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DISCID=a60eb80d
DTITLE=Rush / Snakes & Arrows
DYEAR=2007
DGENRE=Progressive Rock
TTITLE0=Far Cry
TTITLE1=Armor And Sword
TTITLE2=Workin' Them Angels
TTITLE3=The Larger Bowl
TTITLE4=Spindrift 
TTITLE5=The Main Monkey Business
TTITLE6=The Way The Wind Blows
TTITLE7=Hope
TTITLE8=Faithless
TTITLE9=Bravest Face
TTITLE10=Good News First
TTITLE11=Malignant Narcissism
TTITLE12=We Hold On
EXTD=2007 Anthem/Atlantic Recording Corporation\n\nOriginally Released
EXTD= May 1, 2007\n\nAMG EXPERT REVIEW: When Rush issued Vapor Trails 
EXTD=in 2002, they revealed that -- even after Neil Peart's personal t
EXTD=ragedies in the 1990s had cast the group's future in doubt -- the
EXTD=y were back with a vengeance. The sound was hard-hitting, direct,
EXTD= and extremely focused. Lyrically, Peart went right after the sub
EXTD=ject matter he was dealing with -- and it was in the aftermath of
EXTD= 9/11 as well, which couldn't help but influence his lyric writin
EXTD=g. In 2004 the band issued a covers EP that was in one way a toss
EXTD=-off, but in another a riotous act of freewheeling joy that offer
EXTD=ed a side of the band no one had heard for 30 years. There were a
EXTD= couple of live offerings and a 30th anniversary project as well 
EXTD=that kept fans happy perhaps, but broke -- though Rush in Rio was
EXTD= the kind of live album every band hopes to record. Snakes & Arro
EXTD=ws represents the band's 18th studio album. Produced by Nick Rask
EXTD=ulinecz (Foo Fighters, Velvet Revolver, Superdrag), the record is
EXTD= another heavy guitar, bass, and drums...drums...and more drums r
EXTD=ecord. The title came -- unconsciously according to Peart -- from
EXTD= a centuries-old Buddhist game of the same name about karma, and 
EXTD=also from a play on the words of the children's game Chutes and L
EXTD=adders. Its subject matter is heavy duty: faith and war. From the
EXTD= opening track (and first single), acoustic and electric guitars,
EXTD= bass hum, and Peart's crash-and-thrum urgency in the almighty ri
EXTD=ff are all present. When Geddy Lee opens his mouth, you know you 
EXTD=are in for a ride: "Pariah dogs and wandering madmen/Barking at s
EXTD=trangers and speaking in tongues/The ebb and flow of tidal fortun
EXTD=e/Electrical charges are charging up the young/It's a far cry fro
EXTD=m the world we thought we'd inherit/It's a far cry from the way w
EXTD=e thought we'd share it...." At the same time, inside the frame o
EXTD=f the refrain, Lee refuses to be conquered in the face of chaos: 
EXTD="One day I feel like I'm ahead of the wheel/And the next it's rol
EXTD=ling over me/I can get back on/I can get back on." Alex Lifeson's
EXTD= guitars swell and Peart's crash cymbals ride the riff and push L
EXTD=ee to sing above the wailing fray. Great beginning. \n\n"Armor an
EXTD=d Sword" contains an instrumental surprise. After an initial ride
EXTD=-cymbal clash, the guitar and bassline sound exactly like King Cr
EXTD=imson playing something from Red or Larks' Tongues in Aspic. The 
EXTD=theme is repeated on an acoustic guitar before Lee begins singing
EXTD= about the shadowy side of human nature brought on by the many ti
EXTD=mes children are scarred in development. The boom and crackle of 
EXTD=electric guitars and bass are all there, but so is that sense of 
EXTD=melody that Rush have trademarked as Lee states, "...No one gets 
EXTD=to their heaven without a fight/We hold beliefs as a consolation/
EXTD=A way to take us out of ourselves...." There is no screed for or 
EXTD=against religion per se, but a stake in the claim of hope and fai
EXTD=th as absolutely necessary to accomplish anything, hence the refr
EXTD=ain. Peart beautifully articulates the dark side of life's unders
EXTD=urface; he has been writing the best lyrics of his entire career 
EXTD=on the band's last two studio records -- only two in the last ten
EXTD= years. The dynamic works against the melody and Lifeson's brief 
EXTD=but screaming yet spare solo is a fine cap on it. "Workin' Them A
EXTD=ngels" blends the acoustic against the electrics gorgeously, and 
EXTD=Lee sings counterpoint to the guitars. "The Larger Bowl" is one o
EXTD=f those Rush tunes that builds and builds both lyrically and musi
EXTD=cally, beginning with only Lee's voice and Lifeson's acoustic gui
EXTD=tar. Its shift-and-knot rhythms and spatial dynamics offer the im
EXTD=pression -- as does the rest of the album -- that the bandmembers
EXTD= are playing in the same room at the same time (it happened to a 
EXTD=lesser degree on Vapor Trails, but here the impression is constan
EXTD=t). The sounds -- both hard and soft -- blend together wonderfull
EXTD=y. The live feel of the record with its sonic washes and overdubb
EXTD=ed guitars and vocals creates near chaos without loss of control.
