Tombstone Mountain's Review Thread

[Tombstone Mountain]

QUOTE (Mika @ Jul 23 2012, 05:30 PM)

Thanks for compiling so many reviews, Tombstone! It's interesting to hear what the critics (or not-so-critics) say about CA. And when you're done this thread, you can swing back to the past and post reviews about the previous albums!

Thanks for the thumbs up on the reviews. what a special time for the band, now that critical success has come. I believe they really deserve a victory lap--bring on the tour!!!

 

 

 

 

[Gedneil Alpeart]

QUOTE (Mika @ Jul 23 2012, 05:30 PM)

Thanks for compiling so many reviews, Tombstone! It's interesting to hear what the critics (or not-so-critics) say about CA. And when you're done this thread, you can swing back to the past and post reviews about the previous albums!

Amen to that! You rock, Duff!!

 

[Tombstone Mountain]

A Rush Forum member's review is always an entertaining read. This review is by none other than Tony R, you know the guy with the horse avatar. I guess he's from Ireland, and that's a great place to live, or at least visit (which I have done). Came from a great website, check it out.

 

I've been a strong critic of post-Signals Rush for a long time and a subscriber to the Brit Rush Fan mantra: "Old Rush good, new Rush bad". On hearing 2008's "Snakes & Arrows" I was originally quite impressed but after the initial honeymoon period I rarely play it, if ever. It lacks those "moments" that can elevate an album and demand you to play it over and over again. In 2010 Rush took the step of releasing two new tracks; Caravan and BU2B (Brought Up To Believe) and I was disappointed. These were rush-released to give the band something to tour on, as they prefer to have new material to play (though they also played "Moving Pictures" in its entirety hence "Time Machine Tour") and many fans were unimpressed but intrigued that these tracks were the first two of a complete concept album, as, surprisingly, Rush has never recorded a full concept album. The theme would be based on Steampunk, a sort of futuristic Jules Verne meets HG Wells world of Victorian aesthetic and there would be strings on some of the tracks. Hmmm. Headlong Flight is subsequently released as a single as a teaser for the album and again I am unimpressed. So 5 stars, where did they come from?

 

 

Clockwork Angels is a concept album and as such should be viewed as a whole and listened to in its entirety in one sitting. Probably inspired, or emboldened at least, by the relative success of Porcupine Tree's "The Incident" (Peart made reference to that album prior to recording) this is a definitive Rush album wherein the sum is greater than the parts. It is not perfect; Lee's vocals at times are grating, and there is still too much reliance on the "verse, chorus, verse, chorus, chorus, chorus", but as a modern Heavy Prog album it is a triumph.

 

 

Each track is connected by a short atmospheric intro but other than that there are no real re-occurring musical themes (except, of course, BU2B2). Lyrically we get Peart's usual musing on individualism, blind faith, integrity, order and chaos and Dawkinsism and it is often difficult to decipher the story that will evolve into a novel via Peart's collaboration with scifi writer Kevin J Anderson.

 

Musically we are treated to enormous riffs, kenetic bass-playing and some of Peart's best drum work in decades. Standout tracks are Clockwork Angels, Carnies, The Wreckers andThe Garden, the latter being quite unlike any previous Rush track with its lush strings, plaintive guitar and soothing, beautiful melody and is an instant Rush classic. Tracks that I initially couldn't take to, the aforementioned Caravan, BU2B (terrible title) and Headlong Flight work well within the overall album - Headlong Flight in particular is a rip-roaring monster of a track propelling the album forward with huge guitar sounds, frenetic drums and echoes of "Bastille Day" and "Bytor". There are a couple of tracks, though not terrible, are not quite up to the standard of the rest; Seven Cities Of Gold which features an atrocious vocal and Wish Them Well a mundane track that was apparently re-written several times this proving that a watched pot never boils. However when it is bad Clockwork Angels is merely average but when it is good it is brilliant so please do not argue with my 5 star rating.

 

This could be the best Rush album since "Moving Pictures", it is certainly on a par with "Signals" and was rewarded by reaching #2 in the Official US Album Chart, quite a feat by the un-hippest rock band on the planet.There are strings on quite a few tracks and the band intends to take a small string section on their huge worldwide "Clockwork Angels" Tour in 2012 and 2013, I suggest you rush out and acquire tickets now

 

 

http://www.progarchives.com/Review.asp?id=792040

[Tony R]

From England!!!!

 

This review was originally posted on ProgArchives.

 

Check out my post about how to review Clockwork Angels on ProgArchives here:

 

http://www.therushforum.com/index.php?show...dpost&p=2698087

Edited July 24, 2012 by Tony R

[Tombstone Mountain]

QUOTE (Tony R @ Jul 24 2012, 09:10 AM)

From England!!!! This review was originally posted on ProgArchives. Check out my post about how to review Clockwork Angels on ProgArchives here: http://www.therushforum.com/index.php?show...dpost&p=2698087

Duly logged and annotated on my clipboard of greatness!

