Art Rock
(Studio Album, 2007)
Avg: 3.74/5
from 53 ratings
RUSH — Snakes & Arrows
Review by Gatot (Gatot Widayanto)
Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator
Phew! Having listened to this album more than ten times already, it’s about time to express my view about it. First off, thanks God, these gentlemen from Rush finally released an album of their own after an appreciation (to legends) album called “Feedback” (2004). It proves that this legendary band is still being productive with their music creation and we all should be proud of this achievement. They still demonstrate their virtuosity in their respective fields and no doubt about it at all.
Let me ask you simple question: how do you actually appreciate music in general and prog rock in specific? Do you appreciate the music or the lyrics or combination of both? If you appreciate more on the music first, how do you actually weigh the lyrics against your overall appreciation which is typically represented by a rating (one to five stars)? If you appreciate more on lyrics, how do you weigh the music against your overall rating? Tough question, isn’t it? Well, that’s also the case with me – honestly.
Let me tell you how I actually rate a music (note: because I’m more into prog music, I wanna limit this on prog only). First, I try to comprehend the music composition as a whole. I always start from opening track until it finishes its entirely in a particular album. I’m much more inclined to appreciate at album level and not interested to review at song level. The test meter for doing this is “how coherent” the album from track to track. Is there any discontinuity of style and themes as the music moves along? Spock’s Beard latest album (2006) is a good example where I say that the album is not quite coherent. There are tracks that discontinue and disrupt the overall theme of the album – in my humblest opinion. Second, I would scrutinize at track by track level to give an individual rating for each track. Track by track rating results add up into overall album rating. I have been very little to give enough attention to lyrics even though in some cases I do like to see from this perspective as well.
Why giving you a long background to review this new album by Rush? Well guys … I got problem here that you might be able to help. I got the CD on a loan basis from a friend of mine, Zulfikar, a die hard fan of the band. Countless have I spun the CD at my player and, in fact, have ripped it into my iPod. I think it’s more than 10 spins (on CD) plus some others in my iPod, and this is my experience:
First off, the music is really excellent and the composition is quite tight from one track to another. I’m proud with Rush who still can compose good music. Is the album coherent? I would definitely say: YES! From the opening track until the end the album sounds to carry a coherent message which I can feel it without having to understand the lyrics. Once I answer this, I still have something back in my mind which says “Hmm … it seems like something missing in this album even though each track is good to excellent ones”.
Then I move it to the next cycle: scrutinize on track by track basis. I do enjoy doing so and I find there is no bad track at all I think. Some tracks are excellent like “Far Cry” and also all instrumental tracks are excellent. But again, I still find something is missing in this album. Then my colleague Zulfikar gave his thoughts that the lyrics are so powerful – so I did read the sleeve and digested the meanings. Yes, I do agree with him, the lyrics are so powerful. But for me, it does not help improving my appreciation towards this album. I would say that overall this album does not provide a good combination of ups and downs in the composition so that overall it sounds and it feels so flat. It boils down to the feel that this album does not quite stir my emotion.
Overall, this album is good but there is nothing that truly catchy from the music it produces. In Indonesian language, we have a good expression that I cannot translate (sorry!) to English: ”gak ada greget nya”. It can mean :”there is something missing” (but it’s not as powerful sentence as the original Indonesian version). For me personally, this album sounds like a combination of the band’s “Signals” and “Power Windows” albums. I leave it up to you to make final call whether or not to purchase the CD. Anyway … Keep on proggin’ ..!
Peace on earth and mercy mild – GW
Posted Tuesday, June 19, 2007, 06:04 EST
Review Permanent link | Submit a review for this album
June 21, 2007 at 12:40 am |
mas Gatot,
Ada rasa was-was setelah baca note mas Gatot di blog http://gwmusic.wordpress.com/2007/06/11/whitesnake-ready-an-willing/ saya was-was, mas Gatot gak akan atau lama untuk review album ini, Karena ada gambar ularnya heheheh.
Tapi Syukur alhamdulillah review itu “JRENG, keluar”
Bagi saya pribadi, album ini tanpa melihat liriknya, “tetap ada gregetnya”, walaupun kalo dari kadar prognya memang saya rasakan gak sedahsyat “2112″, “Hemispheres” atau “Permanent Waves”.
Fav track saya “The Main Monkey Business,” merupakan nomor instrumental yang sangat indah, yang IMHO merupakan instrumentalia terbaik Rush, lebih indah dibandingkan “La Villa Strangiato” datau “YYZ”.
salam,
DananG
June 21, 2007 at 4:06 am |
Mas DananG ….
