SIGNALS

Opener 'Subdivisions' is vintage Rush: enigmatic, dark yet uplifting, and the beauty of sheer musical power. The synth leads were kind of new to Rush's driving force. The song is a key soundtrack to the eighties: the alienation in the suburbs and the spirit of materialism are depicted with moving poetic images. The building up to a climax ('Game over') is pure majesty. The other songs stay in the same vein and maintain the state-of-the-art level of the opening track. In fact this is a concept album about lost innocence in a commercializing world. It's also the beginning of new musical experiments for the band, introducing some new wave idioms without losing the unmistakenable Rush sound. Perhaps the opening notes on 'The Weapon' come too close to a disco beat, still Lifeson's rich guitar chords in the second half will astound you. Peart's lyric imagery on 'Losing it' will make you weep. The closing section 'Countdown' is their brilliant tribute to those brave men, out there in space. One of the most moving endings you will encounter on any record.