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Snakes and Arrows


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Editorial
Amazon.co.uk Review

A return to their former glory days, Snakes and Arrows shows this seminal prog rock band reclaiming some of the sonic territory that they'd lost over the past few years. It's not certain what contributed to this artistic rebirth, but Rush has crafted a historical and emotional odyssey that shows many both where they've been and where they're going--from the baroque soundscapes of "The Main Monkey Business," reminiscent of their earliest work to the seductive almost folkloric urgency of "The Way the Wind Blows," which is as dangerous, anxious, and prophetic as anything that Arcade Fire or Mars Volta is doing currently. Main Lyricist Neal Peart has spent the last decade getting over the death of his wife and daughter, and those tragic events have given his songwriting more depth and gravity as he explores the strengths and limitations of faith in both metaphoric and literal detail. While never didactic or ponderous, this disc is really an instruction manual for how one conducts themselves with grace and hope through unendurable pain and the vagaries of life. Gone is much of the shrillness of their earlier incarnations--Geddy Lee's trademark high pitch shrieks have mellowed considerably and Alex Lifesong's guitar playing has an assurance and freedom that can only come with age. --Jaan Uhelszki


Extremely good
Review date: 2008-09-12 Rating: 10 out of 10

I very rarely if ever give an album five-stars. However, S&A is so fresh, so well written, so heavy, so melodic...it just seems like Rush have been working up to this for years. I would even put it up there with a Farewell to Kings and Permanent Waves in terms of quality. Buy this, you will not be disappointed.

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Reviews


Yup. it's that good
Review date: 2008-03-30 Rating: 10 out of 10

Bought this album a year ago- thought it was great then, and can confirm that goodness knows how many listenings later, it is a cracking album; of similar quality to the Rush of late 70's/ early 80's vintage when I got into them first. Genuinely amazing how this band can still churn out stuff of this calibre after so many years. Highlights must be the real Rush sounding tracks- Armor and Sword, Spindrift, Main Monkey Business, Hope, Malignant Narcissism, but not a bad track to choose from. Of particular note is Alex Lifeson's use of multi-layered acoustic and electric guitars with a tone he hasn't had since Permanent Waves- that vintage Gibson guitar sound is pure bliss to listen to. One gripe- The otherwise excellent "Far Cry" misses out on a guitar solo to propel it into the ranks of Spirit of Radio, Limelight, Subdivisions, as an all time Rush radio friendly classic (though it's success in the US charts would say otherwise).

Guitar overload
Review date: 2008-03-02 Rating: 4 out of 10

I came to this album as a lifelong Rush fan, one who still enjoys listening to their 70s and (particularly) their 80s output.

Despite their primary classification as a 'rock band' their best work (which counts as the vast majority due to their extraordinary consistency between 1975 and 1989) went much wider than this simple description. This is because their music always had light and shade, a lively complexity and original dynamic. There was a space between the instruments. They could play as heavy as anyone if they wished but the reason why most of us like them is because they were not just another rock band.

So it's a shame that Snakes and Arrows portrays them as just that. Their best albums always had the individual instruments competing equally for space within the sound stage. The result was that the complexities of their music were distilled into clearly defined sounds. The bass (so often buried in the mix of many other bands) was always a highlight to listen to (and not just because of Geddy Lee's mastery), but its place in the mix was no greater than the guitar, keyboards or percussion. On Snakes and Arrows, the electric guitar sounds often flatten the bass and percussion, making them almost periphery instruments. The bass guitar is still there but it is definitely playing second fiddle (so to speak), and as for the percussion, well it is criminal that the peerless Peart should be treated in this way. An unkind comment would be that Alex Lifeson mixed this CD on his own. The guitar playing is very fine, however, and it is good to hear him playing acoustic again. The acoustic also adds some welcome relief from the overall distorted bombast of this CD. If I want to hear lots of distorted guitar, I can play some Neil Young and Crazy Horse.

The mix is one thing, but if the music is good enough it mostly makes amends. There are certainly some nice sequences on this album but, at 62 minutes in length, they are far too spread out to be ultimately satisfying. 'The Main Monkey Business' and 'Far Cry' are the only tracks that would make the grade on their 70s and 80s albums (bar their debut in 1974). Just two out of thirteen tracks.

My last point concerns keyboards. Many fans have been overly diverted by whether Rush used too many keyboards in the 80s. I like both guitar and keyboards, but the essential requirement is the quality of the music and not the instrument playing it. So the fact that there is only a tiny bit of mellotron on this album is just fine. Sadly it is the music (and mix) that is not.


Bring back the synths !
Review date: 2008-02-26 Rating: 6 out of 10

Well not really, but a bit more variety in this album would be welcome. The hard rock sound here is great. Rush are to be commended for going for it at this stage of their career, but it drives on relentlessly throughout, some of the tracks going on far too long. Somebody really should have got the scissors out in the studio.
Give me a taut 45 minute album anytime. Probably why i have not been able to listen to a whole Redhotchillipeppers album in one go for the last ten years, but i digress.


Lifeson in Old Dogs Yet
Review date: 2008-02-17 Rating: 8 out of 10

When I chanced upon this I had not heard any new Rush since the mid-80s and its surprisingly good, I must say. They have managed to produce an album that is recognisably still them, but which channels influences from more recent rock bands in a way that is intelligent, convincing and energising. That is quite an achievement for a band this long in the tooth; in fact it's probably what all old rockers think they can do, but most fail. The one sour note here is not musical: it's the lyrics. Rush were always mocked for their charmingly adolescent sword and sorcery and sci-fi, but that was par for the course in the 70s. It would seem middle age has moved them to deeper thoughts and the results are often plain embarassing. Vapid observations on LIFE dressed in leaden metaphore - it is occasionally unlistenable. Get back to Rivendell, guys!

Product Details/Specifications


Artist(s):
Rush

Recording label: Atlantic
Manufacturer: Atlantic
EAN: 0075678998683
Binding: Audio CD
Release date: 2007-04-30
Universal product code (UPC): 075678998683
Number of discs: 1

Disc 1 Tracks:
1. Far Cry
2. Armor And Swords
3. Workin' Them Angels
4. The Larger Bowl
5. Spindrift
6. The Main Monkey Business
7. The Way The Wind Blows
8. Hope
9. Faithless
10. Bravest Face
11. Good News First
12. Malignant Narcissism
13. We Hold On

Publishers: Atlantic

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