Official Clockwork Angels Initial Reactions thread

[EmotionDetector]

QUOTE (greg2112 @ Jun 8 2012, 08:03 AM)

QUOTE (EmotionDetector @ Jun 7 2012, 12:24 PM) Also, I recall hearing some people don't like Seven Cities... How? Awesome stuff here...I especially the pre-verse parts that Alex is playing. Such an awesome groove IMO.  I know right?? Seems under-appreciated (so far) Total kick ass tune, currently my favorite on the album Yeah, it's quickly getting there for me.   The whole song is fantastic...but man, I absolutely love Alex's pre-verse riff. So sweet...and badass.

[vital signz]

QUOTE (Hatchetaxe&saw @ Jun 8 2012, 07:17 AM)

QUOTE (Unobtrusive Companion @ Jun 8 2012, 11:37 AM) I was flicking throught The Sun newspaper here in the UK this morning, and as I reached the album review pages, a red square caught my eye at the bottom of the page. It was of course the CA cover. I'm happy (and also quite surprised) to report they gave it 5 out of 5, and the review mentioned the fact that Rush didn't get the memo that bands nearing 60 shouldn't be putting out this kind of music. Basically, it was a review full of praise for the album!! In a national newspaper, probably the biggest selling one in the UK!        Holy SHIT!   Great to see them in such a mainstream paper.   "5/5   Rush - Clockwork Angels   If Rush, at their age, are meant to be winding down towards a cosy retirement, they don't seem to have got the memo. Clockwork Angels, their 20th studio album, is a work of staggering energy and invention which eclipses anything they've done in the past 20 years. It's raw, frenetic, epic, deeply emotional and wonderfully alive. It's also packed with soaring melodies. These three Canadian rock veterans, in what should be their twilight years, are fizzing again like 25-year-olds, and are right back at the top of their game. A truly remarkable rebirth."   Wow, for a UK tabloid review, that's pretty spectacular.

[Rick N. Backer]

QUOTE (ReflectedLight @ Jun 7 2012, 07:10 PM)

QUOTE (Rick N. Backer @ Jun 7 2012, 06:06 PM) QUOTE (ReflectedLight @ Jun 7 2012, 06:52 PM) QUOTE (Rick N. Backer @ Jun 7 2012, 05:31 PM) QUOTE (wilb1972 @ Jun 7 2012, 08:29 AM) As I said, this is "new Rush". And I define that to include everything from Presto through CA. And out of that batch, the only thing that could beat CA in my mind is Counterparts. Vapor Trails would be a close third, hampered only by its production. *** Overall, it beats SnA by miles. Interesting take. I like S&A better than anything they released after Signals. I think S&A blows CP and VT in particular away. I don't find myself returning to either, but I do give S&A periodic spins. We'll see where CA falls into place in a few weeks I guess. somewhere on this planet someone is spinning the copy of s & a i once owned. than again it's very possible that it was thrown in the recycling bin by someone and was grinded down to where it will be used to make something else like a fax machine or something. There's ALOT of people around here that despise S&A. I'm going to give it a spin on the train ride home just to spite you. make sure to crack a cold one on the train ride. They wouldn't let me do that on the train.   I did listen to the whole thing again between yesterday and today. I love it. I remember when I first heard Far Cry and thought to myself, "Welcome back, guys."   Give me a frame of reference to work within. What are your 3 favorite albums (by them, of course) ?

[robertjames1971]

Note: I'm only on my second listen...

 

I could write a real review, but I won't. It would not be objective. Rush has this odd voodoo thing that they do where they read my mind and figure out exactly what I want to hear in their next record and then they multiply that by an awesome factor of 10 and give it back to me. It's kind of creepy how my initial reaction is always always always, "This is exactly what I wanted!"

 

So... suffice to say my review for the album is, "This is exactly what I wanted!"

 

The title song is beautiful. Does anyone else feel that way? It's such a weird thing to think of a Rush song as beautiful, but that's the word that comes to mind most often (wonderful comes in second most often).

 

Carnies is f*cking AWESOME. When the drums and bass kicked in at the beginning I literally had chills from head to toe. It's the musical equivalent of getting hit by a speeding train and I absolutely LOVE it.

 

The Wreckers has the best hook I have ever heard in a Rush song, and easily one of the best hooks ever. The strings raise the whole song to another level. I am absolutely loving this song right now.

