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After the 1970s, Rush essentially gave up progressive rock and became something far more accessible. Well, this is one of the most accessible Rush records ever. Nearly every track is a well-crafted pop-rock song, but that by no means stops me from viewing this as an amazing album.

"Animate" After a quick count off, the band begins a straightforward but powerful song, led mainly by Geddy Lee's chugging bass.

"Stick it Out" A heavy and dark riff underlies a message about dealing with the obstacles of life. It practically stays heavy throughout, and doesn't offer much variety until the very end.

"Cut to the Chase" One of my favorites on the album (there will be a few of these), has Alex Lifeson dealing out clean guitar notes with Lee's vocals and steady bass around it. The chorus, however, is as heavy as everything that has come before. The guitar solo Lifeson provides is one of my favorites from him.

"Nobody's Hero" This is the more acoustic number, with thought-provoking lyrics and a powerful chorus. It's one of my favorite songs on the album (yes, another one). "Between Sun & Moon" This is one of the less memorable tracks on the album. It has some great guitar bits, but nothing spectacular. Somehow it sounds like a leftover from Presto. I love the chorus, however, even though the song took a long time for me to like.

"Alien Shore" This is a good song, but is one of the more lackluster tracks on the album. It describes the differences between the sexes (in a slightly different way than "Cold Fire" will do). It's a solid song, but not amazing.

"Speed of Love" While this song runs a bit bland, I still enjoy it quite a bit. Lee jumps in the middle with some funky bass bits, but again, nothing better than anything he's done before. "Double Agent" Over his thudding bass, Lee sings the lyrics to what I feel is the worst song on the album. The spoken word is irritating, almost corny. Honestly, this album would have been better without this mess.

"Leave That Thing Alone" One of Rush's best instrumentals is this one. It has Lee's growling bass riff, Lifeson's steady guitar in the back, and Neil Peart's varied percussion. The lead guitar is well-written, and soon launches into the hard rock attack.

"Cold Fire" Yet another favorite from this album (perhaps I'm a bit of a fan?), has Lifeson chucking out heavy chords that soon become soft, delicate sounds. He also has a soulful guitar solo. The fast-paced chorus is a highlight of the whole album.

"Everyday Glory" One more favorite here (just one more- I promise), has an inspiriting opening, with some hard-to-hear lyrics that give way to even an more inspiring chorus.