When Rush issued Vapor Trails in 2002, they revealed that -- even after Neil Peart's personal tragedies in the 1990s had cast the group's future in doubt -- they were back with a vengeance.
The sound was hard-hitting, direct, and extremely focused.
Lyrically, Peart went right after the subject matter he was dealing with -- and it was in the aftermath of 9/11 as well, which couldn't help but influence his lyric writing.
In 2004 the band issued a covers EP that was in one way a toss-off, but in another a riotous act of freewheeling joy that offered a side of the band no one had heard for 30 years.
There were a couple of live offerings and a 30th anniversary project as well that kept fans happy perhaps, but broke -- though Rush in Rio was the kind of live album every band hopes to record.
Snakes & Arrows represents the band's 18th studio album.
Produced by Nick Raskulinecz (Foo Fighters, Velvet Revolver, Superdrag), the record is another heavy guitar, bass, and drums...drums...and more drums record.
The title came -- unconsciously according to Peart -- from a centuries-old Buddhist game of the same name about karma, and also from a play on the words of the children's game Chutes and Ladders.
Its subject matter is heavy duty: faith and war.
From the opening track (and first single), acoustic and electric guitars, bass hum, and Peart's crash-and-thrum urgency in the almighty riff are all present.
When Geddy Lee opens his mouth, you know you are in for a ride: "Pariah dogs and wandering madmen/Barking at strangers and speaking in tongues/The ebb and flow of tidal fortune/Electrical charges are charging up the young/It's a far cry from the world we thought we'd inherit/It's a far cry from the way we thought we'd share it...." At the same time, inside the frame of the refrain, Lee refuses to be conquered in the face of chaos: "One day I feel like I'm ahead of the wheel/And the next it's rolling over me/I can get back on/I can get back on." Alex Lifeson's guitars swell and Peart's crash cymbals ride the riff and push Lee to sing above the wailing fray.
Great beginning.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Far CryAlex Lifeson | Rush | Play | 05:18 | 12 MB | 0 MB |
| 2 | Armor and SwordAlex Lifeson | Rush | Play | 06:36 | 15 MB | 0 MB |
| 3 | Workin' Them AngelsAlex Lifeson | Rush | Play | 04:46 | 10 MB | 0 MB |
| 4 | The Larger BowlAlex Lifeson | Rush | Play | 04:07 | 9 MB | 0 MB |
| 5 | SpindriftAlex Lifeson | Rush | Play | 05:23 | 12 MB | 0 MB |
| 6 | The Way the Wind BlowsAlex Lifeson | Rush | Play | 06:28 | 14 MB | 0 MB |
| 7 | FaithlessAlex Lifeson | Rush | Play | 05:31 | 12 MB | 0 MB |
| 8 | Bravest FaceAlex Lifeson | Rush | Play | 05:11 | 11 MB | 0 MB |
| 9 | Good News FirstAlex Lifeson | Rush | Play | 04:50 | 11 MB | 0 MB |
| 10 | The Main Monkey Business (Instrumental) | Rush | Play | 06:01 | 13 MB | 0 MB |
| 11 | Hope (Instrumental) | Rush | Play | 02:02 | 4 MB | 0 MB |
| 12 | Malignant Narcissism (Instrumental) | Rush | Play | 02:17 | 5 MB | 0 MB |
| 58 mins | 134 MB | |||||
| 0 mins | 0 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Andrew Alekel | Assistant Engineer |
| 2 | Pegi Cecconi | Executive Producer |
| 3 | Richard Chycki | Engineer, Mixing |
| 4 | Andy Curran | Executive Producer |
| 5 | Ray Danniels | Management |
| 6 | George Eastman | Assistant, Illustrations |
| 7 | Brian "Big Bass" Gardner | Mastering |
| 8 | Inaam Haq | Assistant, Assistant Engineer |
| 9 | Harish Johari | Cover Painting |
| 10 | Geddy Lee | Bass Pedals, Engineer, Guitar (Bass), Mellotron, Member of Attributed Artist, Vocals |
| 11 | Alex Lifeson | Bouzouki, Composer, Engineer, Guitar, Guitar (12 String Acoustic), Guitar (12 String Electric), Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Electric), Mandola, Mandolin, Member of Attributed Artist |
| 12 | Andrew MacNaughtan | Illustrations, Photography |
| 13 | Ben Mink | Strings |
| 14 | Scott Moore | Mixing Assistant |
| 15 | Neil Peart | Cymbals, Drums, Electronic Percussion, Member of Attributed Artist, Tambourine |
| 16 | Nick Raskulinecz | Arranger, Audio Production, Engineer, Mixing, Producer |
| 17 | Rush | Arranger, Audio Production, Primary Artist, Producer |
| 18 | Ross Ryan | Equipment Coordinator |
| 19 | Matt Snedecor | Assistant Engineer |
| 20 | Hugh Syme | Art Direction, Design, Illustrations |
| 21 | Lorne Wheaton | Equipment Coordinator, Executive Producer |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |