COUNTERPARTS

Now that the nineties are well over, I have reflected on Rush's output from this decade and come to the conclusion that, of the three albums released in this era, Counterparts is the best. It is the most consistent, the best produced and finally and most importantly, the biggest statement of departure from a previous sound since Signals. On this album, the band focuses much more on the three piece nature of the band; putting extra emphasis on guitar, bass and drums rather than keyboards; the latter of which remained quite prominent since the release of Signals in 1982.

Counterparts is the culmination of years of weening away from keyboards into a heavier sound; harkening back to the classic late 70's - early 80's period of progressive Rush music. However, the music itself still retains the concision of the post-Moving Pictures era Rush. The songs are still all under seven minutes but this does not take away from the great music on this album. Rather the songs are highly listenable rock tunes with progressive tendencies. Let's face it: Rush's songwriting abilities are, at the very core, unorthodox. They simply have a certain idiosyncratic approach to songwriting that will forever give them a unique sound in whatever style of music they choose to explore. Counterparts sees the band flirting with the Grunge sound that was peaking in 1993; 'Stick it Out', with its dropped D tuning, succeeds as the most obvious example of this genre. But there are many progressive moments on this record as well; including the atmospheric and ethereal moments in 'Animate' and 'Alien Shore'; the borderline metallic mini-opus of 'Double Agent'; and finally the now classic instrumental, 'Leave That Thing Alone'.

Other standout features include Geddy Lee's powerfully fresh vocals and his impressively kinetic bass work; the latter of which can be heard on 'Alien Shore', 'The Speed of Love' and 'Leave That Thing Alone'. Alex's guitar work is especially prominent and heavy on this album, however his atmospheric texturing and unique arpeggiating skills are as equally present on songs like 'Animate', 'Alien Shore' and 'The Speed of Love'. He also delivers a now classic solo in 'Cut to the Chase', making Lifeson's performance on Counterparts one of his best. Peart is as smooth, solid and dynamic as ever; and his enigmatic lyrics are perfectly complemented by the equally cold and moody music. Overall, Counterparts is a heavy and mysterious album - with an atmosphere evocative of a steely cold winter landscape - and yet it rocks hard and is very kinetic with many great rock songs featuring solid melodies and choruses. Highly recommended to progressive rock fans who also have an appreciation for well written, fresh hard rock.