SNAKES & ARROWS

After two months of listening to the CD and attending three concerts in the tour supporting it, I have to rate Snakes and Arrows very highly. Sorry for being so slow! There are not many average songs on the CD (The Larger Bowl being the one that immediately comes to mind). Far Cry is an outstanding opening track, featuring excellent guitar work that oscillates between "tricky" during the bridges and verses, and straightforward and smashing during the intro and main riffs. Geddy plays bass with a vengeance on this album. It is much more noticeable here than on Vapor Trails, perhaps because the production is much better. On that note, this is one of the cleanest and best sounding albums I've heard from any band in a long time. Five stars to the producer, Nick R. Peart has a more straightforward role in this album, while Alex and Geddy provide the awe and flash. The drums sound great, but most of the complication in the drums comes from the elegant use of hats and cymbals, with occasional great snare-kick interactions as in Faithless and The Way the Wind Blows.

The album moves around quite a bit even within its songs: Far Cry being explosive, Armor and Sword alternating between heaviness in the verses and melody in the chorus, Spindrift being grinding and menacing, Workin' Them Angels being retro-powerful, The Way the Wind Blows alternating between blues, rock, and 60's acoustics, the two three-piece instrumentals being very dynamic and energetic, and Bravest Face and Good News First being straightforward rockers. The Main Monkey Business is a fantastic instrumental that displays their musical flexibility. As an added bonus, Rush plays many songs from Snakes and Arrows live on the tour, and they all translate superbly. The biggest criticism I have is that of the vocal layerings on many of the songs. It would be nice for them to return to a single vocal or two-part harmony sound and leave out the layering. It is sometimes distracting and annoying.

Lyrically, the album is very strong. The anti-religion tone carries throughout most of the album, and is most welcomed. Just call these guys the "Dawkins of Rock". Although at first pass the lyrics may be perceived as moody, dark, and hopeless, most of the songs feature themes of resistance, eventual hope, and resilience in an uncaring reality and a world threatened by mindless and arrogant religion and power-mad fanatics. Faithless and The Way the Wind Blows are the best lyrical efforts on a very strong album. I think it's good, timely stuff. Although I think Rush has passed the mantle of being a through-and-through progressive rock band to the likes of Tool, I like the mix of dynamic sounds and the occasional time change and odd time signature with more straightforward songs where the progressive nature is all in the arrangement. There is no need for Rush to continue to put out 2112 and Hemispheres over and over again. Their willingness and eagerness to explore all aspects of rock music is welcomed (the notable exception being their foray into "rap" with Roll the Bones... ugh!). Snakes and Arrows isn't an exercise in prog-rock mastery, but it is an excellent musical and lyrical effort that provides a nice undercurrent of Rush's prog-rock roots and expertise.