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[quote name='wateroftyne' timestamp='1340039111' post='1698099']
Meh. I'm going off it again.

I've listened to it about 20 times, and it was really starting to click with me. But... but so many parts of the songs sound like unmemorable filler. Riff. Another riff. Back to the other riff again. Etc.

I stand by what I said originally... where are the songs? :(

FWIW, it's their best in a while I think.
[/quote]

Haha. Me too sort of, and I've heard it every day since I got it. I'm becoming tired of certain songs and I find the vocal melodies dull for the most part. Although there are some magic moments on the album, and the vocal at the start of the title track really is lovely. I still love Alex's The Garden solo :D

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[quote name='silddx' timestamp='1340039558' post='1698115']
Haha. Me too sort of, and I've heard it every day since I got it. I'm becoming tired of certain songs and I find the vocal melodies dull for the most part. Although there are some magic moments on the album, and the vocal at the start of the title track really is lovely. I still love Alex's The Garden solo :D
[/quote]

Every day since you got it? There's the problem - your Rush basket is full. Take a few days or even a week off to let your system Flush the Rush and then come back to it. :lol: .

I've been alternating Clockwork Angels with Map of the Past (interspersed with a bit of SAGA). The clarity of all the instruments in Map is amazing and the space for the songs to unfold is stunning. A lot of Clockwork Angels does seem to be full of white noise with not a lot of definition to Lifeson's guitar parts. Some killer bass riffs tho' and I can't wait for the tour (only 11 months to go :unsure: ).

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[quote name='silddx' timestamp='1340039558' post='1698115']I'm becoming tired of certain songs and I find the vocal melodies dull for the most part.[/quote]

I'm ahead of you, guys! I've already loved it, been bored by it, put it away for some months and regained new love for it ... and that's before I've heard it even once. Bloody amateurs! ;)

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[quote name='paulconnolly' timestamp='1340044677' post='1698245']
I've been alternating Clockwork Angels with Map of the Past. The clarity of all the instruments in Map is amazing and the space for the songs to unfold is stunning. A lot of Clockwork Angels does seem to be full of white noise with not a lot of definition to Lifeson's guitar parts. Some killer bass riffs tho' [/quote]

Me too! MOTP is a fantastic album. In some ways I wish Geddy et al would listen to some British Prog to hear just how melodic the genre CAN be. Not that Rush are really "prog" as such any more... :unsure:

I actually find CA to be a rather fatiguing listen. It's all a bit frantic at times. No space in some of the tracks. It's quite a relief to get to "Halo Effect" as it is the first track that allows the listener to take a breather!!.

Although I love listening to bass (obviously!), I think the bass and vocals are a bit high in the mix. The guitar is more of a texture in many parts rather than a definable instrument. Nice to hear the use of the acoustic again though!

Overall, although I sound very critical here, I think it's a good album. I just have such a long-standing love of Rush that each new album of the last 20 years has been a triumph of hope over expectation. Get back to the melodies guys! There are some in CA, but there is also a lot of empty riffage IMO.

BTW, which poster is it that lists names? The only one I got was the double-sided one with the angel on one side and the SMPTe-type blimp on the other...

Edited by Conan
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[quote name='silddx' timestamp='1339051815' post='1682807']
I'm not really sure why anyone really cares TBH mate, almost everything can sound like almost anything.
[/quote]

[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IpBZDnhvsP0&feature=related"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IpBZDnhvsP0&feature=related[/url]

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Has any band not covered 'YYZ'? Even Atomic Kitten have done a version.... (probably)

Here's Mike Portnoy making a good fist of it...

[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KvzqabY_ou8"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KvzqabY_ou8[/url]

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[quote name='Conan' timestamp='1340189312' post='1700575']
BTW, which poster is it that lists names? The only one I got was the double-sided one with the angel on one side and the SMPTe-type blimp on the other...
[/quote]

I got two posters, the other one, also double sided, has a huuuge list of names on one side, and the iconic CA band shot on the other

[IMG]http://i1122.photobucket.com/albums/l527/Mkuk0/Mobile%20Uploads/IMG_0135.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i1122.photobucket.com/albums/l527/Mkuk0/Mobile%20Uploads/IMG_0136.jpg[/IMG]

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[quote name='Oopsdabassist' timestamp='1340303820' post='1702682']
I got two posters, the other one, also double sided, has a huuuge list of names on one side, and the iconic CA band shot on the other




[/quote] That's the one. You had to pre-order the fan pack before a certain date to get on it. I do really like Clockwork Angels and having listened to it again in different environments since my last post I'm getting more used to the guitar sound. I do think Geddy Lee's bass sound is a killer - lots of grunt and growl

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As a bit of an aside...