 

I like the new intro to BU2B. I adored both songs on the Caravan single, but I thought BU2B was head and shoulders above Caravan. This new little twist makes it even better for me.

[Tarkus406]

Caravan sounds epic. Love the mix, love the sound of the vocals, love the flanger effect on the bass in the middle and at the end, even love the delay on the last vocal line.

 

BU2B's new intro I found to be interesting. A nice acoustic strummage here and there, some ambient Geddy thrown in there...I still love it, though I expected it to continue right up to the first heavy note. Acoustic strum and them BOOM! The fade out is still alright, though. The new mix sounds WONDERFUL!

 

My first response to Clockwork Angels was hard to process. The intro was awesome, the verse section sounded so beautiful. After that I was a bit lost, but after a couple of more listens, I've found the direction the song was taking and now I love it. Truly an epic, and I hope it gets some love on stage.

 

The Anarchist from first listen left me like

Some excellent Alex riffage and a spine tingling eastern sounding solo. Very melodic bass lines and vocals. Pounding Neil intro

 

Carnies...oh man....carnies..... This is simply a sizzling masterpiece. From the creepy carnival style intro with organs and giggling children, through that blistering Alex riff with the pinchywinch harmonics, right on to the awesome solo/verse section toward the end. Melodic and rocking at the same time. That gets an Ebert from me

 

Halo Effect is one of the best softer Rush tunes since ....a long time ago. I loved the way the bass was right up there alongside the acoustic guitar. Gave it such a warm, full, yet crunchy sound.

 

Seven Cities of Gold is one of my favorites on the album. That awesome funky shit in the beginning with the wailing guitar on top of it hooked me from the start. Then to hear some more riffing from the Lifesonman....f***ing awesome. Also an awesome creepy solo near the end. Very catchy chorus, fun to sing with live

 

The Wreckers has an intro that gave me the impression that it was going to be one of those extremely poppy uplifting tunes, which would have been fine, but as I slooshied further, found that it turned into one of those beautifully crafted melodies from the Rush catalog. The addition of strings really pulls at your heart strings. Fading out Alex's solo was ACTUALLY a nice touch and i thought it worked well. The Wreckers will remain one of my favorites for years to come.

 

Then a familiar friend, Headlong Flight. One f**k of a ROCKER an album with so much beauty and brilliance needs a good kick you in the ass rock song, right?

 

But then the mood takes a turn southbound and things go wtffff? BU2B2 (man that takes a while to type on an iPad) is quite an interesting little tune. With no prominent instrumentation other than cello eighths, this song drew my focus mainly to the lyrics. Initially depressing, yet somewhat uplifting. I do like this song. However, if they left it out from the live set, I'd be fine with it. Anybody else hear a little bit of Everyday Glory in the first verse? Ooo, I'd also like the note the cool synth filter sweeps in the background. Nice touch!

 

Wish Them Well....the song some people love, some people hate. Let me just say I'm one of those who love it. They probably could have played the first section of "all that you can do..." just once then moved on to the verse, but I like the melody of this chorus enough as it is. Cool solo, like always

 

If every song I mentioned so far on this album sucked big time....like, seriously, if they were steaming heaps of crap....this song would make the album worth the 10 bucks. THE GARDEN! The Garden...is just pure brilliance. A soft and calm intro on the bass which I can't wait to learn, then beautiful acoustics and a great vocal melody follows. And if that wasn't enough, "the measure of a life..." nearly brings tears to the eyes, when soulfully sung alongside Alex's interesting choice of notes. Alex's solo is emotional and beautiful, and tasteful. It fits perfectly in the song. Then the extended ending with the building strings and guitar until that final cello note. It's an absolute masterpiece and it's the perfect way to close an album.

 

I couldn't be more impressed with this album, it really surpassed my expectations and blew Snakes and Arrows away for sure.

 

 

EDIT: went from a comment on BU2B to an entire album review

Edited June 8, 2012 by Tarkus406

[Todem]

I have given it two full listens. I have a rule (it's my own little rule) not to give my full review until I have given the record 5 proper listens front to back. Rush has always been immediate to me, but they have so much going on, so much story, visual pagentry etc in their work that I want it all to digest.

 

But right out of the gate the album is downright powerful, visual and full of riffage. Lot's of jamming, bombastic arrangements, strings....so much Epic goodness going on.

 

A full review will come shortly. Listen three is going as I type this at work.