 

 

[Tombstone Mountain]

[Tombstone Mountain]

Another stellar review. Can anyone find a bad one?

 

 

Some Other Sucker's Parade

 

Rush: Clockwork Angels review

No author posted

 

New album Clockwork Angels is Rush's 19th full length studio LP (most sources claim it's their 20th, but 2004's covers EP, Feedback, was little more than an otiose indulgence best forgotten...).

 

2007s Snakes and Arrows suffered desperately from a lack of pace and passion, it basically sounded like a classic rock album recorded by a bunch of 50-somethings. While there isn't anything drastically wrong with most of those songs (though there are certainly some poor moments, hello Larger Bowl...) it's simply an uninspired record. Clockwork Angels, on the other hand, sounds like a band reinvigorated and with a sense of purpose.

 

To bring up the dreaded c-word, it's a concept album, inspired by Steampunk and Voltaire's 1759 novella, Candide, which I confess I haven't read but know of. The record achieves a nice balance between marrying the lyrics as a whole albums worth of work but also not sounding out of place as individual songs.

 

The album kicks off with the two songs that were digitally released last year, Caravan and BU2B, which both seem to have benefitted from either a re-recording or a remix. Caravan probably wouldn't have been out of place on Snakes and Arrows although the "I can't stop thinking big..." chorus is catchier than anything they wrote on that album. BU2B has a drive and urgency that I didn't really feel on the digital release and rather surprisingly has become an early favourite, there are some wonderful arpeggios from Alex that, when analysed in their own right hark back to some real classic Rush moments.

 

However, given the relative familiarity with those first two songs, you don't get that new record feeling until the title track kicks in, and is filled with some particularly furious drumming from Neil. There's a great range of light and shade on the album and the title track seems to include all of this in one song, although the band also let loose on occasion and thrash through a few heavy riffs, most notably on Carnies. Alex also seems to have upped his game a little here, his Eastern-twinged solo on The Anarchist is incredibly pleasing.

 

While Rush tend to work best with some combination of intricate and (leaning towards) heavy instrumentation, they can sometimes struggle when trying to really tone it down and write a ballad or just a mellow song in general. Halo Effect tries to bridge that gap somewhat, it perhaps falls a little short as it isn't until the bridge that the song seems to demand attention.

 

For the moment at least, the finest song on the album is The Wreckers, which came about with Alex and Geddy swapping instruments in the writing stage, the intro reminds me of the band Ride (who excelled at that ethereal whilst also crunching guitar sound), while the verses are definitely something that Geddy probably comes up with in his sleep, it wouldn't have been out of place on his solo album, My Favourite Headache. The chorus is Neil at his best lyrically and with or without the context of the Voltaire inspiration, aims a big dig at religion (which he also tackled on S&A's Faithless) and societal norms:

 

All I know is that sometimes you have to be wary of a miracle too good to be true,

All I know is that sometimes the truth is contrary of everything in life you thought you knew,

All I know is that sometimes you have to be wary of a miracle too good to be true,

All I know is that sometimes the truth is contrary, 'cause sometimes the target is you.

 

Things rev up a gear with Headlong Flight, a song that they would have played about 25% slower on the previous album, If any of the band stand out in particular on this record then I think it's Neil, he mentioned recently about giving it his best while he was still physically able to, and that really comes across in the music. His drumming hasn't been this ferocious in many a year, it will be interesting to see just how physically draining these songs will be to play live. I'm tremendously looking forward to seeing them at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn in October (although I am trying to make myself forget just how much the ticket cost).

 

The album closes with The Garden, which seems to have become a favourite among fans, but I have to confess I'm struggling with it a little bit. I mentioned earlier that ballads are not really in Rush's comfort zone and I think this is evidence of that, it sounds over-sentimental and more in the realm of dodgy AOR bands from the 80s, not a band that has just rattled through one of their best albums in 25 years (which obviously, somewhat ironically, puts us into the 80s...). It's rescued somewhat by some nice arpeggio work from Alex in the chorus and a decent solo (which comes after a somewhat nauseating bridge). If they play this live I hate to imagine all the lighters (or do people just use iphones these days) held aloft in the air, this isn't Bon Jovi...

 

It's not a perfect record and at times suffers from the cut and paste pro-tools method of songwriting they have had for the last decade, but for the most part the songs are focused and it's a record that is greater than the sum of its parts and one of which the band should be proud.

 

I am certainly in a minority when it comes to Rush fans, in that I think 2002's Vapour Trails is among the band's finest work. So while Clockwork Angels isn't quite the revelation and return to form that some are saying, it is certainly one of their best efforts from the 2nd-half of their career.

