The Anarchist Another great song! This one more musically than lyrically, and they lyrics are quite good! This has a lot of throwback to both Signals and Grace Under Pressure sound to it, but without being quite as dark and without carrying the burden of 80s sound and production. Geddy's heavy but melodic bass line really carries this one. Geddy does seem to be pushing his vocal right to the limit of what he could do by 2012, but it's not so far out as to be a distraction. High marks. Hard to decide whether I like this or the title cut better. Both indispensible.
I just joined today, looks like I have a lot of catching up to do on this thread. Wish I would have been here back in January, but honestly not sure I could have contributed much. I told my friends in early January that it's so strange that a man I had never met or visited with could impact my life in a way that Neil Peart did...anyway glad to be here before it's all over. Looking forward to going back and seeing what's been written. "Keep on looking forward, no use in looking 'round"
"The Anarchist" doesn't really stand out much to me. There's no strong melody and even the classic-Rush-style playing doesn't drum up much energy. It feels like it's about to pick up when the chorus comes in but it still doesn't really deliver anything. I do like the "eastern-sounding" strings in the background of the distorted vocal section but it still doesn't really add up to much. Overall it's not a bad song, I just find it unremarkable on its own.
Welcome aboard mate. For ease of going through, unless of course you want to page by page it, there is a thread guide every Saturday, click on where you want to look. Have fun on the forum. Mark
A few tracks behind, so brief notes: Caravan: this is a solid opener. Ominous intro flattens out into a track with quite a simple but propulsive groove. And we get that typical quiet chorus section where the jangling guitar comes into play. And then a bit of bass and the usual musicianship in the final couple of minutes - I love that descending/ascending inverse section at 3"58 - before the final set of vocals. Structurally, Rush plough no new territory here but it is still effective. I always peg this track as being well over 7mins in length too, it feels longer than it actually is. BU2B: this is right on point. Interesting, ethereal intro develops into quite a jagged, nasty hard-rock track. Simple lyric which requires little interpretation. It doesn't have an anthemic quality to it, but I don't feel that it requires it. I like the soundscape that develops in the background about 3"14 in and could have done with that being more prominent in the mix. Layered, strong, under-the-radar track overall.
Clockwork Angels: Caravan was the first to standout to me on Clockwork Angels, but the self-titled track has wormed it's way soundly into my affections. It is a veritable journey. From the hymn-like intro that precedes the static-effect first riff, moving into the heavier section with pulse-like ripples underneath. Then we stop, move into another of those arpeggiated verse sections, and back into the heavy. And that's just the first two minutes: the dynamics are all over the place here, it feels very progressive and I can see Mark's nods to past works through the ages of Rush. Unlike BU2B, there is also a real anthemic quality here: "Clockwork angels, spread their arms and sing". It's hard not to mimic that! Really nice elongation Geddy puts on the "To the angels high above" line too - simply a good vocal effect rather than covering a vocal weakness. Stellar solo from Alex, the distorted-vocal section adds yet another dynamic, and those pulse effects throughout really add an extra layer of interest to me. Knockout track, and I can also see why some feel it should have been the opener. The Anarchist: I feel like I'll be echoing the majority view here, unfulfilled potential. Music hits the right notes but could have been more integrated. I think the strings giving the eastern vibe could have been worked far more prominently in particular to elevate this track. Missed a trick there and in places it feels stilted - like when it suddenly cuts out at 4"15. Shame, given that Alex goes all Ritchie Blackmore towards the end to such effect. Geddy's vocals are poor here in places, which is by now known and does not detract for me personally. But it can't be hidden.
The Anarchist This one is pretty good but not quite as great as the title track. I like the riffs, the melody and the energy. The distorted vocals are a little tougher and in general Geddy is singing pretty high and you can tell it's a strain . The guitar solo is great and it may be the best on the album. The subtle middle eastern sound to it is great. That instrumental break is even better live.
Clockwork Angels It's such a shame that we won't get to hear where Rush might have gone from here. This might be the most satisfying album they made since the early 80's. On top of that, it's their first and only full-fledged concept album, and pretty good one at that. The band sounds more confident with their songwriting; this album isn't afraid to explore various sounds and textures, while still keeping an overall sonic signature. It continues along with that heavy sound they established over the past few studio albums, but there are a bunch of creative and interesting ideas cropping up throughout. The production is quite good and listenable, plus I think that all three band members get to stand out with some excellent performances. For me, this is classic Rush.
The Anarchist: Another favorite from the album. Alex and Geddy's playing is the highlight here and it has me nodding my head along. Some great textures here and Geddy's vocal megaphone style treatment gives it a proggy touch. This track will definitely be going my driving / running playlists from now on.
"Caravan" Another one of their solid opening tracks. It's got that heavy, pulsing groove which carries it along, set against the cool, melodic line of "I can't stop thinking big", which has always stood out for me. The instrumental break is a wonder of musicianship. Alex's solo sets a great, acerbic mood. This pretty much gives one a glimpse of what's to come. "BU2B" Soft, almost exotic atmospherics lead into an very aggressive but catchy track. Alex's gnarly guitar moves things along while Neil's drums add some nice subterranean grooves. This song seems to approach the brink of chaos, but just stands a step or two away. A song I typically might not get into, but it has a solid melodic base that makes it work.
"Clockwork Angels" A much more exotic intro that gets cut through with Alex's reverberating guitar. Neil sounds particularly good with his dancing rhythms throughout. Here's the first track on the album that explores those varying textures...heavy, acoustic, rhythmic, vocal, atmospheric...all put together in a kind of mini epic piece. Alex also pulls out a stellar solo with Neil's accompanying playful beats. The song comes off as somewhat of a travelogue of sounds. As a title track, it really delivers.
"The Anarchist" Certainly one of the strongest tracks on the album. That rumbling intro by Neil, followed by Alex and Geddy laying down the theme, it all creates a distinctive, notable musical idea. This can practically stand as an instrumental. Melodically, the song is fairly solid, as Geddy adds some vocal effects along the way. But I think it's that rhythmic structure of the song created by Neil and Geddy that drives this along. Definitely a favourite.
Carnies songfacts Clockwork Angels is a concept album about a young man's quest to follow his dreams in a dystopian alternate world of steampunk where he comes across an exotic carnival. A carnie is a slang term used in North America for a carnival employee, as well as the language they employ. Given Rush's history of conceptually-driven music, Spin magazine asked vocalist and bassist Geddy Lee to comment on whether the record was created in a different way than their previous efforts. "It felt different this time," he replied. "I think because we were taking the approach of making the songs work as individual pieces, we didn't have to worry about the necessity for an overture or trying to bring musical themes back. That approach would've felt formulaic to us. The three times we attempted side-long concept pieces in the past, the music was really like one song broken up into many parts. The thread connecting the music on Clockwork Angels is the story-line. That's the key difference." Producer Nick Raskulinecz told the story of the recording of this song to MusicRadar.com: "Geddy (Lee) sang the song, and after he finished, it was time to come up with the soundscapes." he said. "We have three guitar tracks – one on the left, one on the right and one in the middle – and they all have different clean amps with tremolo, panning effects and phasers, Leslie speakers and filtered little sounds. Alex (Lifeson, guitar) doesn't really discuss what he's thinking before he does it," he continued. "He'll lay his parts down, and then he'll call me into the room. I'll either say, 'That's fu--ing amazing!' or 'It can be better' or 'It's done, it's perfect.' Nine times out of 10, I'll say, 'It's perfect.'" Raskulinecz said to MusicRadar regarding Lifeson's guitar solo: "This solo is so cool because of the carnival atmosphere, and that's all Al. He made those sounds and did all that brilliant guitar work - he had such vision and so many ideas. It was pretty inspiring seeing him follow it all through." ------------------------------------------------------------------------- I FOUND WORK WITH A TRAVELING CARNIVAL, and for the Midsummer Festival in Crown City, our games and rides were set up right in the middle of the Square, beneath the Angels. One night, amid the noise and confusion of the crowded midway, I saw a man working with wires and wooden barrels. He stood and turned – the Anarchist! – holding a clockwork detonator in his hand. I called out to warn the crowd, then suddenly he threw the device at me, and I caught it automatically – just as the people turned to look my way. I escaped, but in disgrace, and fled down the Winding Pinion River to the sea. Under the gaze of the angels A spectacle like he’s never seen Spinning lights and faces Demon music and gypsy queens The glint of iron wheels Bodies spin in a clockwork dance The smell of flint and steel A wheel of fate, a game of chance How I prayed just to get away To carry me anywhere Sometimes the angels punish us By answering our prayers A face of naked evil Turns the young boy’s blood to ice Deadly confrontation Such a dangerous device Shout to warn the crowd Accusations ringing loud A ticking box, in the hand of the innocent The angry crowd moves toward him with bad intent We open with a swirling kind of swell with a rhythmic device underneath, then we move into this rock/metal guitar riff that works really well. I like the feel of the riff and I think it works well. The lyrics here rely on the preamble to let us know what's going on. I like the lyrics, due to the somewhat poetic styling they are written in. They vaguely tell the story, but that isn't a priority for meon this kind of album. There are some interesting lyrics here, and the most interesting line here I can't talk about due to forum rules, but this is a more grounded lyric, and has no misinformation. It always pays for writers to write about what they know, and here that is done and done pretty well. Where the Anarchist really didn't meet expectations for me, all potential and little delivery on the promise, I think this song delivers very well. We get some nice changes that keep the music at a high level. The change from the opening riff section, to the second section that has a more smooth and flowing feel, and then it moves into the very cool "How I Prayed Just To Get Away section. I really like the effected rhythm guitar? in this section it is really effective, and gives the track a nice textural feel. Also the arpeggio guitars have a nice ringing quality that give it a somewhat dreamy feel. I think the flow between the sections here is very smooth and it flows well. For me that is generally the most important part of having a series of slightly unlike sections. the flow between them is really going to be what makes something work for me, and here I think they flow really well. In a lot of this song the guitar is more of a wash effect, and it is effective. Geddy magaes to convince me with the vocal. There is one section where everything drops out, and the vocal is a bit touch and go, but I think it is too short to be a negative in any way. so for me this works well.