 

I heard my virgin listen through my home system on my studio headphones, listen two was on a nice hour long drive in my car on my Bose system. And now listen three is going through my Bose buds on my I-Pod.

 

The fan pack is great. I have read through the entire Classic Rock magazine and it is great and insightful to the creation of this album. My name is on the poster!!! Love that.

 

The only bummer was the very bottom of my mag has a slight tear from the postman tossing it around with no care. Oh well....it's mine and never going anywhere.

 

 

I can't wait to share my full thoughts very soon.

Edited June 8, 2012 by Todem

[Flet]

The album is good, not their best, but not a dissapointment. I actually prefer the mixes on Caravan and BU2B from two summers ago better, they are much cleaner, so I just replaced them in the line up rather than the album versions.

 

The Wreckers is truly a highlite. It's in the same vein as "Armor and Sword" and "Bravado"....

[Flet]

QUOTE (Mr. Henry Gale @ Jun 4 2012, 10:17 AM)

Wreckers is one of the best things they have done in years. Not only is it catchy, lyrics are great, instrumentally it's really interesting (especially the break down at the end).

That's a funny statement given that the band only releases albums every 5 years....so by default it's always going to "best in years"...which is only the last album...LOL

[jmdyyz]

I like the album have early will listen many more times!

[Hatchetaxe&saw]

[wilb1972]

QUOTE

Rush, have produced a body of music of surprising complexity for a trio.

 

 

 

[Gedneil Alpeart]

QUOTE (Tarkus406 @ Jun 8 2012, 10:27 AM)

Caravan sounds epic. Love the mix, love the sound of the vocals, love the flanger effect on the bass in the middle and at the end, even love the delay on the last vocal line. BU2B's new intro I found to be interesting. A nice acoustic strummage here and there, some ambient Geddy thrown in there...I still love it, though I expected it to continue right up to the first heavy note. Acoustic strum and them BOOM! The fade out is still alright, though. The new mix sounds WONDERFUL! My first response to Clockwork Angels was hard to process. The intro was awesome, the verse section sounded so beautiful. After that I was a bit lost, but after a couple of more listens, I've found the direction the song was taking and now I love it. Truly an epic, and I hope it gets some love on stage. The Anarchist from first listen left me like Some excellent Alex riffage and a spine tingling eastern sounding solo. Very melodic bass lines and vocals. Pounding Neil intro Carnies...oh man....carnies..... This is simply a sizzling masterpiece. From the creepy carnival style intro with organs and giggling children, through that blistering Alex riff with the pinchywinch harmonics, right on to the awesome solo/verse section toward the end. Melodic and rocking at the same time. That gets an Ebert from me Halo Effect is one of the best softer Rush tunes since ....a long time ago. I loved the way the bass was right up there alongside the acoustic guitar. Gave it such a warm, full, yet crunchy sound. Seven Cities of Gold is one of my favorites on the album. That awesome funky shit in the beginning with the wailing guitar on top of it hooked me from the start. Then to hear some more riffing from the Lifesonman....f***ing awesome. Also an awesome creepy solo near the end. Very catchy chorus, fun to sing with live The Wreckers has an intro that gave me the impression that it was going to be one of those extremely poppy uplifting tunes, which would have been fine, but as I slooshied further, found that it turned into one of those beautifully crafted melodies from the Rush catalog. The addition of strings really pulls at your heart strings. Fading out Alex's solo was ACTUALLY a nice touch and i thought it worked well. The Wreckers will remain one of my favorites for years to come. Then a familiar friend, Headlong Flight. One f**k of a ROCKER an album with so much beauty and brilliance needs a good kick you in the ass rock song, right? But then the mood takes a turn southbound and things go wtffff? BU2B2 (man that takes a while to type on an iPad) is quite an interesting little tune. With no prominent instrumentation other than cello eighths, this song drew my focus mainly to the lyrics. Initially depressing, yet somewhat uplifting. I do like this song. However, if they left it out from the live set, I'd be fine with it. Anybody else hear a little bit of Everyday Glory in the first verse? Ooo, I'd also like the note the cool synth filter sweeps in the background. Nice touch! Wish Them Well....the song some people love, some people hate. Let me just say I'm one of those who love it. They probably could have played the first section of "all that you can do..." just once then moved on to the verse, but I like the melody of this chorus enough as it is. Cool solo, like always If every song I mentioned so far on this album sucked big time....like, seriously, if they were steaming heaps of crap....this song would make the album worth the 10 bucks. THE GARDEN! The Garden...is just pure brilliance. A soft and calm intro on the bass which I can't wait to learn, then beautiful acoustics and a great vocal melody follows. And if that wasn't enough, "the measure of a life..." nearly brings tears to the eyes, when soulfully sung alongside Alex's interesting choice of notes. Alex's solo is emotional and beautiful, and tasteful. It fits perfectly in the song. Then the extended ending with the building strings and guitar until that final cello note. It's an absolute masterpiece and it's the perfect way to close an album. I couldn't be more impressed with this album, it really surpassed my expectations and blew Snakes and Arrows away for sure. EDIT: went from a comment on BU2B to an entire album review

