Other songs, like “Caravan,” “BU2B,” “The Wreckers,” and “The Garden” were written to lyrics with the intent of structuring them around the story of the song itself. Some of the longer songs, like “Headlong Flight,” “Seven Cities of Gold,” and even “Carnage” were born out of jams. How much of the music was derived in this improvisational way? You and Alex did a lot of jamming for this record. So musically and lyrically, they had to be quite clear and independent, yet related to carrying on the single-story theme of the album. Here, we wanted these to be distinct songs that would stand up on their own, whether part of or detached from the story. We were up for attacking a different kind of storyline, but we wanted to be sure not to do it in the same way as in the past, with 2112 and Hemispheres, where the same musical themes ran through most of the songs. We fell in love with the whole steampunk aesthetic it really suited the kind of vibe we’re into. As for the vision, I think we were ready to stretch out a bit and try something fresh. We hadn’t had anything new in three years when we launched the Time Machine tour, but we had at least started writing Clockwork and were able to include two of the songs on that tour. We felt like we needed to have something contemporary when we tour. Tomorrow, I’ll be listening to Caress of Steel, a very weird way to end a twenty-day journey.What set Clockwork Angels in motion, and what was your concept? Such is the reality of an ambitious band in the CD age (though we’re almost out of that age, I would suspect). And then…it says it again and again, for almost seven minutes. “The Garden” ends the album with an touching summary of what one takes away after a long life of ups and downs. Listen to A Farewell to Kings back to back with Clockwork Angels and you’ll hear just how much production has changed since the 70s, and not all for the better. I also noticed it at 2:43 of “Carnies.” Not a preferred production technique, but it’s unfortunately been the trend of heavy rock music for the past decade. You can practically hear the limiter pumping at 1:10 of “Seven Cities of Gold” as Geddy reaches for the high notes. It wouldn’t be a bad way to cap off a forty-year career.Īs with so many hard-rock albums these days, Rush squashed the sound too much in the mastering process. “Headlong Flight” is a blistering seven minutes of pure joy, employing brief allusions to Rush of yesteryear, including riffs from “Bastille Days” and “By-Tor and the Snow Dog.” It’s a powerhouse that I would expect to be included in any future tours the band might make, though I wonder if Clockwork Angels might be Rush’s swan-song. “The Wreckers” is another gem, perhaps going on a minute too long (particularly at the bridge at 2:50), but again a very good verse and chorus with a contagious guitar intro. “The Halo Effect” is a complete song – probably the album’s best – melodic from the start, accessible, with universal lyrics, and one of the few times in recent memory that a Rush song ends exactly when it should at just over three minutes. “Carnies” is an example of a track whose verse is a complete mess, but whose other sections work extremely well.
As with many recent Rush songs, too often they write great parts of songs without writing an effective piece from beginning to end. An album of 50 minutes would have been preferred.Ī silly megaphone effect is employed on two successive songs: the title track, and again at 1:55 of “The Anarchist” before going back to a terrific chorus.
This isn’t Rush of 1981, after all they are not at their prolific best. There’s hardly a guitar part that isn’t bathed in effects, filling up the entire stereo spectrum, and beginnings and endings of songs are extended with traces of vocal and guitar parts swept with ethereal effects, sometimes serving to give the listener a respite from the onslaught of sound, other times doing nothing but prolonging what should have been a much shorter effort. The album gets bogged down a bit with the unnecessary effects and interludes. The opening “Caravan” immediately provides the hook and infectious chorus so often lacking in later Rush material, setting the stage with the universal chorus of “I can’t stop thinking big,” and “BU2B” provides an exciting opening riff and a memorable refrain. It’s easily the band’s best effort since Test for Echo, and quite possibly their best album since the early 80s.
Unlike Snakes and Arrows, there’s a sense of exploration and joy on this effort, with shifting moods, exciting riffs, some great hooks and plenty of moments that challenge each member of the band. Listening to Clockwork Angels, one gets the feeling that Rush enjoyed writing and recording this album. DAY NINETEEN: Clockwork Angels, running time 66:04, released June 12, 2012
0 kommentar(er)
