SIGNALS

Well, Signals received mixed reviews from most fans, and it sure is understandable as Rush changed their style dramatically here. Heavy use of synthesizers like never before, and much shorter, simpler structured compositions dominate this album. So, is this a bad album? Of course not, why should it be? It's in the eye of the beholder. Some may love it, while other's hate it. Also, if you started listening to Rush in their Synth-Era, you'd surely like Signals. But if you knew them as a raw hard rock band, (their first records when they just started out) your opinion might be influenced negatively.

Well then, let's take a look at it. Signals is their ninth studio album and was released in 1982. It contains 8 tracks, with a total lenght of 42 minutes. The album starts off with "Subdivisions", one of their most popular songs. Lyrically, it's about individuality and onesidedness of life. It's a mind-blowing song and one of my personal favorites. The most noticeable aspects of this song are obviously Geddy's brief keyboard solo's during the song. Subdivisions is followed by "The Analog Kid", a fast-paced prog song with a dreamy chorus and a nice guitar solo by Alex Lifeson towards the end. It's also one of my favorites. The ending is a bit disappointing, though. It's just my personal opinion, but I think the song should have faded out, since the end sounded so frantic. The third track, "Chemistry", is much slower than the first ones. Didn't like it too much at first, but it has grown on me. "Digital Man" is the counterpart to The Analog Kid. An analog signal is a signal that is written as it was recorded, with no encryption. A digital signal is an encrypted signal that needs to be decoded, it only gives you a positive or a negative signal, a 0 or a 1. The Analog Kid is about a boy who is overwhelmed with emotions. Digital Man is about a modern, heartless, man. Catchy song.

Next up... "The Weapon", the highlight of this album in my opinion. (Like "Limelight" in Moving Pictures) There's something really compelling about this song and I can't figure it out. I think it's the synthesizers, but I might be wrong. I especially like it towards the end. What's next? "New World Man", which became a surprise radio hit. I personally consider this the weakest track of the album, just because of this song being so simple. The chorus is catchy, though. "Losing It", a song they never played live. A beautiful ballad. The electric violin is stunningly beautiful. And the last track "Countdown" is a song about the launch of the Space Shuttle Columbia in 1981, which the band witnessed. It's pretty mediocre, but for being the last song on the album, it literally gives you the feeling of finality.

I'd love to give this album 5 stars, but unfortunately I can't. This was a nice experimental album, but nowhere a masterpiece. I got bored a little after listening to it 100 times, and I missed long and complex songs. Nonetheless, it's a great Rush album for anyone. 4 stars.