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Official Clockwork Angels Initial Reactions thread


The Owl
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QUOTE (James_G @ Jun 5 2012, 03:20 PM)
The Anarchist is such a brilliant piece of music.

One of the main criticisms of late-period Rush is that the vocal lines are often shoe-horned in; I agree with this. Let's compare Geddy's vocal lines in The Anarchist to his vocal lines in Spindrift, and see why The Anarchist works and Spindrift doesn't.


Spindrift:

The first 35 seconds consists of a jangling noise out of which emerges an eight-note syncopated pattern that characterises the song. Then the bass guitar joins in playing exactly the same thing. Neil also stresses this rhythm heavily. At 45 seconds, Geddy enters with a pretty jarring vocal line. It's jarring because it's more syncopation over a heavily syncopated rhythm played by all three instruments in unison. There's nothing to be syncopated against - where's the beat?

The reiteration of this vocal line at 1:10 works much better over Neil's more regular drum line, but the drum line is still too weak on the beat, such that along with the overbearing double bass/guitar rhythm pounding away I still feel like it's stealing attention from rather than supporting the vocal melody. Then, disastrously, as soon as Geddy starts singing a vocal that's much more on-the-beat ("What am I supposed to say..."), the guitar, bass and drum line all suddenly join in a totally straight, unison quaver rhythm that drags on for ever. Flat as a pancake.

The balance between straight beat and syncopation, and any kind of interesting rhythmic interplay between the different instrumental and vocal lines is totally missing from this piece - it suffers from multiple catastrophic failures of rhythm. Of course there are other things in rock music apart from rhythmic interplay and syncopation, but I think this is the main culprit that makes Spindrift such a drag to listen to, even though it contains some interesting ideas.


The Anarchist:

Intro bar + bars 1-4: African drumming style (i.e. syncopated feel), syncopated guitar riff.
Bars 5-8: Bass and guitar play the same chord progression in uniform quavers, drum pattern still syncopated
Bars 9-16: Bass and guitar continue playing uniform quavers, Neil switches to straight beat as well (but doesn't emphasise all of the beats equally!)
Bars 17-24: Guitar drone, syncopated drumming, bass stabs also syncopated
Bars 25-32: Guitar and bass syncopated, drumming straight
Bars 33-40: Bass and guitar play uniform quavers (in an interesting melodic pattern) over straight drumming with creative fills and synth drone
Bars 41-48: Syncopated guitar riff
Bars 49-64: Straight drumming, bass and guitars play straight quavers - and the syncopated vocal line enters.


So when the vocal line enters:

"Will there be world enough and time for me to sing that song?"

it's totally supported by a motif that the listener's brain is already familiar with, and it fits like a jigsaw piece into the pattern of rhythmic interchange that's been going on throughout the first 90 seconds of the piece. It's also the most interesting rhythm going on, and therefore this dramatic lyric draws all of the attention that it deserves. The rising theme in bars 33-40, which evokes a more transcendental state of mind than the rest of song, is also effective every time it appears precisely because it stands out rhythmically as well as melodically.

I completely disagree with the Spindrift example. It is an atmospheric stand out track on S&A, IMO.

 

"catastrophic failures of rhythm"? Give me a break. Don't call out a good song because one has more variety

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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!

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I don't find Wish Them Well repetitive at all like the reviewers said. The "jangly" guitar part reminds me of something from Roll The Bones record. The solo from something off Counterparts. Every song on this record is pretty strong.
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QUOTE (Unobtrusive Companion @ Jun 5 2012, 09:11 PM)
Thanks Greyfriar! The posters look really good 1022.gif 1022.gif 2.gif

Wait till you see the tons of pictures (most of them from the 70's) in the Magazine. ohmy.gif

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QUOTE (greyfriar @ Jun 5 2012, 05:30 PM)
QUOTE (Unobtrusive Companion @ Jun 5 2012, 09:11 PM)
Thanks Greyfriar! The posters look really good  1022.gif  1022.gif  2.gif

Wait till you see the tons of pictures (most of them from the 70's) in the Magazine. ohmy.gif

you need to write a review son tongue.gif

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After day 2 of numerous listens, the first 4 continue to just kill it, while the middle part of the album loses some of the momentum, but Headlong Flight , The Wreckers, and The Garden make the rest of the album phenomenal

 

Classics

Caravan

BU2B

Clockwork Angels

The Anarchist

Headlong Flight

The Wreckers

The Garden

 

Good

Wish them Well

Carnies

 

Not Digging

Seven Cities of Gold

BU2B2

Halo Effect

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Halo Effect keeps getting better and the title track has finally revealed it's self to me. I'd say that Clockwork Angels is now an 8 for me. It's the proggiest thing they've done since...Natural Science? Yeah, that sounds about right.
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Giggity-giggity-Garden! This song has grown on me immensely since my first listen. common001.gif
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QUOTE (CrossedSignals @ Jun 5 2012, 05:30 PM)
Giggity-giggity-Garden! This song has grown on me immensely since my first listen.  common001.gif

Rush's best "soft song" of all time. I have no doubts.