EXTD= It's like teetering on the edge of an abyss with one eye on both
EXTD= sides of it. Song by song, the notions of tension build, taking 
EXTD=the listener to a place where hope and faith are challenged conti
EXTD=nually, not only in the face of the entire world, but in one's pe
EXTD=rsonal relationships -- check "Spindrift." Echoes of T.S. Eliot's
EXTD= The Waste Land, Robert Frost, Matthew Arnold, and The Odyssey ar
EXTD=e glanced upon, as is The Dhammapada in the Buddhist scriptures -
EXTD=- with more of a thematic than referential purpose. \n\nAmid all 
EXTD=this seriousness, there is a bit of humor. The instrumental track
EXTD= "Malignant Narcissism" references a line in the comedic film Tea
EXTD=m America: World Police from Matt Stone and Trey Parker of South 
EXTD=Park fame. It comes from a line in the film that reveals how terr
EXTD=orists think. It's one of three absolutely stunning instrumentals
EXTD=; another is "The Main Monkey Business," which sounds like the cl
EXTD=osest Rush have gotten to jamming in the studio in over 20 years.
EXTD= Think of the intensity of 2112 with the musicianship of Vapor Tr
EXTD=ails, and you begin to get a picture: screaming guitars, deep bas
EXTD=s thrum, soaring keyboards, and all those pop-and-boom drums from
EXTD= Peart's massive kit. "The Way the Wind Blows" is Rush taking on 
EXTD=the blues in massive metallic style, and it feels more like Cream
EXTD= in the intro. Lee's vocal drives deep inside the lyric -- it's t
EXTD=ense, paranoid, yet revelatory. It's about the perverse magnetism
EXTD= of religion and war, and how both are seemingly designed to be c
EXTD=ause and effect: fanatical religiosity leads to war. There are di
EXTD=fferent theories on this, but Peart distills them well, as if he'
EXTD=s read (but not necessarily completely understood) Ren Girard's 
EXTD=seminal work Violence and the Sacred. The album changes pace a bi
EXTD=t with the instrumental "Hope," a largely 12-string acoustic guit
EXTD=ar piece played off a medieval theme by Lifeson. "Faithless" is a
EXTD=nything but. It's one of those Rush tracks where counterpoint voc
EXTD=als against the guitars and basslines create that unique welling 
EXTD=of sound that occurs when the band is at its peak on-stage. The s
EXTD=et ends with "We Hold On," a track that expresses the sum total o
EXTD=f all the struggles life offers and holds. Here Eliot the poet is
EXTD= quoted directly at the end of the third verse. It's anthemic, wi
EXTD=th backmasked guitars, Peart playing actual breaks, and Lee's bas
EXTD=s holding the chaos together with a constant pulsing throb, guidi
EXTD=ng the various knotty musical changes back to the center of the v
EXTD=erse and refrain, which is the place where the cut just explodes 
EXTD=in sonic fury. Snakes & Arrows is one of the tightest conceptual 
EXTD=records the band has ever released. Musically, it is as strong as
EXTD= their very best material, without a lapse in texture, compositio
EXTD=n, production, musicianship, or sheer rock intensity. There are r
EXTD=eal heart and fire in this album. It was well worth waiting for. 
