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RUSH Clockwork Angels

#401
OPBASSMAN1994 said:
Who said that those who pray for help from something higher than themselves are just "whining to some god when the chips are down"? If faith is a source of hope and strength for people, as it is for myself, it is just as viable as your own. We aren't all just believers in hardship, and we aren't all ignorant, weak, whining or whatever we may be unjustly categorized as by people who dislike the concept of religion. Often the strongest people are those who are willing to hold onto belief DESPITE the circumstances of life and the adversity they face. I don't have a problem with opposing views, but what happens if I lumped all atheists together under some general assumption like that? You'd be offended, would you not?

I don't know if you intended to be offensive or not, but it comes off that way.

However, that being said. It's time to drop the discussion of faith-versus-non-faith views. There is a thin line that I feel we are coming close to crossing that will get this thread shut down. There is a TB Lounge for that, and I don't think any of us care to be flagged by the mods. So let's "Leave That Thing Alone".




This thread is a celebration of a new Rush album. So let's talk about the best band ever - Rush.
Ged's bass on "Seven Cities of Gold" is awesome.
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Certainly didn't mean to offend, that's just how I see it. My point is, you aren't much of a person if you don't stand by your convictions through thick and thin. If you reject religion when life is good, and then start praying when times are tough, you're just spineless.

Anyway, agreed, back to Rush. Can't wait to hear the album. If it's half as good as Snakes and Arrows, it will be awesome. They seem to get heavier as they age! May have to make a journey to see them live again too, but this time I hope to get less visually pleasing seats and get back a bit further to where the sound is great.
 
#402
Hawkbone said:
Certainly didn't mean to offend, that's just how I see it. My point is, you aren't much of a person if you don't stand by your convictions through thick and thin. If you reject religion when life is good, and then start praying when times are tough, you're just spineless.

Anyway, agreed, back to Rush. Can't wait to hear the album. If it's half as good as Snakes and Arrows, it will be awesome. They seem to get heavier as they age! May have to make a journey to see them live again too, but this time I hope to get less visually pleasing seats and get back a bit further to where the sound is great.
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If they're playing at an amphitheater, buy lawn. Honestly, the sound is probably the best there, not too loud, just enough to leave your ears a little rattled. :p Plus, in my experience, the most interesting people are seated on the lawn. XD
 
#403
Got the new album.. After a few listens, I can say I'm a little disappointed.

After the excellent Caravan, BU2B and Headlong Flight, I was expecting a bit more. The rest of the songs are very 'samey'. I found myself skipping through the songs trying to find some 'good' bits. I found the drums and guitar parts particularly lacking. Heard a lot of the same guitar riffs and drum fills that are on the three songs I mentioned, or S&A. Ged's vocals are, I feel, a little weak on most tracks.
The actual recording itself is superb. Nice clarity. Nothing gets in the way of anything.
Just my opinion, but after all the hype, and the excellent Time Machine tour, I was expecting a true 'mind blower'.

Rush are still my favourite band, but I think they should rely less on their producer Nick to guide them, and do what they do best...
 
#408
Charley Umbria said:
So, are you saying that Neil's rejection of religion is a result of his personal tragedies? If so, I don't think you give the man enough credit.
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What I was saying is that Neil, as a writer who writes about his beliefs through an often autobiographical lens, likely has his "choice" of writing topics influenced by the events in his life. So I was mostly saying that it is no shock to me that the topic of religion has been appearing regularly in the newer material. And I don't think anyone (specifically here to mean musician/artist) can begrudge someone for working through something in lyric. But I will say that his personal tragedies certainly influence his core beliefs - how could they not?
 
#409
Phantasm said:
Okay, I've listened twice now... very disappointed with the mastering job. It's not as bad as vapor trails by any means but I can hear that it's lost something in the mastering process while it was made "too loud."
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I agree that there's too much limiting in the mastering. That constant loudness makes for fatiguing listening.

As for the lyrics, I find it interesting that people take personal offense. If the tables were turned, would that be equally criticized? Somehow I doubt it, as people tend to hold a double-standing about matters of personal belief.
 