Edited by presto123
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QUOTE
My hubby talked me into listening to it early. I was going to hold out until the official release but gave in  I must say I was not dissappointed at all. It is all I had hoped it would be. The guys sounded like they were having a great time. They were loose and weird (in a good way). The strings that I think we were all leary about are not over done. I totally enjoyed it and can not wait to get home to listen again. The songs that stood out the most to me (aside from the 3 we already know) are The Garden, The Wreckers and Carnies. I am so happy for the guys and for us as fans. I am so excited to see these songs live, we get to see them Nov 1 in the ATL !!!! It is so awesome. ROCK ON !!!! 

 

Well put, dear! But then I am biased, I am married to you! wub.gif

 

 

We sat and listened to this monster of an album and well ... I am almost scared by how much I like it. And its only getting better with each listen. applaudit.gif applaudit.gif 2.gif

Edited by wilb1972
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Is it really proggy? I'm abstaining from listening, but I've heard some comments that it's not proggy at all and in the vein of recent Rush, while some of you say it's very proggy, even the proggiest thing since Natural Science.

 

I sure hope it's got some prog to it.

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QUOTE (XXXB0BXXX @ Jun 5 2012, 10:22 PM)
Is it really proggy? I'm abstaining from listening, but I've heard some comments that it's not proggy at all and in the vein of recent Rush, while some of you say it's very proggy, even the proggiest thing since Natural Science.

I sure hope it's got some prog to it.

There's some prog mixed into the pot.

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QUOTE
Is it really proggy? I'm abstaining from listening, but I've heard some comments that it's not proggy at all and in the vein of recent Rush, while some of you say it's very proggy, even the proggiest thing since Natural Science.

I sure hope it's got some prog to it.

 

Depends on your definition of "prog". If a concept album constitutes "prog", then yes, its proggy. If ten to twenty minute tracks define prog for you, then no its not. If pushing the boundaries of your own sound and constantly trying to better yourself with each album, evolving and growing is how you define prog, then yea, I guess it is, but at the same time its not.

 

Wait... unsure.gif

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QUOTE (XXXB0BXXX @ Jun 5 2012, 09:22 PM)
Is it really proggy? I'm abstaining from listening, but I've heard some comments that it's not proggy at all and in the vein of recent Rush, while some of you say it's very proggy, even the proggiest thing since Natural Science.

I sure hope it's got some prog to it.

It is certainly in the vein of recent Rush, but it contains alot more proggy elements that most recent Rush.

 

Personally, from a musician standpoint, I hear shades of early Genesis in the title track, and I hear some bass similarities to Drama-era Yes. I have heard others reference "The Gates of Delirium" That being said, others have noted a Zeppelin like influence in a few places and even Foo Fighters influence. Some have gone as far as note a similarity to Dream Theater (I could see that for a certain part that reminds me of the finale of "Scenes from a Memory")

 

So, it is definitely a modern Rock album, with an over-arching lyrical concept (which is quite cool!!), musically many of the pieces are tied together with cinematic seques, one whole segment (BU2B2) is surely only there to serve the story (and creates an atmosphere!) While some song structure is fairly straight forward (i.e. verse/chorus) there are great breakdowns and some songs have very unconventional structure . The playing is stellar throughout - some moments really off the hook (each of them have top notch moments) and some just suits the mood of the piece perfectly.

 

I read Prog reviews on Progarchives - and I'm sure many purists would disagree - but I definitely see this as a modern prog-rock work. (Prog-metal is too confining considering beautiful pieces like "The Garden" etc.) While some elements of it are "straight Rock" - it's Proggy when considered as a whole!

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QUOTE (ReRushed @ Jun 5 2012, 09:25 PM)
QUOTE (XXXB0BXXX @ Jun 5 2012, 10:22 PM)
Is it really proggy? I'm abstaining from listening, but I've heard some comments that it's not proggy at all and in the vein of recent Rush, while some of you say it's very proggy, even the proggiest thing since Natural Science.

I sure hope it's got some prog  to it.

There's some prog mixed into the pot.

I always thought that POT was one of main creative ingredients in Prog.

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QUOTE (XXXB0BXXX @ Jun 5 2012, 08:22 PM)
Is it really proggy? I'm abstaining from listening, but I've heard some comments that it's not proggy at all and in the vein of recent Rush, while some of you say it's very proggy, even the proggiest thing since Natural Science.

I sure hope it's got some prog to it.

I assume that's a response to me. I should have clarified. Clockwork Angels, the song is the proggiest song that they've made since Natural Science. As a whole, the album isn't really all that prog, although their is very nice stylistic diversity present.

 

If you like the newer material, and you like the classics, It'll be worth waiting for.

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