EXTD=[The MVI version of Snakes & Arrows is packaged in a deluxe box a
EXTD=nd includes the album's 13 songs in high-resolution audio and in 
EXTD=5.1 Surround Sound, along with a video documentary and additional
EXTD= bonus features.]  -- Thom Jurek\n\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\n
EXTD=Nick Raskulinecz producing was a cool move!, July 11, 2007 \nBy  
EXTD=Bill Pletcher (Boston, MA)\nMany of the thoughts have been passio
EXTD=nately expressed, but I wanted to add that having Nick Rasckuline
EXTD=z (Foo Fighters, Frank Black and the Catholics, The Reunion Show)
EXTD= was a great change for these guys. Raw, yet sharp. Keeping thing
EXTD=s fresh while maintaining the 'core' RUSH characteristics we all 
EXTD=love. \n\n\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\n"The best we can agree 
EXTD=on is it could have been worse", June 23, 2007 \nBy  Demetrius Ts
EXTD=itrelis\n\nI'm not going to compare this album to previous ones. 
EXTD=I've been a fan for 30 years, the band has changed alot in that t
EXTD=ime and so have I. We've grown together. \n\nA related question I
EXTD= would ask is, if I were new to the band, would I identify this a
EXTD=lbum as an introduction that would make me want to buy more of th
EXTD=eir recordings? In the end I cannot honestly say that I would. To
EXTD=day there is competition from talented musicians from all over th
EXTD=e world and I don't feel the music on this album is either innova
EXTD=tive or memorable compared to what else is out there. \n\nThe mus
EXTD=ic has become too "comfortable". If I had to offer some construct
EXTD=ive cricitism perhaps the best I can do is to say "shake things u
EXTD=p!" It was you who told us that change is constant yet the same o
EXTD=ld tendencies keep cropping up in your music. After extensive lis
EXTD=tening only six of the thirteen songs have even made it to my cur
EXTD=rent playlist and those are ones where I feel the band has made a
EXTD=n effort to branch out from what they normally do. The band's arr
EXTD=angements have become very predictable. Here's a simple idea for 
EXTD=Geddy - vary the number of bars at the start of songs; how often 
EXTD=have you heard him start singing on the first or second bar of a 
EXTD=song, for example? Vary the strong structure by singing only the 
EXTD=chorus or by placing an acoustic section at the end instead of th
EXTD=e beginning, etc. Let Geddy or Alex write the lyrics for one song
EXTD=! Use the new instruments to effect - for goodness sakes Alex, yo
EXTD=u had a bouzouki on this album - tap into some of your Balkan her
EXTD=itage, for instance, to make a cool riff that just wouldn't work 
EXTD=on a guitar. If all these experiments fail, it shouldn't be out o
EXTD=f the question to seek collaboration on the next Rush album with 
EXTD=other musicians you enjoy to force yourselves out of the comfort 
EXTD=zone. \n\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nSnakes and Arrows: More C
EXTD=onfusion from Rush, June 16, 2007 \nBy  Brady "Brady"\n\nRush's l
EXTD=ibrary can be easily categorized. You have the Rockers (Rush, Fly
EXTD= By Night, Carress of Steel, 2112) You have the Prog Years (Farew
EXTD=ell to Kings, Hemispheres, Permanent Waves, Moving Pictures). You
EXTD= have the Synth Years (Signals, Grace Under Pressure, Power Windo
EXTD=ws, Hold Your Fire). And finally you have the........uh...ummm...