#410
I'm listening again and I've rolled off some of the low end. I can actually hear the guitar and my stereo doesn't sound like it wants to explode. A lot more articulation is audible now as I hear more nuances.

If I end up liking it this way I'll custom master a version of it for myself I guess.

The bass is pretty neat now that the low isn't too loud!
 
#411
Phantasm said:
Okay, I've listened twice now... very disappointed with the mastering job. It's not as bad as vapor trails by any means but I can hear that it's lost something in the mastering process while it was made "too loud."
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I've only heard "Headlong Flight" so far, but I'd agree with you that compared to "Caravan", which sounds really good, that tune has gone back into the sonic mud.
 
#412
Got my fan pack today. Very nice magazine that comes with with it with lots of pictures that I've never seen before. Plus some really cool interviews. The CD itself comes in a book-like cover which is really nice after getting some really cheapy looking and feeling covers on other bands CDs lately. Been listening to the CD all day and it's really growing on me. I did have to dial the bass back a notch but it sounds good after that. Maybe a bit compressed but honestly after listening to a couple of songs I didn't notice it after the initial time. Can't say that that I've noticed a lemon in the bunch. I like them all, which is unusual for me since about the Grace Under Pressure era. I liked Snakes and Arrows but I still didn't love the whole thing. This album really flows together well.
 
#413
Yeah i gave it more listens with the bass dialed back and I'm digging it more now. Caravan, Seven Cities of Gold and Headlong Flight are my favs so far.

I keep hearing little nods to other songs in other Rush eras in the songs; I've heard some Farewell to Kings and Subdivisions, etc.
 
#415
Really like the bass lines in The Anarchist... sort of Squire-like.... even a bit 8-string sounding. The serious lows seem to be from the Taurus pedals - super fat even on my generally lean K702s. Geddy's bass sounds a bit more edgy/trebly than the Moving Pictures era. I still prefer his old Ric tone.

Lyrically, one of the main themes seems to be teleology, or questioning teleology. As someone who doesn't accept the notion of freedom to choose beliefs about reality, I find it difficult to understand why anyone would be offended..... then again, if belief really is a matter of choice... then it should be a simple matter to choose not to take offense to certain lyrics.
 
#417
agreatheight said:
But I will say that his personal tragedies certainly influence his core beliefs - how could they not?
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It's quite clear that Neil Peart was an atheist many years before the death of his daughter and wife.

I think this is a common misconception many people have about atheists in general, that we reject religion because we are bitter about our lot in life and/or we just "hate" god for some tragic reason. This may be true in some cases but not in mine and, I'm quite sure, not in Neil Peart's case.

Now about the music and the sound.

Musically, I think it is a masterpiece and I'm already wearing a groove in my hard drive listening to the finale, "The Garden," over and over again.

As for the overall sound of the album, on my first listen (at high volume on a pair of Genelecs) I thought the mix was too compressed, too loud and just too dense. I wanted it to breathe.

However, when I listened to it at a lower level, it sounded much clearer. And when I listened again with a good pair of earbuds at a moderate level, I was there, floating on the strings.

Still, I wish they had laid off the compressor a bit. After all, the fans are going to crank it anyway and FM radio is going to add more compression, so a little lower average level with more dynamics would have made it all even more powerful.

Let's hope they release an HD version with a new mastering job. Until then, turn it down a little and enjoy. :)
 
#418
What I have heard so far, I like. I actually think the tracks that have been released already are among the weakest. I haven't really liked BU2B at all since it came out... Headlong Flight is okay but maybe too long.

The most enjoyable tunes on this album for me so far are the ones that are the most out there.... like The Garden. I also am particularly fond of The Wreckers.

The lyrical content doesn't bother me at all. I've never agreed with everything in the Rush lyrical lexicon.... I could have done without a lot of the Ayn Rand stuff, for example. I do enjoy Neils lyrics about topics like musical and artistic integrity, time, technology, and science.

There's already enough "I love that girl and I want to f*ck her" songs in the world.
 

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