SNAKES & ARROWS

Modern-era Rush has yet to disappoint me. Geddy Lee's voice is at its most mature and his bass work is thick and satisfying, Neil Peart's drumming is robust and his lyrics are at their most relevant, and Alex Lifeson employs a more varied palette of guitar tones and sounds. Almost every track from Counterparts onward has been hard rock bliss for me. Rush has long abandoned lengthy song structures, the lyrics are not entrenched in science-fiction or fantasy, and they have achieved commercial success beyond what most progressive rock bands attain. Perhaps these are reasons some people feel justified in spurning Rush's latter-day output- I don't know. To me, those are lousy reasons. Snakes & Arrows consists of intense heavy pop rock music with occasional progressive tendencies, meditative and philosophical lyrics, and an amazingly vigorous sound. The packaging of the CD is one of the most impressive artistic efforts I have ever seen- each piece that accompanies the lyrics in the book is practically a masterpiece (it would be difficult to choose a favorite, but I might go with the poignant painting paired with "The Larger Bowl"). My major complaint with this album is how it loses steam just over halfway through, and the compositions (with the exception of "Malignant Narcissism") are insipid and generic. Instead of prattling on for another twenty minutes about the same themes that had already been far more eloquently expressed, the band would have produced a much superior album by cutting the dross. That said, the weak songs do not detract from the assertively thoughtful music that makes up the bulk of this disc.

"Far Cry" As with the opener from the previous album, "One Little Victory," the first track for this 2008 album kicks off nice and heavy. Rush is impressive for coming up with eighteen albums worth of creative riffs, and this one is no exception, and even though it is relatively simplistic, these three men know how to fill out the sound, creating a barrage of tones that simply rock. Of course with Rush, I'm going to rip the lyrics from their macrocosmic context and bring them into the microcosmic, the personal: For the longest time after I first heard this song, this was my anthem (no pun intended): Circumstances (okay, that one was intentional) had kicked me in the balls for far too long, from losing my job, losing my health insurance, losing any savings, losing our automobile, and nearly losing all sanity, but despite two years of this, I remained confident - foolishly so- and this song only bolsters that reckless sense of optimism. Yet when I consider the losses of the man who penned these lyrics, my own pale in comparison, and I give thanks for everything- and everyone- I still have.

"Armor and Sword" Musically, this is a phenomenal piece of work. I relish the big sound of the drums and the thick interactions among the guitars and bass. The vocal melody is initially uncomfortable and may take getting used to due to its meter. With regard to lyrics, I could quibble with the metaphor (Ephesians 6:10-18), and I might also take issue with the songwriter's assumption that there is "good faith" and "bad faith" (I think the latter is self-contradictory), but I appreciate the depth of this song and I actually ally with its author in the spirit of his grievance (though we may disagree on any number of details).

"Workin' Them Angels" A piece that sounds like it would have fit perfectly on Vapor Trails, this great rock song has a catchy chorus. The title is a reference to overhearing an elderly couple, with the woman criticizing her husband's driving by saying he was "workin' them angels," meaning the man probably wasn't the safest motorist in the world.

"The Larger Bowl" Primarily an acoustic guitar song, the lyrics to this plaintive rocker are something of an extension of "Roll the Bones." The electric guitar solo is tasty, bright, and colorful.

"Spindrift" Hauntingly distant at first, this song reveals the darker side of Rush musically speaking. To my ears, it is a throwback to one of the edgier tracks from Counterparts ("Stick It Out" comes to mind).

"The Main Monkey Business" The first of three instrumentals (a record for a Rush album), this has a pleasant acoustic (twelve-string) introduction and slightly more exotic percussion, and the light electric guitar is a nice touch. It doesn't sound as zany as the title might suggest. Despite being an instrumental, the piece has Lee's distinctive voice hovering in the background. Over a fast-paced but uncluttered rhythm, Lifeson pulls off an "elastic-sounding" solo. But whereas most Rush instrumentals sound like instrumentals, this one begs for lyrics- surely some appropriate words were available?

"The Way the Wind Blows" Opening with a tom and snare duet, the song takes on a bluesy visage that hearkens back to the earliest days of the band, but with a punchy, modern sound. The acoustic bit is lifted directly from the foregoing instrumental. Lee's vocal is very warm and honest despite the whirlwind of overdriven rock music sounding it- a beautiful and contemplative effort.

"Hope" Lifeson offers a warmhearted acoustic piece with Celtic tinges.

"Faithless" I consider this to be the spiritual cousin of "Sweet Miracle," as it were. The lyrics reflect an optimistic and passive atheism. Unfortunately, the sin of this song is the weak music. It is bland and barely fits the melody, which is why I call it "faceless."

"Bravest Face" Speaking of face, there's this one. After a harsh opening, the music and singing is acoustic-based and a lot like what can be heard on their recent EP called Feedback. The lyrics reject a black and white view of the universe, and advises the listeners to be courageous and get prepared for whatever the world throws at them. The guitar solo is a funky little bit, again reminiscent of the aforementioned EP.

"Good News First" If there is one pessimistic song on the album, it is this one. This time, the music is quite similar to what one can hear on their very underrated album Test for Echo. For me, this is an okay track- it suffers from a generic contemporary Rush sound and like "Faithless," isn't memorable at all.

"Malignant Narcissism" Something of a pithy instrumental tacked on at the last minute (Lee was jamming alone on bass, and Nick Raskulinecz liked what he heard, so Peart joined in on a four-piece kit). This work is an opportunity for Lee to strut his stuff since much of the album has him merely bolstering the low end.

"We Hold On" Over thin guitar, Lee sings the words to one more flavorless song. Everything about this is good, and sure it rocks out, but the melody, the lyrics, the guitar solo- the entire composition itself- is just relatively weak and does not do the album any favors by ending it this way.