Test For Echo - Rush (CD 1996)

After their return to a more heavy rock sound with Counterparts , Rush wasn t about to abandon a successful formula. Their pop sensibility is now more balanced with old time rock chops, which sits comfortably in the musical landscape of the late 90 s. Grunge is dead but it left the industry deeply scarred and thirsty for more aggressive music than the New Wave fare of the 80 s. This album is that and more. Rush now has a popular following of fans who ve been weaned on their progressive sound and intellectual lyrics. Their true musical genius is evident in the way they craft dynamics into their tunes. Each song now contains elements of hard rock power, soft pop harmony and eclectic tempo changes. High s and lows are balanced, extremes are kept in check.


Test for Echo
A solid opener for this album, Test for Echo is at its core a rock tune with a social conscience. Under the microscope now is our culture s infatuation with extreme news. The sudden changes in rhythm and pace are somewhat jerky, but make for interesting tension in the song. Alex s licks are precise, crisp and catchy. No muddy or ambiguous phrases here. The solo s languid pace is at odds with the song, but again, this seems to add to the character of this piece. Percussion and bass are expertly crafted as well, creating a very well rounded song. Perhaps too well rounded to get much attention from radio? Who knows?

Driven
I was at first a little annoyed by this piece. It opens with a repetitive but hard-hitting guitar lick, switches to acoustic momentarily, then grinds with some heavy power chords. All of these changes are sudden and jolting, which seems to be Rush s preferred method of developing melodic interest at this stage of their career. But the song grew on me and I succumbed to its simple melodic genius. This is a power rock song of the like the band hasn t produced in years.

Half the world
This is Rush s attempt to criticize the world for it s polarized cultural viewpoints, which is dominated by the liberal and conservative ends of the spectrum. How they manage to spin this into an optimistic sounding tune I m not sure, but it happens. Maybe it s the upbeat tempo or bright sounding power chords Alex employs. At any rate, it s a peppy tune that pleases the ear but is far from being the jewel of the album.

The Color of Right
This is another song about polarization, but more direct and critical. The opening guitar lick sets an ominous tone, but it does lighten up later in the verse. Righteousness is criticized as pushing its own agenda while allowing the world s problems to continue on, unchanged. Are good and right the same thing? The solo section leave a little to be desired, but overall this song has a nice harmony and interesting guitar licks throughout that keep it fun. And Neil s percussion plays a big role in that as well.

Time and Motion
This tune is the surprise of the album. The opening sequence is dominated by a straightforward, dark rock lick, backed by a tense synthesizer line. While still adhering to the pop formula, it does manage to push the envelop of melody and rhythm, challenging the listener to follow several tempo, rhythm and time changes. Alex s solo sounds so angry he must have apologized to his guitar after the recording session. It s a thrashing good time.

Totem
Rush s take on the world s crazy religious fervor is truly refreshing. As the world seems to be going down the road of religious schisms, some of us embrace the notion that a pantheistic approach is more sensible, that cooperation and tolerance is the best approach to finally reaching a peaceful coexistence. Since it appears that no religion will ever win out around the world, this is clearly a wise choice. I don t know what the trio s true religious beliefs are, but if this song is at all autobiographical, then it shows that the depth of their wisdom goes much deeper than music alone. The overall tone of this song is bright and optimistic, a good contrast to the previous track.

Dog Years
One of my favorite late-era Rush tunes, no doubt about it. This song harkens back, way back, to the old days of Rush if any tune in their body of work does. In face, I believe it would fit comfortably on Fly by Night or Permanent Waves. The message is simple enough; it compares our hectic life with the fast paced life of a dog, seven times as short. In a comical way, it asks why we don t take time to enjoy the journey. The symbolic references to all things dog are as thick as a husky s mane. Here s a juicy sample:

In the dog days
People look to Sirius
Dogs cry for the moon
But those connections are mysterious
It seems to me
While it s true that every dog will have its day
When all the bones are buried
There is barely time to go outside and play

Let s not forget that this is an upbeat, hard-core rock tune with great guitar licks and driving rhythms. They just don t get any better than this. I ve heard many a person criticize this song for being silly or meaningless, but listen again. Rush has just about perfected the use of metaphor and this song demonstrates that beautifully. The only criticism I have for the song is the solo section. It just isn t as energetic as the rest of the song and falls short of what s needed.

Virtuality
A powerful tune, full of richly layered guitar licks as well as textured background synthesizers. Is it any surprise that Rush would choose to write about the phenomenon of the Internet culture? Neil s lyrics are sharp as lasers in this multi-layered effort as he captures the very essence of the cyber world. There s no doubt that the Internet is such a commanding force in our lives now that there will surely be countless songs crafted to honor, revile and celebrate it. Few will be as accurate and entertaining as this one.

Here s a sample of these outstanding lyrics:

Net boy, net girl
Send your signal round the world.
Let your fingers walk and talk,
And set you free.
Net boy, net girl
Put a message in a modem,
And throw it inside the cyber sea.

Amazing.

Resist
A disappointment compared to the rest of the album, though not a total loss. The message is powerful, so powerful that the weak music doesn t stand in the way of appreciating the song. It examines how self-centered we are, how we conquer paper tigers. Neil s lyric that we can fight without winning but never win without a fight was quite meaningful to me because it does seem like I m always fighting a battle for something I really want. This song is a crooning tune for Geddy with little melodic structure. The guitar harmony by Alex is emotion stirring and keeps the song interesting.

Limbo
An odd little tune if ever there was one. While edgier than the previous two instrumentals, and fitting right in with this album, Limbo is less melodic. From the opening clatter of chains (yes chains) you begin to listen intently, looking for the melodic form to take shape. I m not sure it ever does. And you really become confused by the indiscernible voices and growls near the middle of the tune. But I ve listened to it scores of times and haven t gotten bored with it yet. It s also the longest of the three recent instrumentals by almost a minute and a half, clocking in at 5:28! So it s intriguing to say the least.

Carve away the Stone
This song reminds me of a self-help course I once took. The stone represents the challenges we face in life and it is up to us, alone, to chip away at the stone day by day. The message seems a little overt for a Rush tune, but is nonetheless an interesting topic. The melodic and harmonic elements of this song are fitting. Nothing groundbreaking, but a solid tune that was well placed at the end of the album.

Conclusion:
While this effort still falls short of their awe-inspiring work from the 1970 s, it s clear that at this point in their career, Rush s music just doesn t get any better than this. Although it took me some time to warm up to this album, it eventually became one of my favorites and I can always enjoy it no matter what mood I m in. Rush may never top this album again, so you should enjoy it.