EXTD=uh??? \n\nSince 1991's Presto, Rush has hyped each album as a "ba
EXTD=ck to basics", or "return to roots" project. This happened no mor
EXTD=e so than on Snakes and Arrows. But just like last few albums, Ru
EXTD=sh comes nowhere close to delivering anything resembling their fo
EXTD=rmer selves. \n\nEven Rush fans are confused. Just look at the po
EXTD=larity of the positive reviews. \n\nYou have the "Rush is evolvin
EXTD=g" crowd that boast how this record is somehow a more complex, pr
EXTD=ogressive work. I find it funny that the word "evolving" has been
EXTD= used in a lot of fan album reviews since Presto. Is there really
EXTD= that much difference between SNA and the last 4 albums? Is it mo
EXTD=re "evolved" because Geddy modulates his voice 10 times over now 
EXTD=instead of twice? If so, then all hail Britney Spears: The new Qu
EXTD=een of Prog. Other oft used words to explain Rush's love of the d
EXTD=ub are "textured", "dynamic", and "powerful". \n\nThen you have t
EXTD=he "Rush is back!!" crowd. Wait a minute...I thought they were "b
EXTD=ack" when they released Counterparts? Or was it Roll the Bones? P
EXTD=erhaps Rush being "back" means that they finally ditched the keyb
EXTD=oards. Ok, but that was 15 years ago. Unfortunately, the qualitie
EXTD=s that put Rush on the map in the mid 70's are very hard to find 
EXTD=on this album. Alex's renowned intricate and precise playing is s
EXTD=till buried under a big wall of studio enhanced noise. He does pl
EXTD=ay a lot of acoustic on this record, which is kind of nice. But b
EXTD=uyer beware, there are no guitar anthems on this record. Aspiring
EXTD= guitarists will continue to look up the tablature of Limelight, 
EXTD=Freewill, and 2112. Armor and Sword and Bravest Face will most as
EXTD=suredly be skipped. Geddy's wild, roller coaster base lines are s
EXTD=trangely hard to pick out of the mix. There are no more adventure
EXTD=s to the caves of ice or to our uncle's country place that no one
EXTD= knows about. Instead Neil feels compelled to remind us again tha
EXTD=t "I don't believe in the stars or the planets, or angels watchin
EXTD=g from above" so "you can call me Faithless". \n\nIf it is neithe
EXTD=r "evolving" nor "back to basics", then what is SNA? The best des
EXTD=cription I can think of is a mixed bag of verses and choruses glu
EXTD=ed together to form songs injected with a studio steroid mix of o
EXTD=verdubs and volume. You could cut the chorus out of one song and 
EXTD=paste it into another song and not miss a beat on this album. Thi
EXTD=s is most evident in the song "Workin' Them Angels". Nothing real
EXTD=ly seems to flow or fit. "The Way the Wind Blows" is another exam
EXTD=ple. You have a basic, blues intro leading into a moronic riff th
EXTD=at sounds like it was sampled from Metallica's St Anger, leading 
EXTD=into a folksy chorus. "Armor and Sword" and "Spindrift" are the o
EXTD=verdub contest winners. Alex said he did most of his writing on t
EXTD=he acoustic this time. I'd be curious to hear what "Armor and Swo
EXTD=rd" sounded like before all layers were added. There actually mig
EXTD=ht be a something memorable there. The last few albums also featu
EXTD=re several "cringe" moments, such as Superconductor, the RTB rap,
EXTD= Cold Fire, and last but not least, Dog Years. This time, in the 
EXTD=spirit of Slippery When Wet, Geddy belts out a series of "whoahh 
EXTD=whoooahhhoh whoaaa's" in "The Larger Bowl". Ugh. \n\nIf there is 
EXTD=any resemblance of their former selves, it can be found in the fi
EXTD=rst single "Far Cry", "The Main Monkey Business", and "Malignant 
EXTD=Narcissism". Geddy and Neil finally wake up on these tracks. \n\n
EXTD=So I now I understand the polarity of the reviews. As I listened 
EXTD=to this record for the first few times, I was trying desperately 
EXTD=to find anything that resembled the band I grew up on. When that 
EXTD=failed, I tried to just dig the music for what it is. That failed
EXTD= too. So I can't honestly put myself in either camp. I just wish 
EXTD=Rush would be more honest in their pre-album hype. I will probabl
EXTD=y be flamed as one of those "Stuck in the 70's" fans. But that is
EXTD= ok. Those songs will be around much longer than anything on Snak
EXTD=es and Arrows. It has actually forced me to get my Prog fix elsew
EXTD=here. I actually discovered Porcupine Tree the other day. So mayb
EXTD=e there is something good about Snakes and Arrows after all. \n\n
EXTD=\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nThe album is a failure of productio
EXTD=n, sound, writing and concept. Other then that.....??????, June 1
EXTD=5, 2007 \nBy  Peter C. Jones "drumboy" (Aurora, IL USA)\n\nWell..
