VAPOR TRAILS

Rush

Heavy Prog

3.43 | 954 ratings

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todd.sherman

I think you need to go back to Signals to find a better Rush album from beginning to end. If that's too far back, maybe Power Windows. Here are some key points to the Vapor Trails experience:

* The cohesiveness of the songs on Vapor Trails is a strength that makes the whole much greater than the sum of its parts, so listen to it end-to-end the first few times. That's how it is.

* Listen to it, listen to it, and listen to it again! Like any new Rush material, it takes a few thorough hearings for Vapor Trails to grow on you. That's the beauty (eh) of Rush music; it is not simple. Vapor Trails is the real deal. This record will grab you.

* 2005....yes it is 2005, not 1981. Music changes. Of course the sound is going to be different. Some listeners don't get this. My brother is one. "They should have a keyboard intro like Xanadu somewhere." Right. Dust off the moog with the wired telephone and analogue tape.

* Neil's lyrics hit a mark more meaningful and more artful than they have in many albums. You really get a sense that there's something to explore here, and the experience gets richer as you begin to understand what he's driving at in many of these songs. I like to take a listen with the lyrics in front of me from time to time to allow them to sink in.

* I like the stripped down sound of Vapor Trails. It's as straight-forward a rocker as Rush has made in many years. It's nice to hear their matured sound applied to a method they haven't engaged in to such a degree in so long a time. It makes Vapor Trails unique. Having heard Rush try just about everything within rock limits over the years (how about that Aimee Mann??), it's an enriching listen to hear them make music devoid of keyboards and obligatory guitar solos. I think this adds an element of speed and tightness between the guitars and the drums, particularly during changes.

* The songs on Vapor Trails are very good. My favorites are Secret Touch (excellent guitar work by Alex on this), Earthshine (a great guitar cruncher by Alex, with a multi-layered refrain at 3:56 into the song that is vintage), Peaceable Kingdom (there's an "experimental" feel to this song that reminds me of Natural Science, or something in that vain), and of course, One Little Victory.

Vapor Trails is, indeed, a remarkable achievement.

| 4/5 | 2005-3-11

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