I also like Carnies - it's a good track. It chugs along with various sections, with enough variety to keep it fun. But it has to be heard in the context of the album, taken by itself it wouldn't work.
Carnies This one is doing ok, but it keeps getting better as it goes on. That’s a very nice transition right there. The guitar solo section is excellent too. Probably a bit of an underrated song, but this one does quite well in its place on the album.
Sometimes the angels punish us by answering our prayers... Carnies Classic late Rush right here, with aggressive, heavy verses and smoother choruses or interludes. Great groove and momentum. Excellent imagery here too. With the whole carnival theme, and it being a carnival with dark undertones, I get a very Ray Bradbury Something Wicked This Way Comes vibe. I think I'd be surprised if Neil didn't pick up a little influence there. Sadly, Geddy's voice seems badly strained a numerous points in the song. This time it has risen to a level of distraction, albeit minor.
Carnies Agree. I would never skip it, probably due to the high energy, but this isn’t one I am going to listen to without listening to the whole album. The lyrics aren’t working for me on this one.
Clockwork Angels I agree that this one works great from a mini-epic perspective. The shifts, twists and turns, and different instrumentation create a welcome structure over the course of 7 1/2 minutes, sectionalizing the track and allowing for a respite to reflect on each segment, while relieving some of the fatigue that comes with their generally harder and less-varied 21st century sound. A lot of nice instrumental tidbits to sink your teeth in. It's probably not entirely fair to say, but it feels like they particularly committed to this one, spending time and care to create a distinctive piece of work, rather than settle for a straight-forward track without much variation (something they did too much of in the latter part of their career, IMO, I suspect purposely.) So, all in all, a nice call-back to earlier years. The Anarchist Although to a lesser extent than on Clockwork Angels, again I hear the guys throwing in variations to this track to elevate it (from the norm) and add individuality to it. I definitely hear those 80s callbacks that Fischman referred to, especially the initial guitars after the toms, the bass work at :42, and especially the guitars at :56 (where I'm picking up a Signals vibe). And I liked the middle-eastern flair that others have mentioned. I think the too-short solo at 5:15 is very good--has quite a nice personality. Overall, not quite as good as the previous track, but certainly listenable.
"Carnies" is a pretty good song, although I'm less enamored with the melody here than on the other songs we've heard thus far. The "How I prayed just to get away" section doesn't seem to fit well melodically with the rest of the song and I find it somewhat jarring. I like the guitar sounds on this song and the lyrics are good at moving the story along (with the aid of the preface). I especially like the lines sometimes the angels punish us/by answering our prayers. It's not the strongest cut on the album but it works pretty well, I'd say.
Carnies This one is heavy. That opening guitar riff is really nasty (in a good way). The song then settles into a more moderate verse effect-heavy guitar. The chorus isn't super catchy, which might be the biggest weakness of the song. Instrumentally the song is a feast. I love when Neil pulls out the LaVilla ride pattern and things really take flight. So far Clockwork Angels has been kicking some butt, with 5 very solid songs in a row. The band pulled out all of the stops for the live presentation of this song. Bluray version is below but with spanish subtitles.
I am embarrassed to say I didn’t even pick that up. Although, in fairness to me, it is more obvious in that video than buried in the Clockwork LP mix.
