HEMISPHERES

Largely considered to be Rush's proggiest effort, "Hemispheres" features an 18 minute epic and a wonderful 9 minute instrumental. "Cygnus X-1 Book II" has a few minor flaws. It is far more repetitive for 18 minutes than most would expect of a prog song. It's broken into 6 movements although the first three movements are pretty much the same except for the lyrics and the fourth doesn't change too much. Some could call this repetition and from a purely objective standpoint I feel that I should probably lean towards that school of thought, but the song is catchy and musically interesting enough that I'll call it good cohesion throughout the song. "Circumstances" is a short straight-forward rock piece. While this may not be a pure prog effort, it still contains excellent musicianship from the trio. "The Tress" is a mellow piece about generic opposition between the Oaks and Maples. The maples are not allowed any light because the oaks are too big and block out the sun. The solution worked out in the end is that all trees have to be kept equal "by hammer, axe and saw." Finally is the crowning jewel of the album, the nine and a half minute instrumental which boosts the above-average album to a great album. "La Villa Strangiato" tells the story of a bizarre dream (bordering on nightmare at some times based on the tone) that explores a wide variety of emotions. All musicians are on the top of their game here. The meticulously crafted song packs as much music as possible into this time frame; there is not a single superfluous note here. I feel that almost all Rush songs can be overplayed after a fairly small amount of listens, but "La Villa Strangiato" is complex while still being accessible with plenty to keep you busy. This makes it have a much higher replay value than most others. While this is probably my favorite Rush album, I must admit it doesn't really progress enough. If you really want to get a feel for what this album will be like before listening, combine A Farewell to Kings, Permanent Waves and Moving Pictures. Hemispheres is a good starting point if you're looking to get into Rush or even prog in general. If you like Rush and somehow don't have this album yet then I strongly encourage you to get it. And if you are looking for a pleasant-sounding album that rocks pretty hard and isn't too "out there" I recommend this. 4.28 stars.