Rush
Clockwork Angels
(Anthem/Universal)
4.5/5
A new Rush album. Always, there is a certain crispness, hidden away in a sonic place between the hi hat and the vocal mix. Vocalist Geddy Lee, song one: “I can’t stop thinking big.” There are lonely men in record stores all across North America at this very moment. The sound of the bass, propelling forth through the songs; I can’t stop thinking small. The feeling of a band that has laid down a history and a path all their own, and who are fully comfortable doing what they want. A drummer working through myriad personal tragedies with every hit of the snare; a drummer who has seen highs and lows most of us will never know. Every texture on this album matters. Lee can’t stop thinking big, and for that, we should thank him. There’s a certain crispness, hidden away behind the primal caveman and the thinking academic. A new Rush album. Always.