 

Overall score: 7.5/10

 

http://someothersuckersparade.blogspot.com...els-review.html

 

[Tombstone Mountain]

Edited July 25, 2012 by Tombstone Mountain

[Tombstone Mountain]

[Tombstone Mountain]

[The Lofty Oaks]

[Tombstone Mountain]

[Mika]

Well! Thanks, Tombstone, for making the effort to gather album reviews; having them all in one central spot was a good idea, too!

 

And, I've mentioned this already to you, but how about having reviews of previous Rush albums too...?

[Tombstone Mountain]

QUOTE (Mika @ Jul 28 2012, 04:09 AM)

Well! Thanks, Tombstone, for making the effort to gather album reviews; having them all in one central spot was a good idea, too! And, I've mentioned this already to you, but how about having reviews of previous Rush albums too...?

How can I resist such a courteous request...what forum should it go in?

 

Thanks for your kind words...makes it such a pleasure knowing you enjoyed it!!!

 

 

[Mika]

Edited July 28, 2012 by Mika

[Tombstone Mountain]

[Mika]

[Tombstone Mountain]

[Tombstone Mountain]

QUOTE (Tombstone Mountain @ Jul 24 2012, 08:57 AM)

A Rush Forum member's review is always an entertaining read. This review is by none other than Tony R, you know the guy with the horse avatar. I guess he's from Ireland, and that's a great place to live, or at least visit (which I have done). Came from a great website, check it out. I've been a strong critic of post-Signals Rush for a long time and a subscriber to the Brit Rush Fan mantra: "Old Rush good, new Rush bad". On hearing 2008's "Snakes & Arrows" I was originally quite impressed but after the initial honeymoon period I rarely play it, if ever. It lacks those "moments" that can elevate an album and demand you to play it over and over again. In 2010 Rush took the step of releasing two new tracks; Caravan and BU2B (Brought Up To Believe) and I was disappointed. These were rush-released to give the band something to tour on, as they prefer to have new material to play (though they also played "Moving Pictures" in its entirety hence "Time Machine Tour") and many fans were unimpressed but intrigued that these tracks were the first two of a complete concept album, as, surprisingly, Rush has never recorded a full concept album. The theme would be based on Steampunk, a sort of futuristic Jules Verne meets HG Wells world of Victorian aesthetic and there would be strings on some of the tracks. Hmmm. Headlong Flight is subsequently released as a single as a teaser for the album and again I am unimpressed. So 5 stars, where did they come from? Clockwork Angels is a concept album and as such should be viewed as a whole and listened to in its entirety in one sitting. Probably inspired, or emboldened at least, by the relative success of Porcupine Tree's "The Incident" (Peart made reference to that album prior to recording) this is a definitive Rush album wherein the sum is greater than the parts. It is not perfect; Lee's vocals at times are grating, and there is still too much reliance on the "verse, chorus, verse, chorus, chorus, chorus", but as a modern Heavy Prog album it is a triumph. Each track is connected by a short atmospheric intro but other than that there are no real re-occurring musical themes (except, of course, BU2B2). Lyrically we get Peart's usual musing on individualism, blind faith, integrity, order and chaos and Dawkinsism and it is often difficult to decipher the story that will evolve into a novel via Peart's collaboration with scifi writer Kevin J Anderson. Musically we are treated to enormous riffs, kenetic bass-playing and some of Peart's best drum work in decades. Standout tracks are Clockwork Angels, Carnies, The Wreckers andThe Garden, the latter being quite unlike any previous Rush track with its lush strings, plaintive guitar and soothing, beautiful melody and is an instant Rush classic. Tracks that I initially couldn't take to, the aforementioned Caravan, BU2B (terrible title) and Headlong Flight work well within the overall album - Headlong Flight in particular is a rip-roaring monster of a track propelling the album forward with huge guitar sounds, frenetic drums and echoes of "Bastille Day" and "Bytor". There are a couple of tracks, though not terrible, are not quite up to the standard of the rest; Seven Cities Of Gold which features an atrocious vocal and Wish Them Well a mundane track that was apparently re-written several times this proving that a watched pot never boils. However when it is bad Clockwork Angels is merely average but when it is good it is brilliant so please do not argue with my 5 star rating. This could be the best Rush album since "Moving Pictures", it is certainly on a par with "Signals" and was rewarded by reaching #2 in the Official US Album Chart, quite a feat by the un-hippest rock band on the planet.There are strings on quite a few tracks and the band intends to take a small string section on their huge worldwide "Clockwork Angels" Tour in 2012 and 2013, I suggest you rush out and acquire tickets now http://www.progarchives.com/Review.asp?id=792040

Now THIS is a review...bare arsed and honest!!!

