FREE BUMPER STICKER!

Rush is a Band

A blog devoted to RUSH:
Neil Peart, Geddy Lee & Alex Lifeson

Fri, Nov 22, 2024

Snakes & Arrows reviews, round 3

Fri, May 4, 2007@11:04AM | comments removed/disabled

It's review time again. This batch has 3 reviews in it; 2 good, 1 bad. I've also added a new poll asking you what your favorite track on the album is so far. The album continues to do well on iTunes US and currently holds the #6 spot - down from #5 yesterday. On Amazon it also lost a little ground, dropping from #2 yesterday to #3 today.

Bad news first. :) This review from Fox Channel 31 in Colorado doesn't give a rating but it's fairly obvious that the reviewer doesn't like it:

... Alas, after 18 full-length studio albums and a handful of live recordings, maybe Rush has finally run its course. The music and lyrics have never sounded more disconnected. It's as if Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson want to keep cranking out hard rock anthems, while Peart wants to go in a more poetic, less hook-driven direction. With three instrumental tracks on this album, I would not be surprised if Rush chooses to go entirely instrumental the next time around ... if there is a next time around. ...

Stephen Humphries from the Christian Science Monitor gives Snakes & Arrows a B grade; not bad at all. Here's the entire review:

Given that it's taken five years to release an album of new material, the Canadian power trio may want to rethink its name. In the meantime, the band has clocked up more miles on the road than a U-Haul fleet, significantly shaping lyricist Neil Peart's global perspective on current events. "Wide-eyed armies of the faithful/ from the Middle East to the Middle West/ pray, and pass the ammunition," he laments in "The Way the Wind Blows." A few songs on this otherwise strong set aren't as hummable as one would wish, but Peart, a drummer you can set a metronome to, has never sounded more vibrant going toe to toe with dextrous bassist/vocalist Geddy Lee and inventive guitarist Alex Lifeson on the ominous uncoiling spirals of "Spindrift." Also superb: "The Main Monkey Business," an instrumental that hurtles into fifth gear. Perhaps the band's name is an apt one after all.

And I saved the best for last. This review comes from Pittsburgh Post-Gazette pop music critic Scott Mervis. He gives it 4 out of 5 and has a lot of nice things to say. You can read his full review here. Here's an excerpt:

... "Snakes & Arrows" is an immaculately produced, smartly written record (by Peart) ... Rush manages to sound like a bunch of old pros -- without sounding like a bunch of geezers. In fact, this sounds every bit like a record many young alternative bands are desperately trying to make.

Thanks to highwater for the tip.