Counterparts - Rush (CD 1993)

(Disclaimer: Those looking for a brief description of the album will find what their looking for in the "Review Body" section. The section titled "Track Reviews" is meant only for those who want to read detailed descriptions of the songs, and they do not constitute the essence of this review. Lastly and most importantly, this review is not necessarily written by the point of view of a Rush fan.)

Overall Score: 4/5
Best song: Leave That Thing Alone
Worst song: Everyday Glory

Review Body:

Rush moved to a more guitar-heavy sound in their 1991 release Roll the Bones. That was a great idea, of course, but apparently didn't bear very appealing fruit until this 1993 follow-up. Despite the similar sounds, the whole mentality of the two albums were completely different. They spent Roll the Bones probing (and failing) to win radio hits. Counterparts was aimed more toward alternative-rock audiences. So the guitars are heavier, more furious and less accessible. Still, Counterparts is far from a perfect work, but it's easily their best work since 1985's Grace Under Pressure, and that's good enough for me! I mean... I actually enjoyed listening to this album, which is something that I've been woefully missing from this band.

I still wish Rush would sit down and develop their melodies and harmonies. I know... I've been complaining about that forever, but it doesn't mean I should lower my standards for them. Rush doesn't get any special privileges for sucking! There is probably a slight improvement with the melodies and harmonies, but I think they were probably slightly more interesting in Signals and Power Windows, both of which received lower album scores. What makes Counterparts really stand out are those dark, furious guitar tones, which can be described as nothing else than awesome. Arrangements used to be one of Rush's greatest strengths, and this is the most intricate work they've done since their glory days.

That's enough comparing Rush's discography... Let's talk more about the individual songs! They open it with the thunderous and heart-pumping Animate. The pace is furious and the guitar tones are dark and wonderful to hear! These guys aren't being as weird as they were in the '70s, but they put their top-rate instrumental chops to the challenge there. The melody isn't the best, but there is some value in those chord progressions. That's a good song, but my favorite is the one where Geddy Lee doesn't sing anything! (Ah, well the guy could still play a mean bass...) It's the instrumental called Leave That Thing Alone. Since their vocal melodies have been completely bland, and instrumental was a great idea for them! Of course, to keep it interesting, they have to concentrate on textures and their furious instrumentals, and they succeed at it so well that I have stars in my eyes!

I also like those incredibly dark guitar tones in Stick it Out even though the song's pacing isn't quite as heart-pounding as it could have been. Cut to the Chase has a pretty neat orchestral build-up, but they keep on repeating it, and it has a few clumsy jumps that catch me too much by surprise. Between the Sun & Moon makes a good listen, and I like the furiousness of the instrumentals! I can't say anything else good about it, but virtually nothing else needs to be said about it. Double Agent is the distant third-best song of Counterparts. The instrumentals are a little bit crazy, and I'm glad that Rush is starting to come out of that plastic bag they locked themselves in during the mid 80s. That voice-over idea is the only thing I don't like about it.

There is no single song in this album that tanks, which is another good sign that Rush was coming out of their depression. Nobody's Hero is the most acoustic song here, but that electric chorus comes off as a little clumsy. (And those lyrics are controversial to anti-gay Rush fans, which I suppose were fairly numerous.) Alien Shore and The Speed of Love are both passable, but they don't find anything interesting to do with either of them. The guitars seem much more lightweight, and the arrangements don't capture my interest. They sound a little bored with those. I'm also dismayed with Everyday Glory ... they should have found something *bigger* to close the album with. That has a pop tone that's a little more reminiscent of their late '80s albums, and (naturally) there's nothing redeeming about the melody. But even that's a fine song with a nice overall texture to it.

I think Rush's longtime fans who were still faithful enough to buy their albums were probably overwhelmingly delighted with this release. This is hardly a great album even by their standard but it had been a long time since they sounded this excited! Yay!

