most heartfelt, straight-forward lyrics "No one gets to heaven without a fight"

 

 

Reviewing an album and getting the song title wrong and quoting (actually misquoting) the lyrics from a different song doesn't exactly inspire confidence.

 

Song title is wrong, lyrics are not correct, lyrics are from a different song; it's a trifecta of suck!

Edited May 8, 2012 by snowdog2112

[CrossedSignals]

QUOTE (snowdog2112 @ May 8 2012, 02:54 PM)

Yeah, I've got that issue and remember the article but I didn't remember that it was the same author. It's hard not to forget articles that have things like: "Workin' Them Bones" features some of Peart's most heartfelt, straight-forward lyrics "No one gets to heaven without a fight" Reviewing an album and getting the song title wrong and quoting (actually misquoting) the lyrics from a different song doesn't exactly inspire confidence. Song title is wrong, lyrics are not correct, lyrics are from a different song; it's a trifecta of suck!

BUSTED!!

[Unobtrusive Companion]

QUOTE (snowdog2112 @ May 8 2012, 06:42 PM)

I don't know why I kind of forgot about this since I'm about to order the fan pack anyway but shouldn't the album start shipping out next week for those people? On sale a full three weeks before the regular UK album release date. http://www.myfavouritemagazines.co.uk/clas...ngels-fan-pack/ If people do get it early then it should be all over the web soon. Maybe I'm just not reading that right.

UK release date is July 9th, so 3 weeks before has it out at the same time as the US release. It is misleading though.

[snowdog2112]

QUOTE (Unobtrusive Companion @ May 8 2012, 01:18 PM)

QUOTE (snowdog2112 @ May 8 2012, 06:42 PM) I don't know why I kind of forgot about this since I'm about to order the fan pack anyway but shouldn't the album start shipping out next week for those people? On sale a full three weeks before the regular UK album release date. http://www.myfavouritemagazines.co.uk/clas...ngels-fan-pack/ If people do get it early then it should be all over the web soon. Maybe I'm just not reading that right. UK release date is July 9th, so 3 weeks before has it out at the same time as the US release. It is misleading though. Yeah, I had gone already back and corrected it but thanks. That makes a lot more sense.

[Unobtrusive Companion]

QUOTE (snowdog2112 @ May 8 2012, 08:20 PM)

QUOTE (Unobtrusive Companion @ May 8 2012, 01:18 PM) QUOTE (snowdog2112 @ May 8 2012, 06:42 PM) I don't know why I kind of forgot about this since I'm about to order the fan pack anyway but shouldn't the album start shipping out next week for those people? On sale a full three weeks before the regular UK album release date. http://www.myfavouritemagazines.co.uk/clas...ngels-fan-pack/ If people do get it early then it should be all over the web soon. Maybe I'm just not reading that right. UK release date is July 9th, so 3 weeks before has it out at the same time as the US release. It is misleading though. Yeah, I had gone already back and corrected it but thanks. That makes a lot more sense. Ah right, must have missed that, sorry

[snowdog2112]

QUOTE (Unobtrusive Companion @ May 8 2012, 01:46 PM)

QUOTE (snowdog2112 @ May 8 2012, 08:20 PM) QUOTE (Unobtrusive Companion @ May 8 2012, 01:18 PM) QUOTE (snowdog2112 @ May 8 2012, 06:42 PM) I don't know why I kind of forgot about this since I'm about to order the fan pack anyway but shouldn't the album start shipping out next week for those people? On sale a full three weeks before the regular UK album release date. http://www.myfavouritemagazines.co.uk/clas...ngels-fan-pack/ If people do get it early then it should be all over the web soon. Maybe I'm just not reading that right. UK release date is July 9th, so 3 weeks before has it out at the same time as the US release. It is misleading though. Yeah, I had gone already back and corrected it but thanks. That makes a lot more sense. Ah right, must have missed that, sorry For some reason when I went back to edit it it didn't repost with the fix, it just made a second post so the first one is still there. I've been encountering server errors here for about an hour though, I guess that's what happened. Anyway, we've got it straightened out.

[lifeson90]

QUOTE (Gilbertk @ May 8 2012, 10:51 AM)

