Clockwork Angels Rush-gasm

Normally I’m against extreme fan behaviour of any kind. But I’m not immune to it when it comes to Rush. I cannot put into words how much I love this band or how much it’s influenced me.

So I’m just a little bit thrilled to be listening to their new album, Clockwork Angels. What’s even more Rush-gasmic than that? It’s a concept album that’s going to be a steampunk novel written by Kevin J. Anderson. I mean. How. Is this much awesomeness. Possible.

I mentioned last week that I saw Henry Rollins. In his talk he joked about old bands who have their guitars up high and are fat and that are kind of pathetic. I kind of get that, although to be honest in the Okanagan we love and adore washed-up Canadian 80s bands in the summer. We’re all too drunk to care whether or not they should still be playing. But though it’s probably valid in a lot of cases, Rollins is dead wrong when it comes to a lot of bands. Yes ended up making some really neat music when they shouldn’t have. And of course Rush . . .

People who only like their old stuff have brain damage. This band has made three great albums in the last 12 years. I don’t care that they don’t sound like 2112. Why the hell should they? I also don’t care how old they are, or about their weight. Some of my favourite Rush songs aren’t on some 70s album, but Vapour Trails. Whoa, I just said that. Yes. Sue me.

Clockwork Angels sounds like a logical evolution from Snakes and Arrows. I find it more upbeat. Not that this is either good or bad to me–I don’t shy away from dark music. But I got a certain world weariness from Snakes and Arrows, and this album somehow has a youthful glow to it.

Right now some of my favourite tracks are BU2B, Clockwork Angels, Headlong Flight, and Wish Them Well. It’ll take a few listens to really get it though. I had to update this just now after having been obsessed with the album for a couple days. Just like their last two albums, I needed to listen to it a few times to really get what was going on. This is probably just because I’m a musician and overthink the music I listen to. But then again, who listens to Rush but other musicians? Anyway there’s a lot of groove-oriented riffage here. The time signatures prog nerds love are there, but personally they were so subtle that on the first listen I figured they’d backed off on it a bit. But it just took a while to pick them out. And lyric-wise I always love Neil Peart’s writing. There’s never any stupid shit in his lyrics and I daresay they’re always either thought provoking or inspiring. We’ll ignore the first line of Nobody’s Hero because the rest of the song is so damned awesome.

And if my own readers end up going to Amazon and clicking on my book just to appreciate it for a moment, then go check out Clockwork Angels in the same sitting, and Amazon puts my book in the “users who viewed this also viewed . . .” thing? I can’t say I’d complain about that situation. IfyouknowwhatImean.