PRESTO

As a hardcore Rush fan, its sometimes hard to be objective. People seem to either love or hate the band with equal passion, with most rock fans feeling the latter emotion. Still, I'll try to be fair. PRESTO, although generally regarded as hailing Rush's fourth phase, feels more like the culmination of their third. Taken as a whole, it is the most pop feeling of their catalogue; not only because there are no extended compositions, but there are no musical chances here. For instance, even though the verses in 'Superconductor' are in 7/4 it is the chirpiest song on the album. The word that comes to mind is "bland". That's not necessarily a bad thing for any other band but RUSH has set the bar so high for so long. The best songs are "Show Don't Tell"( jazzy syncopated rocker), "The Pass" (with it's touchingly mournful lyrics), "War Paint" (who knew they'd ever record a sing-along!), and "Presto" (a stripped down new age, folk). I'm surprised at how "Presto" is so often overlooked, but it may be that it is indicative of how PRESTO sounds overall. The sound is spacious-owing to Rupert Hines production- with guitars, drums, keyboards and vocals crisply distinct and noticably echoed. Geddy's bass is the odd man out of the mix. A solid entry in the discography, PRESTO is an interesting segue to their 'back to rock' albums that follow. But may leave RUSH fans, especially those that are musicians, craving something more.