Track Reviews:

Animate A-
A big old epic song that's also incredibly fun to listen to! The guitar sounds are bigger than they've ever been before in the history of Rush. The drums are loud, but remember, this is no longer the '80s, so it's the *cool* kind of loud. There's some very minor keyboards in the background, but they lend a bit more substance to the orchestration. The riff isn't that interesting, and neither is the melody, but they actually seem to work because of this instrumentation. This bold, guitar sound is wonderful!

Stick it Out B
They're sticking it out with the strong guitar tones. In fact, these are even deeper and more menacing than the previous song was. That really helps, because the riff isn't any better than most things from Kiss. But the instrumentation continues to be really enjoyable. In the end, I'm paying much more attention to those guitars than the melody anyway. The one thing I don't care for is the middle when they slow things down to deliver this mini-ballad. I like the texture change, but that part is borrrrrring.

Cut to the Chase B-
It starts with a slow build-up and slowly culminates into this guitar heavy chorus... Listening to it flow like this is wonderful! But then they suddenly stop it and make it start over again... That's a pretty big flaw in this song's development! At any rate, this is still a good song, and that melodic guitar solo is very easy on the ears.

Nobody's Hero C+
I guess the gay-bashing crowd felt alienated after Rush released this song! I guess that proves Rush fans actually pay attention to the lyrics... Rush fans are dorks! ...OK, apart from the lyrics, this isn't a bad song. It starts with a furiously strummed, full acoustic guitar and a melody with a few good hooks in it. It goes downhill when the more hard rocking chorus comes in... The arrangements are still pretty good, but they're a little more misfired than they were in the previous tracks.

Between Sun & Moon B
Not bad! Again, this new, bolder guitar sound is really serving Rush well, and it makes me regret they weren't just doing this all along... The riffs and melodies aren't really better than they have been in recent Rush albums. Frankly, they're still a little bland. But the boldness of the instrumentals is really butt-whomping, and this is pretty entertaining!

Alien Shore C+
This still isn't bad, but the guitar style isn't quite as bracing here as it has been, and of course the melodies and harmonies haven't gotten much better. The guitars don't betray the style that they've been shooting for in this whole album, but they sound a little more routine here. None of those awesomely dark tones from Stick it Out or anything. I do like that sort of detached guitar solo Lifeson gives us in the middle ... something alien about that!

The Speed of Love C
Yeah, so this isn't a perfect album. Again, the guitars are still heavier and so are the drums, but this seems even blander than Alien Shore. The melody is so good that I'm under the impression that the song would've been better if Geddy Lee didn't sing anything on it! ... I like the sound, but I say meh to this overall song.

Double Agent B+
I like that the guitars here sound much more furious than the other tracks, and that starts to get my heart pumping! The drumming is also very furious thanks to those skillful chops from Peart. It's all a little dizzying, but I like that Rush is finally starting to get crazy again... I don't think that voice over thing was a good idea, though, but it doesn't really detract from the experience that much. I might have given it an A- without it, though.

Leave That Thing Alone A
This track sort of puts my earlier comment to test about these songs being better if Lifeson just wouldn't sing on them. And here's an instrumental! I think I was right... The face is very furious and the guitars are very dark. The textures change around rather frequently, but they're not nearly as jolting as they were in Rush's progressive albums. Lifeson's really having a field day with his guitars... Every once in awhile, the guitar solos sound dark and angry... other times, they're thoughtful. Peart's thunderous drumming adds extra class to the proceedings. The fade-out at the end is a little cheap, but I'm not going to complain! Good song!

Cold Fire B
This is pretty good! The melody is much blander and the guitars aren't quite as exciting... but this is still a bold and rather furious song that makes an overall good listen. I think it's easy to forget this one exists around the others, but it's perfectly good for at-the-moment listening.

Everyday Glory C
A really boring song to end things with. The guitar tones are very wimpy compared to the rest of the songs, and the textures they create come off like a huge drone unless you're paying close attention to it. The melody is the same story that they have been throughout the whole disc --- really bland and boring. Lifeson's solo in the final third blends in the background, and it's also not very good. Mmhmhmmmmhmhmmhmhmhhhmmm.

Concluding Remarks:

This isn't the perfect Rush release, but that just means it fits in with their discography! This beats out all of their albums since Grace Under Pressure.