QUOTE (lifeson90 @ May 8 2012, 10:39 AM) QUOTE (snowdog2112 @ May 8 2012, 08:30 AM) I agree it reads like a promotion but another reviewer from Audio Times immediately followed that up on RIAB by saying he has heard it and agreed with everything this guy said. That still doesn't mean we'll all feel that way, no matter how great some of us will think it is when we hear it others will hate it just as much. Rush has simply been around so long and has so many albums that there's no way they can make all of their fans happy at this point. My point is simply that Music Radar is not alone. The guy at Audio Times is the one that said "This album, to these ears anyway, is their best since Moving Pictures by a mile. It is truly epic; beautifully written, arranged, produced and superbly played." and likeclockwork who posts here said it's their best in decades. So there's at least a small consensus forming that it's pretty damn good. best album since moving pictures?   the guy talking outa his arse   no way could he have thrown himself into any phase of rush music over the past 3 decades if thats what he's concluded   the man just isnt a serious rush head and i cant take that comment seriously at all   not if it's meant to be a serious critique anyway   i could accept it as a passing comment from someone who never really took rush deadly seriously but thats all   wayyy too many great rush albums out there to just dismiss out of hand..... i dont care how good CA is you cant just say it beats everything since moving pictures no way So you've heard the album too then? I'm glad you have enough faith in the band to not even believe they can improve.   Don't make bold declarations like "..you can't just say it beats everything since Moving Pictures; no way" (I corrected your grammar errors) if you haven't heard the thing. Maybe it will be better! Never know. I like to believe Rush can improve.   And it's just his opinion. Maybe CA is his favorite since MP. Is he wrong because you disagree before you've heard the album? I don't think so... We all have our own top 10 list, nobody's is wrong. right so hangon....   you think this is a serious statement from someone who deeply familiar with rush music:   i've heard CA and i can tell you NOW its better than :-   Signals   Grace Under Pressure   Power Windows   Hold Your Fire   Presto   Roll The Bones   Counterparts   Test For Echo   Vapor Trails   ...... and Snakes and Arrows     hell of an album fella   no freakin way bud its just a silly thing to say   i'd have respect for a comment like, it reaches the heights of any post MP album no problem...... no problem with that   most of the above are truly great and classic rush albums, even some of the trolls would agree on a couple of em   no serious rush head would say CA actually BEATS all of em mannn   i dont care how freakin good it is   its just stupid, and you should know that.   and we arent talking about improvement here either.... rush probably stopped 'improving' after hemispheres it just doesnt get better   oh by the way thanks for correcting any typos i made, i'm a bit stupid too sometimes and rely on folks like you to help me out

Edited May 8, 2012 by lifeson90

[Union 5-3992]

QUOTE (lifeson90 @ May 8 2012, 05:39 PM)

QUOTE (Gilbertk @ May 8 2012, 10:51 AM) QUOTE (lifeson90 @ May 8 2012, 10:39 AM) QUOTE (snowdog2112 @ May 8 2012, 08:30 AM) I agree it reads like a promotion but another reviewer from Audio Times immediately followed that up on RIAB by saying he has heard it and agreed with everything this guy said. That still doesn't mean we'll all feel that way, no matter how great some of us will think it is when we hear it others will hate it just as much. Rush has simply been around so long and has so many albums that there's no way they can make all of their fans happy at this point. My point is simply that Music Radar is not alone. The guy at Audio Times is the one that said "This album, to these ears anyway, is their best since Moving Pictures by a mile. It is truly epic; beautifully written, arranged, produced and superbly played." and likeclockwork who posts here said it's their best in decades. So there's at least a small consensus forming that it's pretty damn good. best album since moving pictures?   the guy talking outa his arse   no way could he have thrown himself into any phase of rush music over the past 3 decades if thats what he's concluded   the man just isnt a serious rush head and i cant take that comment seriously at all   not if it's meant to be a serious critique anyway   i could accept it as a passing comment from someone who never really took rush deadly seriously but thats all   wayyy too many great rush albums out there to just dismiss out of hand..... i dont care how good CA is you cant just say it beats everything since moving pictures no way So you've heard the album too then? I'm glad you have enough faith in the band to not even believe they can improve.   Don't make bold declarations like "..you can't just say it beats everything since Moving Pictures; no way" (I corrected your grammar errors) if you haven't heard the thing. Maybe it will be better! Never know. I like to believe Rush can improve.   And it's just his opinion. Maybe CA is his favorite since MP. Is he wrong because you disagree before you've heard the album? I don't think so... We all have our own top 10 list, nobody's is wrong. right so hangon....   you think this is a serious statement from someone who deeply familiar with rush music:   i've heard CA and i can tell you NOW its better than :-   Signals   Grace Under Pressure   Power Windows   Hold Your Fire   Presto   Roll The Bones   Counterparts   Test For Echo   Vapor Trails   ...... and Snakes and Arrows     hell of an album fella   no freakin way bud its just a silly thing to say   i'd have respect for a comment like, it reaches the heights of any post MP album no problem...... no problem with that   most of the above are truly great and classic rush albums, even some of the trolls would agree on a couple of em   no serious rush head would say CA actually BEATS all of em mannn   i dont care how freakin good it is   its just stupid, and you should know that.   and we arent talking about improvement here either.... rush probably stopped 'improving' after hemispheres it just doesnt get better   oh by the way thanks for correcting any typos i made, i'm a bit stupid too sometimes and rely on folks like you to help me out I thought Iron Maiden's latest album was the best one since Somewhere In Time. They've had Brace New World, Seventh Son of a Seventh Son, & Dance of Death since then. Hell, even Buddy Guy released what I consider to be his best album last year.   It is all a matter of opinion. If he liked it more than any album after Moving Pictures, then he has the right to say that. It isn't a fact that you can't get better than the other post MP album. I may think it's the best thing they ever made, but I haven't heard it yet. Just because you think Rush's new album isn't there best doesn't make it law. He can be a Rush fan and think it is better.   My opinion is that the big contenders after MP are Signals, Power Windows, Grace Under Pressure, Counterparts, & to a lesser degree, Snakes & Arrows. And These don't even rank in my top three albums (Including MP). I like their 70's prog. era the most. And if this album is going back in that direction, I may be inclined to like this more than the other post MP releases.   A true Rush fan wouldn't make it a fact that CA isn't as good as other post MP albums. That's your opinion. A real Rush fan knows how musically diverse other Rush fans are and wouldn't rip someone apart for claiming such a thing.