Word for word......agreed!

[analog guy]

I haven't even heard the whole thing yet, and I'm already enjoying the hell out of it.

 

The Wreckers is probably my favorite so far.

 

I like Carnies, Seven Cities. I'll put in a good word for the title song too.... maybe a little uneven but the shuffle parts are really cool.

 

This is a completely different Rush record to any.... I don't know where it sits in the lexicon just yet, but I love that some serious risks are being taken here.

 

EDIT: (And I'm listening to The Garden right now.... holy shit, I love this!)

 

Edited June 8, 2012 by analog guy

[furie]

Ok so with two full listens and more to come of course it's a solid album. Better than VT or S&A. That's as far back as I will judge it.

[The Owl]

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...

[Spindrift82]

This album rocks! I'm through it for the first time, on Headlong Flight, and my mind is completely blown! This is the album that I've been waiting for since Vapor Traits...and where Snakes and Arrows disappointed.

 

It's amazing that a band that has been around as long as Rush has can put out a new album that's this good. They sound fresh and new, amazing.

 

I will be soaking this album in for a while, but I am giving this a 5 out of 5 stars.

[Gedneil Alpeart]

The amount of praise this record is getting is amazing. Yes, it's new and we've been waiting a long time, so that could be a part of it, but the praise for this album seems to be of a higher intensity than when SA came out. This album to me is vastly superior to SA in all depsrtments, hands down. I cant believe in so late in their career, they come out with such a stunner, but also should not be surprised.....it's RUSH we're talking about! Their sincerity towards the craft and focused dedication towards this project truly bred a very inspired and musically powerful record.

 

Not since the 1980s have I been more proud to be a Rush fan. These boys are unbelievable.

[Earthshine_sf]

QUOTE (Gedneil Alpeart @ Jun 8 2012, 09:07 PM)

The amount of praise this record is getting is amazing.  Yes, it's new and we've been waiting a long time, so that could be a part of it, but the praise for this album seems to be of a higher intensity than when SA came out.  This album to me is vastly superior to SA in all depsrtments, hands down.  I cant believe in so late in their career, they come out with such a stunner, but also should not be surprised.....it's RUSH we're talking about!  Their sincerity towards the craft and focused dedication towards this project truly bred a very inspired and musically powerful record. Not since the 1980s have I been more proud to be a Rush fan.  These boys are unbelievable.

This!

[racefaceec90]

i'll let you know once i have a copy (on monday when it's released with classic rock magazine).

[Merely Space]

Man, I hope they got another couple of albums in them, 'cause I want some more of this!

[EmotionDetector]

QUOTE (Merely Space @ Jun 8 2012, 11:18 PM)

Man, I hope they got another couple of albums in them, 'cause I want some more of this!

 

[The Owl]

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.

Edited June 9, 2012 by The Owl

[Tarkus406]

I'm now back from our road trip and have the album loaded on my iPod with my decent headphones. Just went out for a walk around the city and got to REALLY listen to it. Nothing's more wonderful than walking through a quiet neighborhood at night listening to the end of The Garden.

 

I think I'll probably always think of that when I hear that song. Kind of like how I think about walking through New England woods in the autumn when I hear Presto

[Steel Rat]

Meh... I'm halfway through the second full listen, and I'm not totally unhappy. I'm glad everyone else is enjoying it, though.

[pedro2112]

QUOTE (Gedneil Alpeart @ Jun 8 2012, 08:07 PM)

The amount of praise this record is getting is amazing. Yes, it's new and we've been waiting a long time, so that could be a part of it, but the praise for this album seems to be of a higher intensity than when SA came out.

Nope. I went back and checked the threads. Identical threads, using Identical words. No difference.

 

Sorry