HEMISPHERES

At first I thought I had simply gone insane, but repeated listens proved me wrong -- it was, in fact, a GOOD Rush album!!! Granted, Geddy's voice still stabs my metaphorical ears with literal knitting needles, but the band is playing some warm, melodic material and finally the production is up to modern-day standards. No more watery ick! Fuller ick indeed! The lyrics, as usual, are laughable, mystical juvenilia (especially the side-long suite discussing the battle between the heart and the mind -- HEEEE!!!!) so it's not all peaches and heeb, but a grand deal of these riffs actually make you HAPPY to hear them! Clever, slightly unpredictable hard rock type things, with unexpected breaks and lots of bass slapping in the background. Plus, side two allows us a full NINE AND A HALF MINUTES STRAIGHT without a single word from Geddy Pee!!!

I still think these guys are overrated beyond words though. Better than Styx, sure, but what good are gobs of musical chops if you can't write interesting melodies on a consistent basis?