[Gedneil Alpeart]

QUOTE (Union 5-3992 @ May 8 2012, 06:30 PM)

QUOTE (lifeson90 @ May 8 2012, 05:39 PM) QUOTE (Gilbertk @ May 8 2012, 10:51 AM) QUOTE (lifeson90 @ May 8 2012, 10:39 AM) QUOTE (snowdog2112 @ May 8 2012, 08:30 AM) I agree it reads like a promotion but another reviewer from Audio Times immediately followed that up on RIAB by saying he has heard it and agreed with everything this guy said. That still doesn't mean we'll all feel that way, no matter how great some of us will think it is when we hear it others will hate it just as much. Rush has simply been around so long and has so many albums that there's no way they can make all of their fans happy at this point. My point is simply that Music Radar is not alone. The guy at Audio Times is the one that said "This album, to these ears anyway, is their best since Moving Pictures by a mile. It is truly epic; beautifully written, arranged, produced and superbly played." and likeclockwork who posts here said it's their best in decades. So there's at least a small consensus forming that it's pretty damn good. best album since moving pictures?   the guy talking outa his arse   no way could he have thrown himself into any phase of rush music over the past 3 decades if thats what he's concluded   the man just isnt a serious rush head and i cant take that comment seriously at all   not if it's meant to be a serious critique anyway   i could accept it as a passing comment from someone who never really took rush deadly seriously but thats all   wayyy too many great rush albums out there to just dismiss out of hand..... i dont care how good CA is you cant just say it beats everything since moving pictures no way So you've heard the album too then? I'm glad you have enough faith in the band to not even believe they can improve.   Don't make bold declarations like "..you can't just say it beats everything since Moving Pictures; no way" (I corrected your grammar errors) if you haven't heard the thing. Maybe it will be better! Never know. I like to believe Rush can improve.   And it's just his opinion. Maybe CA is his favorite since MP. Is he wrong because you disagree before you've heard the album? I don't think so... We all have our own top 10 list, nobody's is wrong. right so hangon....   you think this is a serious statement from someone who deeply familiar with rush music:   i've heard CA and i can tell you NOW its better than :-   Signals   Grace Under Pressure   Power Windows   Hold Your Fire   Presto   Roll The Bones   Counterparts   Test For Echo   Vapor Trails   ...... and Snakes and Arrows     hell of an album fella   no freakin way bud its just a silly thing to say   i'd have respect for a comment like, it reaches the heights of any post MP album no problem...... no problem with that   most of the above are truly great and classic rush albums, even some of the trolls would agree on a couple of em   no serious rush head would say CA actually BEATS all of em mannn   i dont care how freakin good it is   its just stupid, and you should know that.   and we arent talking about improvement here either.... rush probably stopped 'improving' after hemispheres it just doesnt get better   oh by the way thanks for correcting any typos i made, i'm a bit stupid too sometimes and rely on folks like you to help me out I thought Iron Maiden's latest album was the best one since Somewhere In Time. They've had Brace New World, Seventh Son of a Seventh Son, & Dance of Death since then. Hell, even Buddy Guy released what I consider to be his best album last year.   It is all a matter of opinion. If he liked it more than any album after Moving Pictures, then he has the right to say that. It isn't a fact that you can't get better than the other post MP album. I may think it's the best thing they ever made, but I haven't heard it yet. Just because you think Rush's new album isn't there best doesn't make it law. He can be a Rush fan and think it is better.   My opinion is that the big contenders after MP are Signals, Power Windows, Grace Under Pressure, Counterparts, & to a lesser degree, Snakes & Arrows. And These don't even rank in my top three albums (Including MP). I like their 70's prog. era the most. And if this album is going back in that direction, I may be inclined to like this more than the other post MP releases.   A true Rush fan wouldn't make it a fact that CA isn't as good as other post MP albums. That's your opinion. A real Rush fan knows how musically diverse other Rush fans are and wouldn't rip someone apart for claiming such a thing.