I know it's been mentioned before, but I've just picked up the remixed (not just remastered) 'Far Cry' from Retrospective 3. Alex and Rich Chycki really took the original mix apart and rebuilt the song so it sounds like a punchy power trio. The transformation is incredible. Well worth 70p or whatever from Amazon...

Nice to see what they can do without Nick Raskuliniczceuliniczezecz layering the life out of everything...

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[quote name='wateroftyne' timestamp='1340452923' post='1704601']
As a bit of an aside...

I know it's been mentioned before, but I've just picked up the remixed (not just remastered) 'Far Cry' from Retrospective 3. Alex and Rich Chycki really took the original mix apart and rebuilt the song so it sounds like a punchy power trio. The transformation is incredible. Well worth 70p or whatever from Amazon...

Nice to see what they can do without Nick Raskuliniczceuliniczezecz layering the life out of everything...
[/quote]

Thought it was only the Vapor Trails songs that were remixed for Retrospective III?

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Just want to add that I love the new Rush album!

Granted, I am fan - but even as such, obviously love some records more than others.

I think it's their best for a long time - stiff competition, as I'm a big admirer of Snakes And Arrows and all that came before!

Just love the whole way that the more times you listen, the more you get from it - something which most albums these days, for me, you just don't get.

Maybe a little more space in the production would be good (not that I don't think it sounds great).....but then again, it has to sound 2012 and not like 2112!

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  • 1 month later...

Just got this myself and have to agree, its their best for a while IMO.

Its a lot heavier that i thought it would be, and to my ears the vocals sound as bit lower these days, although that could just be the production, not a bad thing though.
Love the bass tone. so thick and meaty, yet with definition that i felt was lacking on some albums.

Im on my third consecutive play through, not something ive down with any album for years.

Good stuff.

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  • 2 weeks later...

[quote name='spongebob' timestamp='1344356233' post='1763287']
Album of the year so far for me (alongside the new R.Kelly one) - rewards repeated listens, there's a lot going on.
[/quote]
There really is. I adore it! I feel completely at home listening to it now, it brings me the thrills and comfort I used to get from Rush, and I'm listening to loads of their back catalogue again. This is one of my very favourite Rush albums now. Weird. I hated VT and S&A and thought I'd lost them. They are back with a massive vengeance! I couldn't be much happier :D

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I like four or five tracks on it... they're actually good tunes with actual melodies


Clockwork angels. Great gnarly guitar with a wierd ringing sound in places. Nice rhythm and great atmosphere all round. Feels really epic.
Halo Effect (despite using chord sequence and rhythms as found on Half the World and a tune off VT... really nicely done)
The Wreckers. Nice chorus.
The Garden. Best track alongside Halo Effect for me. Mature. Nice harmony and arrangement. Nice vocals.

Most of the rest of the album is below par for Rush (as was Snakes and Arrows - their worst album ever). I'm with others that have commented on their habit of cut and paste approach to tunes. They were often riff based in the past, particularly in the 70s with their long tunes - but they still sounded less "stitched together" than the output on the last two albums in particular. Production on this album is much better than S&A .. but STILL squashed to hell. Really LOUD. I'm surprised that Rush feel the need to do this.

I adored VT because of it's passion and energy, despite the appalling production. They had something to prove after the hiatus due to NP's personal tragedies, and NP's lyrics had some real resonance (how utterly incredible was Freeze?)

I'm just grateful to hear a few good tracks from this band that have been around forever and yet still try to produce new stuff. They've maintained their work effort and integrity for longer than just about everyone else in rock. Just look at how many albums they've done (the majority of which is good to great) .. compared to other older bands that stopped being interesting and became a tribute act to themselves within their first 10 yrs (Rolling Stones, The Who.. )

(excuse rambling OT content. I just thought I'd remind myself that they're still producing the odd nugget of gold even after all these years. We just take high standards for granted with Rush.. :) )









[quote name='wateroftyne' timestamp='1344893631' post='1770883']
I listened to it relentlessly when it first came out... I haven't for a couple of weeks, maybe more, and I can't remember most of it.

It just hasn't clicked with me. Squashed dynamics, fussy arrangements, weak melodies.

Having said that, I'll have another go this week.
[/quote]

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[quote name='wateroftyne' timestamp='1344893631' post='1770883']It just hasn't clicked with me. Squashed dynamics, fussy arrangements, weak melodies.
[/quote]

Me too, sadly. I [i]like[/i] it, in the way that I like all Rush material... But I LOVE a lot of their stuff. I still find it a tiring listen. It shouts rather than speaks. Some great moments and some good ideas, but mostly buried beneath bombastic arrangements. It's flat-out all the time.

I love these guys. I really do. But I do wonder whether their creative pot is now nearly empty.... :( IMO of course! :D

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