EXTD= many have waxed their love or hate for the new album "Snakes and
EXTD= Arrows" with not much going on in the middle. It is interesting 
EXTD=that either the whole thing sucks or the whole thing rules. \n\nI
EXTD= will not go into each song and rip this part or that part. That 
EXTD=is for each of us to decide on our own. My focus is more on the o
EXTD=verall success, or failure in this case, to produce an album that
EXTD= is sonic and dynamic, melodic and worth being called a Rush reco
EXTD=rd. I have many points to focus on and will do my best to explain
EXTD= my views on each subject. \n\n1) Rush needs a producer that is m
EXTD=ore concerned with making a great RUSH record than making a name 
EXTD=for himself. Just because some hot shot may have had success with
EXTD= other bands(Foo Fighters and Velvet Revolver)doesn't mean they h
EXTD=ave a CLUE how to do a great Rush record. There are countless tim
EXTD=es when a band grabbed the "new guy" only to have their sound rui
EXTD=ned by that new producer! Ted Nugent was convinced by the "new gu
EXTD=y' in the early 1980's to stop playing the Birdland and use a dif
EXTD=ferent sound. It set his career back 10 or more years. He plays i
EXTD=t now ...and wow,he sounds like TED!! Rush should produce themsel
EXTD=ves or at least get a proven classic rock producer and start ther
EXTD=e...Martin Birch, Ted Templeton, Bob Rock, or,hey how about that 
EXTD=Terry Brown guy!!! \n\n2) The material lacks any solid melody and
EXTD= that was always what made Rush so incredible. They could still b
EXTD=e chops all over the place and still leave you humming SOMETHING!
EXTD= Hell you can even hum to Cyngus X-1!! They don't even sound like
EXTD= songs. And can we PLEASE try a different tempo just once in a wh
EXTD=ile?? Please?? They are just pieces throw together without any gl
EXTD=ue. And of course without glue...nothing sticks! \n\n3) Geddy's v
EXTD=ocals are awful. WHAT IS WITH ALL THE DOUBLE TRACKING??? STOP IT!
EXTD=! I don't need or want backing vocals on a Rush record! Leave tha
EXTD=t to the Simpson sisters! Can you imagine what Tom Sawyer would h
EXTD=ave sounded like with that crappy production ....OUCH! \n\n4)As a
EXTD= drummer of 35+ years, I have to do this. Neil...you messed up! I
EXTD= go all the way back to the period between Counterparts and Test 
EXTD=for Echo..you know...the "reinvention of Neil Peart". Well congra
EXTD=ts...you did that alright...you created a drummer that is nothing
EXTD= like the one we loved before the "reinvention". All the things t
EXTD=hat made Neil the legend he is..the power, the discipline, and th
EXTD=e amazing ability to play the same parts again and again has been
EXTD= replaced by a boring and uninspired drummer who lacks focus and 
EXTD=power. Gone are the flashy toms runs, the "tool box" has shrunk t
EXTD=o a shadow of what it once was. YOU DON'T EVEN PLAY THE SAME FILL
EXTD=S ANYMORE AND THAT IS UNFORGIVEABLE! I don't want new fills in Li
EXTD=melight, or Passage to Bangkok!! PLAY THE RIGHT PARTS...we all kn
EXTD=ow them..we expect them...Geddy can't just change the lyrics to F
EXTD=reewill....nor should you with the drum parts. They were just as 
EXTD=important as the chord changes...that is what made you the PROFES
EXTD=SOR!! This powerful..precise...creative and amazing player. I mis
EXTD=s that part of Rush the most!! \n\n5)The band lacks the Rush soun
EXTD=d that we all used to take for granted. Even when they added key 
EXTD=and syns..the drums, bass and guitar were right there...in your f
EXTD=ace...clear, focused, and in it's own place. Now, the band is mud
EXTD=dy, sluggish and lacking in color. Neil maybe playing away but it
EXTD= is so stuck in the mix that there is no impact...no UMPH if you 
EXTD=will. I have never seen a band get WORSE with each recording, in 
EXTD=regards to their sound, as I have seen with Rush. I would have NE
EXTD=VER expected that ever! \n\nSo regardless of the lyrics, or the p
EXTD=arts played or the musicianship, which is STILL top notch...nothi
EXTD=ng was going to save this record if it was going to be recorded a
EXTD=s it was, mixed the way it was and produced the way it was. No ma
EXTD=terial...no matter how good or bad will ever sound good if you fa
EXTD=ce the problems I just listed. But I bet they sound 100% better l
EXTD=ive...and that is the biggest shame of all....they are capable...