 

 

 

[condemned2bfree]

QUOTE (Tombstone Mountain @ Jul 24 2012, 08:02 PM)

2007s Snakes and Arrows suffered desperately from a lack of pace and passion, it basically sounded like a classic rock album recorded by a bunch of 50-somethings. While there isn't anything drastically wrong with most of those songs (though there are certainly some poor moments, hello Larger Bowl...) it's simply an uninspired record. Clockwork Angels, on the other hand, sounds like a band reinvigorated and with a sense of purpose.

Totally agree with this. On snakes and arrows, the guys were reaching for something, they couldn't quite grasp.

 

The positive reviews just keep coming!

[Tombstone Mountain]

Here's a late one...from Seattle Pi. What a great review. the author compares Clockwork Angels with Dark Side of the Moon, fascinating to say the least. Overall a great review for the band...giving it a place in music immortality.

 

Music Review: Rush - Clockwork Angels

 

 

By Wesley Britto

Seattle Post-Intelligencer

 

Few bands have strived to achieve so much with one album as Rush has with Clockwork Angels. It percolated for several years beginning in 2010 when two of the tracks, "Caravan" and "BU2B," were released before the trio embarked on an extended international tour. After production work was completed in late 2011, noted science fiction author Kevin J. Anderson announced he was writing a novelization of the album based on Neil Peart's lyrics. That book is set for publication this September.

 

 

 

When the album appeared in June of 2012, British magazine Classic Rock released a "fanpack" including the 66 minute CD as well as a 132-page magazine described as the "ultimate sleevenotes" to the album. Most fans didn't have access to that deluxe edition, but in short order they propelled Rush's 19th album to number one in Canada and number 2 on the American Billboard Top 200.

 

 

 

Two months later, this reviewer finally got his belated copy and had one question in mind. By August 2012, virtually every critic had proclaimed Clockwork Angels as one of the finest, if not the finest, albums by Rush. It has been crowned by many as the likely best album of the year. Is there anything left to add to the parade of accolades cascading over Clockwork Angels?

 

 

 

Clearly, Rush devotees no longer need any persuading-they've embraced Clockwork Angels as a major achievement from Geddy Lee (bass, bass pedals, vocals, synthesizers), Alex Lifeson (guitars, keyboards), and Peart (drums, percussion). Sales to date demonstrate Clockwork Angels appeals to an even wider audience, ostensibly of prog rock fans, or even hard rockers who like Rush, but not necessarily each and every release.

 

I believe, going even further, anyone who has any interest in rock at all should check out what is not only a serious contender for best album of 2012, but it might end up on "best of" lists going far beyond one year.

 

 

 

For me, listening to Clockwork Angels was akin to experiencing Dark Side of the Moon for the first time. Sure, you can pull out singles and favorite cuts from both albums, but each collection can only be fully appreciated by absorbing the full sequence of material from first to last.

 

In fact, Clockwork Angels is even more challenging because of its hour-plus length, its musical denseness, and the relentless pace of the set. It's exhausting. It's like an audio movie where sonic possibilities bring together every strength Rush has. They offer hook-filled melodies with intriguing lyrical imagery that requires more than one listen to get at the heart of what's going on.

 

 

 

For but one example, "The Wreckers" is magisterial, triumphant, and affirming with lines like "All I know is sometimes you have to be wary/Of a miracle too good to be true." Such adjectives fit nearly every track on the album. Such dramatics perfectly support Peart's concept about a young man exploring a world of both order and chaos, of carnivals and anarchists, with many allusions to illusions and the ultimate clockmaker who's apparently in control of everything. For those who haven't liked Lee's voice in the past, such stories put the emphasis on what's being sung rather than the singer who is more than suited to deliver the narratives.

 

 

 

For those who want it all, the literary dimensions of Clockwork Angels will presumably open even further when the Anderson book arrives in September. Still, Clockwork Angels can be appreciated for the listening experience it provides on its own terms without reliance on the supplementary material. After all, Thick as a Brick is classic listening with or without The St. Cleve Chronicle and Linwell Advertiser.

 

 

 

In the end, Clockwork Angels is another demonstration that old bands like Rush, Asia, Van Halen, and Metallica not only still have high-octane gas in their tanks, they're still capable of work that moves beyond what they've done before. Whether you want to take the time to dive into the storyline and analyze Peart's poetic visions or not, the material on the album is absorbing, often intense (in the best sense of the term), and hits you physically, mentally, and perhaps emotionally.

 

If it's not the best album of the year, I really want to hear the other contenders for the throne.

 

Further, I wonder if Clockwork Angels will ultimately be measured against other concept albums from the '60s to the present and be found one of a very august company.

 

 

 

Read more: http://www.seattlepi.com/lifestyle/blogcri...p#ixzz24TttI1SG