Rush – Snakes & Arrows (Release Year – 2007)
The Godfathers of Progressive Rock, Rush, are ushering in the first of many great releases in May. Snakes and Arrows is the first studio disc from Rush since 2002′s Vapor Trails. I have been anxiously awaiting to hear the latest and greatest by these Canadian Rock Gods!
Snakes & Arrows is one of those CD’s that is immediately great from the first listen. The production is amazing, and music is absolutely fantastic.
Let me start by saying that I have already listened to the first two tracks Far Cry and Armor and Sword several times, and both tracks are superb Rush classics. I can’t get enough of either one of them, and keep replaying them if that tells you anything.
It never ceases to amaze me how Rush makes a song like Workin’ Them Angels, work for them. For an average band, this would be filler, but Rush is far from an average band. From the musical arrangement, a hint of mediterranean sound creeps into the music, but still maintains a heavy feel. Unbelievable!
I thought the The Larger Bowl seemed like a strange name for a song. I have listened to this one a few times, and it just doesn’t work for me. If feels a lot like a filler track.
The guitar riff on Spindrift has a heavy almost haunting feel to it. This is a song about waves crashing in and out, which is a metaphor for a relationship. It is an interesting track but not essential.
The Main Monkey Business is the first of three instrumentals on Snakes & Arrows. The others are the acoustic guitars of Hope and the bass centric Malignant Narcissism. The Main Monkey Business is a great 6 plus minute progressive jam, where the other two are short little two minute romps.
The Way the Wind Blows starts with a bluesy guitar riff that would make Stevie Ray Vaughn proud. It then goes through some varying changes, from bass heavy to light acoustic. This song gets a little lengthy, but is one hell of a cool Rush track.
Faithless is a cool track that you really need to listen to the words to fully absorb.
Bravest Face almost has an alternative feel to it at first with its jangly acoustic guitars. Once Alex Lifeson starts up the howling guitars, and Geddy Lee starts really belting out the notes, I start to take notice. This is one of those songs that goes back and forth in the way it sounds. At first listen I felt it was filler, but the playing is so good, that I have grown to like this track with a few more listens.
Good News First is one of those songs that you need to crank up to fully appreciate it. Alex Lifeson’s guitar is so clean polished sounding it really needs to be listened to a few times to really absorb what you are hearing.
We Hold On is another track that I could hear getting some radio play. It is another solid track, and great way to close out this disc.
The difference between Snakes & Arrows, and other rock albums is you can hear a lot of heart in the music, and can tell that Rush took a lot of time painstakingly putting these tunes together. Even the CD booklet has full color images on ever page with all of the lyrics included.
Snakes & Arrows isn’t a disc full of radio ready hits, although there are some. This is a disc that is more about the music, than making hits. I am sure this will please the majority of Rush fans out there, and a lot of Hard Rock fans in general. Geddy Lee hasn’t lost anything in his vocal range, and the Alex Lifeson and Neil Peart still sound better than many of young guys out there playing today.
Is Snakes & Arrows the best Rush disc I have ever heard? No, but it is very good. I liked this disc from the first note, and will be surely playing this one a lot over the coming weeks. I think a lot of you will be too!
Rating: 
Out of 10
Track Listing:
1. Far Cry
2. Armor and Sword
3. Workin’ Them Angels
4. The Larger Bowl
5. Spindrift
6. The Main Monkey Business
7. Way the Wind Blows
8. Hope
9. Faithless
10. Bravest Face
11. Good News First
12. Malignant Narcissism
13. We Hold On
Rush is a incredible band with a ton of talent (Not bad for three blind mice). When bands were trying to play snythetic music and failing RUSH was using it very successful and incorporating it into their music with great success. They are the only band I know that can play blues, oriental and synthetic music and still make it sound like good ROCK music. Snakes and Arrows is the same style and their writing skills are still very bold and yet they manage to pack concert halls year after year. RUSH has truly learned to adapt to the 21st century and they have adapted well.
No offense to all you Rush fans…it just never caught on to me.Yeah, Peart is an awesome drummer,I’m a drummer and I’ve always thought that.And Geddy is a good bass player, but thier tunes don’t have much balls.They’re far from a down n’ dirty rock band.To me,the essence of down n’ dirty,music w/balls is;Angus Young,Ronnie VanZant,James Hetfield,Hendrix,Bon Scott,early Ozzy.Even some Jim Morrison and John Lennon is more ballsy than Rush.
I feel Snakes and Arrows is a “Top Shelf” purely solid and polished fine work of music and pribally the BEST overall Rush since 2112, Kings, and Hemispheres – No exaggeration here, these guys nailed this one.
Along with the CD which hit me like lightning the first time I played it. Later this summer I took in the September 6th show in Milwaukee and they blew the ampliatheater to pieces! I expected good and received excellence! My supreme audio treat flavored with entertaining video and effects left me inspired. Neil Peart delivers his music with the accuracy of a marksman and the intensity of a corporate CEO. Geddy Lee glues the Rush sound with his range of voice and his defibulater like heart pumping bass playing talents. Alex Lifeson plays some of the most solid wide ranged lead guitar I have ever heard come off of his finger tips. A Rush fan that can’t appreciate this CD or tour really needs to ask theirself “Why they like Rush in the first place” It’s money well spent.
I saw them back in July 20th. Excellent show. Much like Vapor Trails, I grew to greater appreciate this album once I saw a bunch of the tracks played live. Maybe it’s because of so much older material? I don’t know… But Snakes and Arrows belongs right up there with all the previous Rush favorites.