PERMANENT WAVES

Permanent Waves starts out with a massively popular "Spirit of Radio". Great tempo and lyrics for an exciting starter. It's not as technical and, ahem, "proggy" as many would expect of Rush based off their previous few efforts, but hey. The album kicks off loud and enforcing.

Unfortunately I feel it just wanes after that until the closer, "Natural Science". Some poppy numbers with prog twists, verses in odd time signatures or choruses with unusual melodic/harmonic intervals, all more concise and less hectic. It's up to one's own to decide if the shift was a good one. For some it may be, but I feel some of the life Rush used to have is not present in this album. The simplification of the old Rush style on tracks like "Jacob's Ladder" and "Entre Nous" just feel like filler, easy math experiments and the band deciding to not play to the expressive extremes they were once known for. They almost sound Neo-Prog in a way, which is strange to me. "Different Strings" is an alright tune, but it's more restrained than even the previous tunes, which never find themselves getting up and going. The group really held back on this record. I understand that was their choice. On "Natural Science" the first minute alone says to me "By the way, we ARE still Rush". It's not because it's a speedier song than the rest. The middle tracks just feel empty to me.

Sure, different hearts may beat on different strings, but there are too many caged songs here. It's hard to listen and be excited for this album. "Natural Science" most definitely feels as if it belongs on a different album, and "Spirit of Radio" sets a tone that is not held up throughout. 2 stars from me.