EXTD=if they made better choices... \n\npeace \n\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOME
EXTD=R REVIEW\nMusically fresh, though the lyric writing doesn't seem 
EXTD=too thought-out, June 6, 2007 \nBy  Christopher Culver\n\nRush al
EXTD=bums are so rare these days that the arrival of SNAKES AND ARROWS
EXTD= came seemingly an eternity after their last album five years ago
EXTD=. Oh, there's been a volley of live releases, as well as the quir
EXTD=ky Feedback EP, but I was waiting impatiently to hear what new mu
EXTD=sic the trio of guitarist Alex Lifeson, bassist Geddy Lee, and dr
EXTD=ummer Neil Peart would present. \n\nNow in their mid-50s, the gan
EXTD=g is rocking just as hard as ever, with a desire to push the limi
EXTD=ts of rock virtuosity that hasn't flagged. Neil Peart's drumming 
EXTD=may not have finally transitioned to the world of the digital kit
EXTD=, leading to a slight staleness in sound, but his drumming still 
EXTD=requires the traditional strength and control. Geddy Lee's bassli
EXTD=nes have become more subtle now, while Alex Lifeson didn't stop w
EXTD=ith just playing a usual guitar or two, but worked in a whole hos
EXTD=t of stringed instruments. The band seems to be rejoicing in the 
EXTD=fact that, as longtime virtuosos, they've still got it, since the
EXTD= album contains three whole instrumentals. And as with any Rush a
EXTD=lbum, songwriting spans from all-out sonic onslaughts ("Far Cry",
EXTD= "Spindrift") to tamer reflections ("The Larger Bowl"), and some 
EXTD=songs which alternate between the two ("Bravest Face"). \n\nThe s
EXTD=ound on here is much better than Vapor Trails, Rush's earlier alb
EXTD=um that was a "loudness wars" fiasco of muddy audio and digital c
EXTD=lipping. Alex Lifeson's insistence from VAPOR TRAILS that synths 
EXTD=be left out continues on this effort. It's good that Lifeson has 
EXTD=more room to work, but the production unfortunately emphasizes th
EXTD=e low end and one has to try hard to follow guitar lines. Further
EXTD=more, Lee is continuing to compensate for the lack of his beloved
EXTD= synths by overdubbing his voice. It works quite well on this alb
EXTD=um, especially compared to VAPOR TRAILS, but I know the practice 
EXTD=is controversial among Rush fans. All in all, however, this is a 
EXTD=disc that's enjoyable to listen to from first song to last, which
EXTD= not all Rush albums have succeeded in being. \n\nWhile the music
EXTD= is generally excellent, the downside of the album is found in Ne
EXTD=il Peart's lyric writing. SNAKES AND ARROWS was announced as Pear
EXTD=t's reflections on faith, and these are not always insightful. Tw
EXTD=o songs here, "Far Cry" and "Bravest Face" are admirable descript
EXTD=ions of life as a constant yin and yang or Wolflian idyll and cat
EXTD=astrophe (though Per Norgard does a better job of portraying this
EXTD= perspective in his Symphony No. 4 "Hommage to Adolf Wolfli"). On
EXTD= other songs, however, Peart's lyrics are irksome. In "Armor and 
EXTD=Sword", for example, he tells the religious to reject the traditi
EXTD=onal cry to spiritual warfare (the song evokes St. Paul most, but
EXTD= this is an idea found in Judaism, Buddhism, and Shinto just the 
EXTD=same). It would make sense for Peart to call people over to his h
EXTD=umanist philosophy, but to tell them how to practise their own re
EXTD=ligion is just silly. \n\nPeart also shows a pretty big ignorance
EXTD= of the philosophy of religion here at two points. In "Armor and 
EXTD=Sword" he claims people come to religion only for security and to
EXTD= escape the fear of death, but plenty of thinkers from Richard Sw
EXTD=inburne to Flew have chosen their faith because they find that th
EXTD=e arguments lead to it, not because of personal angst. In "Faithl
EXTD=ess" Peart writes, "I don't have faith in faith, I don't believe 
EXTD=in belief / You can call me faithless, you can call me faithless.