Ha ha ha ha … bener mas, saya paling takuut sama ular. Cuman untungnga di album Rush anyar ini gambar ularnya cilik. Tapi di ilustrasi di dalam sleeve nya ada gamabr ular dan bocah .. aduuuuhhh … karepe opo to??? Kenapa musti ular sih?
Tapi rebiew ini tidak didasari ketakutan saya terhadap ular mas. Ha ha ha …
Betul, THE MAIN MONKEY BUSINESS memang keren mas, tapi saya lebih suka LA VILLA STRANGIATO maupun YYZ. Wong kuno ya saya? Ha ha ha ha …
Salam,
G
June 21, 2007 at 10:41 am |
I think Rush begun loosing its magic since “Test For Echo” (1996). I was still at high school when performing “Driven” at school stage with my heavy-metal-superstar-wannabe band. We were so naive as a result, Nobody impressed. Whether because we play it so bad or Rush simply didn’t belong to the heart of any average high-school students.
I believe, it was because first reason.
After that, I only listen to Rush previous album. Mostly, from their compilation “Rush Chronicles”.
I’m impressed though with “Snake & Arrows”. It’s not because the music itself (as you said, gak ada gregetnya), but because their total musicallity at their age now. I listened to this album from my iPod friend last week, and he offered me a copy. I say thanks but no thanks, I stick with Red Barchetta.
Oh by the way, I’m a first timer to your blog Mr. G.
Consider me as your returning reader from now on
ps. Kamelot’s new opus, Ghost Opera, is excellent. I look forward to see your review
June 21, 2007 at 3:17 pm |
Mas Andry,
Thanks a lot for sharing your experience with RUSH. I envy on you because you could play RUSH music – that must be awesome. Dont worry that you played it so bad – it’s irrelevant. Why? Because, music is emotion. You got the GUT to perform Rush is a great thing already. For me personally, I never played RUSH at all …
Yeah .. RED BARCHETTA is a great song. BTW, you might tune in at TRIJAYA FM 104.6 this saturday (June 23rd, 2007). We will air rock music starting 19:30 until 23:00. At 21:00 – 23:00 we would air RUSH tunes (legend at 9). You may send your comments on 0812-1111046 or by phone 391-2252. Stay tuned!
Glad to hear that you will be returning to this blog. Thanks a lot.
I envy on you for GHOST OPERA because my order is still on the way from Amazon – it will reach here July 24 .. oh so long …
Cheers,
G
June 22, 2007 at 6:06 am |
agree.. I am not a musician and I cannot play any single instrument… but talking about Rush means I have to recite titles lika “red barchetta”, “xanadu” “the tree”, and my favorite “clip” the manhattan project, while dancing to their liquid drumming… and they are good lyricist indeed.
something missing in their newest album?
they have been passing through their “golden period”, so for today let me jump back to “tom sawyer” tune played by some DJ in a teenager rave party at north of downtown… lol
February 23, 2008 at 8:14 am |
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February 23, 2008 at 6:54 pm |
hmm…yeah….i think RUSH is really influenced me in that era….the song like “Red Barchetta”, “Tom Sawyer”…the drum and bass sounds of “YYZ”…the dynamic character of “Spirit o Radio”…and maybe the strange sounds in “Temple of Syrinx”….made me so surprised, and i think this band is really great. And in their newest album…like mas Gatot said, there was something missing, maybe the lyrics is so powerful..but the original touch of RUSH that i’ve known before is not so emotionally performed, or maybe because they’re already too old to do that, hehee……..but however RUSH is still the great band
Salam
Fridie
February 25, 2008 at 1:18 am |
Yes, exactly, mas Fridie … Rush is still great even though the last album is not that great. Rush rules!
Salam,
G
June 15, 2008 at 4:46 am |
How can you say the last album wasn’t that great? What about far cry? Workin’ Them Angels? Main Monkey Buisness? Grow The Way the Wind Blows? And of course, Malignant Narcissism! GREAT GREAT SONGS. I do agree that songs like 2112 and Tom sawyer, yyz, and red barchetta are amazing songs , but, having heard these songs in concert and on cd they are also very good songs. GO RUSH!
June 15, 2008 at 1:50 pm |
@ Mr. Sir …
Thanks for visiting this blog and putting your comments. I like the way you express your passion about Rush music. If I do not say GREAT it’s probably due to my limitation on accepting them in new musical format .. probably … But I respect those who recognize this as GREAT album, including yourself. Yeah .. GO RUSH!!!! Keep on proggin’ …!!!!
Salam,
G