Just downloaded the new single from Rush- all I can say is WOW! I love the sound, and I love production. This is much better than VT, which I was never able to get into- even the songs I liked on that one gave me a headache because of the way the thing was produced (this also goes for Feedback). By contrast, this sounds crystal clear with plenty of space in the mix.

I cannot wait for the full CD!

Man, I can't believe they are still making music. True musical gods.

Gah. I'm supposed to know about this stuff before you all do. I must be busy or something. Argh argh argh.

And I'm so wrapped up in stuff that I don't have time to go listen to an MP3 from my favorite band right now. Argh.

Must make time this weekend.

All I can say is WOW! Looks like I'm gonna start buying Rush albums again...BTW the whole song is available as a stream on their website now.

Finally got a chance to hear this.

Like it a lot.

Love the "Hemispheres" chord.

Love the shift back to 90's-era production. It sounds like "Presto" a lot. This is good. Sounding like "Moving Pictures" would be better, but I'll take what I can get. Actually, in terms of sound and production, I think "Counterparts" was the best, and if the new album ends up sounding like that, production-wise, we could be in for a great summer.

The song itself took me a couple of listens to get into. But that's normal for Rush songs. I think with a few more listens I'll like it even more.

I really like the odd time signature bits with the dropped beats. That's the Rush I've always known and loved.

The release of this song is trying to signal to fans of 80s/90s Rush that that's what they're aiming for. I hope the rest of the album turns out to be that.

Things from the last couple of albums I don't want to see repeated on this album:

- Falsetto.

- Bass guitar taking the role of rhythm guitar by playing chords, while guitar makes scratchy noises. Worked in spots on Geddy's solo album, but that was with a different guitarist and a different approach to mixing and songwriting. Doesn't work so well against Alex in the context of Rush.

- Too much compressor/limiter in the mastering stage.

This song has some of those elements, but only in very tiny doses, so it's OK. Let's hope the rest of the album is like that.

On the other hand, Rush has always been about making the music that THEY want to make, and not specifically trying to second-guess what we want them to do. So really, my desires in this matter are somewhat moot (as they should be).

Still... new Rush album. Awesome.

Even more awesome: NEW TOUR. Ooooooh Yeahhhhh.

I think the vocals on this were just about perfect for what Geddy is trying to do these. He did WAY too much of that high harmony stuff on the last album. Here it is toned down and very tasteful. In fact, I remember the first couple of lines in this song thinking "Oh crap, here we go again," and then a little ways in thinking "no, it sounds good this way".

I love the production values and overall sound, though I've always been partial to the Presto/RTB sound, which this has a lot of, with the songwriting more like a mix between VT and T4E. I totally agree about the compressor/limiter, but I don't here that on this track at all.

Quote:
On the other hand, Rush has always been about making the music that THEY want to make, and not specifically trying to second-guess what we want them to do. So really, my desires in this matter are somewhat moot (as they should be).

This is SOOO true- I've been reading some posts on a Rush forum where fans are dissecting the song and rating the "sound", etc. They keep talking about how this song NEEDS a guitar solo and they'll be ticked if there isn't more blazing guitar work on the CD. Or they start complaining about something else. I find this funny, because presumably the reason we all love Rush is that they are doing their thing, not what they figure everyone else wants them to do.

Personally, I don't care if there isn't a guitar solo on the whole CD. I thought the whole "siren sound" thing Alex did on this was pretty cool, and definitely fit with the song.

I ALSO happen to think this is a better song than anything new I've heard on the radio in forever.

BTW, does that drum solo at the end just rock or what? I read a blog entry from Peart where he talked about having taken several days to learn a drum pattern, only to have the producer ask during the recording if he could solo over that part instead- to which he replied "sure!" I have to believe that is the part they are talking about because it's pretty sick.

Reminds me of when Neil talked about having to learn the drum part for "The Weapon". Alex and Geddy had come up with that pattern on a drum machine, then told him to learn it. He said it was torture, and he had to make his muscles do things they weren't used to, but he was proud when he'd accomplished it.

Ticket presales begin (I think) tomorrow. Actual ticket sales begin this Saturday. Follow links at Rush.com .

Thanks for the heads up. Totally stoked for this, as I missed the Feedback tour (my band had a gig that night).

UGH- tried to get tickets through pre-order, but all they had left were crappy seats for $70 a pop. I wouldn't mind paying that for good seats, but no thanks. I'll take my chances later. (Actually, I have a friend who works at the arena who might be able to get me better seats- I have my fingers crossed).

We shall see how I fare in about five minutes, as 10am rolls around to my timezone...

Same for me. I actually got some mediocre seats, but they were at the highest price level and I didn't want to pay that much for mediocre. So I canceled those. I'll try again in a bit to see if some opened up. At worst I can wait until this Saturday and try again, and since these are amphitheater shows, if no good seats are available I'll do the lawn. That's usually OK at these kind of shows.

New clip is up on Rush.com for the song "Spindrift". Sounds pretty friggen good to me. Also, there's a leak out there for "Malignant Narcissism*" if you are inclined to search for such a thing.

*For those interested, "MalNarc" a last minute addition that is basically 2 minutes of Geddy riffing on the bass. It was so last minute that they didn't have Neil's drum kit so he recorded it on a 5 piece they had at the studio

I'm unnaturally excited about this album and tour.

FYI, the CD came out today. I've listed to about 3/4 of it so far and I can't imagine any Rush fan not enjoying it.

I'll have to give it a few spins later to get a real assessment, but I think this is going to be their best CD since RTB (one of my personal favs).

Fuck it, the forum monster ate my 20 minute long post!

I still want to at least write and thank Jeff for bringing this new album to my attention - arrived in the post on Monday.

Just ordered it from Amazon. AND I saw tickets for their tour are being sold. PNC Bank Arts Center in NJ, July 7th!!!!!! Haven't been to a Rush show since Test For Echo, so it's been way too long.