EXTD= / But I still claim to hope, and I believe in love." Sorry, that
EXTD='s the lamest apologia for a humanist outlook I've ever heard. Pu
EXTD=t it alongside the work of atheist philosophers of religion like 
EXTD=Mackie or existentialist thinkers like Camus and Peart's attempt 
EXTD=is simply risible. Of course, one cannot expect a rock drummer wh
EXTD=o never finished high school to make a strong argument, but one w
EXTD=onders why he even tried. I think popular music acts who focus on
EXTD= instrumental virtuosity but recognize that simple musicians are 
EXTD=not cut out for philosophizing have it right, and after a full di
EXTD=sc of Peart's lyrics it's nice to put in a Cocteau Twins or a Mil
EXTD=es Davis album. \n\nIf you haven't heard Rush before, you could s
EXTD=tart with SNAKES AND ARROWS just as easily as anywhere else (the 
EXTD=band has had few "duds", though I think TEST FOR ECHO and PRESTO 
EXTD=are especially low-rated among fans). I'm personally amazed that 
EXTD=these three musicians continue to release good new music with no 
EXTD=sign of flagging. \n\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nRush's Regres
EXTD=sion to 70's Guitar Rock Disappointing , June 1, 2007 \nBy  J. Va
EXTD=squez (Highlands Ranch, CO)\n\nRush's new album, Snakes and Arrow
EXTD=s, is best described as a throwback. This is an album that truly 
EXTD=hearkens back to the days of early Rush and the power beat of the
EXTD= mid-70's when the hammered out songs led with Geddy Lee's strong
EXTD= Robert Plant-inspired vocals. The album starts out very promisin
EXTD=g with the pre-released single "Far Cry," combining elements of w
EXTD=hat has made Rush a very strong band, strong guitar and even a li
EXTD=ttle bit of synthesizer with the sense that the song progresses a
EXTD=nd takes you to different places. It's as though the album will b
EXTD=e a more melodic version of Vapor Trails. Wrong. Something happen
EXTD=s as you get to the next track and you realize that this is NOT t
EXTD=he Rush that you have known and been familiar with since the days
EXTD= of Presto, Hold Your Fire and what this reviewer considers their
EXTD= best album, Test for Echo. "Armor and Sword" is an uninspiring s
EXTD=ong that plods along and just tries to make its point with heavy 
EXTD=guitars. "Workin' Them Angels" again takes us back to early Rush 
EXTD=and you have the feeling that the next song will be "La Villa Str
EXTD=angiato". In other words, gone are the synthesizers and Rush turn
EXTD=s to the guitar with a careful blend of electric and acoustic and
EXTD= Geddy continuing to experiment with new vocal ranges. "The Large
EXTD=r Bowl" starts out promisingly and the song does caress us with N
EXTD=eil's thoughtful lyrics but leaves me disappointed in the song's 
EXTD=predictability and just lack of originality. "Spindrift" is one t
EXTD=he better songs and bursts through with strong riffs in the manne
EXTD=r that many of classic Rush songs provide. The album provides us 
EXTD=with three different instrumentals and, interestingly enough, the
EXTD= best track on the album is "The Main Monkey Business." I didn't 
EXTD=care for "Hope" which was a weak instrumental, certainly too weak
EXTD= to put on an album (it felt like an interlude you might expect t
EXTD=o hear at one of their shows while Neil and Geddy are getting dri
EXTD=nks and toweling off). "Malignant Narcissism" seems to be Rush's 
EXTD=tribute to 70's guitar rock and roll music and just good old hard
EXTD= rockin'. I had a hard time with this. Two other tracks "The Way 
EXTD=the Wind Blows" and "Bravest Face" are two good efforts but yet a
EXTD=gain this not Test for Echo and it's not Roll the Bones. The one 
EXTD=song that reminded me of recent Rush efforts was "Faithless." Thi
EXTD=s song very easily could have been found on Test for Echo as it s
EXTD=eems to have the Rush melodies that I became enamored with. \n\nT
EXTD=he days of Power Windows, Grace Under Pressure and even Counterpa
EXTD=rts are distant memories. I am not sure if it's that the band is 
EXTD=undergoing a nostalgiac phase and attempting to re-create the sou
EXTD=nds from early 70's. The band's "Feedback" album should have been
EXTD= a clue to Rush fans that the band is going back into the Wayback
EXTD= Machine and re-tooling their sound to the old classic rock days.
EXTD= For fans of classic Rush, this is good news and there will be ma
EXTD=ny happy fans in their late 40's and early 50's that will be revv
EXTD=ing it up at concert time. For those fans who were introduced to 
EXTD=the Canadian power group by "Spirit of Radio" or "Big Money," lik
EXTD=e me, it's going to be a little bit of a struggle. The album show
EXTD=s that Rush is at the top of its game, the sound is strong and th
EXTD=e vocals are where they need to be. But instead of going into a n
EXTD=ew direction, the ablum is going backwards - a true regression. I
EXTD= think I'll go give Vapor Trails another listen to. \n\n\nHalf.co
EXTD=m Details \nProducer: Nick Rashulinecz, Nick Raskulinecz, Rush \n
EXTD=\nAlbum Notes\nRush: Geddy Lee (vocals, bass guitar); Alex Lifeso
EXTD=n (guitar); Neil Peart (drums).\nRecording information: 2006.\nIn
EXTD= the five years since their last full studio album, a covers EP (
EXTD=2004's FEEDBACK) and two live releases (2003's RUSH IN RIO and 20
EXTD=05's R30) hardly sated the throngs of Rush fans hungry for new mu
EXTD=sic. SNAKES & ARROWS is all they could have possibly hoped for an
EXTD=d dreamed about. The brash, contemporary vibe of 2002's VAPOR TRA
EXTD=ILS has been shed as the trio returns to the polished production 
EXTD=and complex arrangements of their most beloved works.\nWoven into
EXTD= the later-era Rush song stylings are no less than three instrume
EXTD=ntals: "The Main Monkey Business" (a hard rocking full-band worko
EXTD=ut), "Hope" (a solo acoustic guitar piece written and performed b
EXTD=y Alex Lifeson), and the humorously titled "Malignant Narcissism"
EXTD= (featuring Geddy Lee's riffy, fretless electric bass and Neil Pe
EXTD=art's tasty drum breaks). Keyboards are few and far between on SN
EXTD=AKES & ARROWS, with erstwhile Geddy Lee collaborator Ben Mink con
EXTD=tributing strings. Peart's lyrics remain cerebral and poetic--cha
EXTD=llenging conventional spirituality ("Faithless" and "Armour & Swo
EXTD=rd"), examining the often troubled nature of mankind ("The Way Th
EXTD=e Wind Blows" and "The Larger Bowl") and the frailties of communi
EXTD=cation ("Spindrift" and "Good News First"). All the elements of c
EXTD=lassic Rush are here, making perhaps the band's finest late-caree
EXTD=r statement.
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