VICTOR

Victor is the band name for Alex Lifeson (the guitarist for Rush, as if anyone here doesn't already know that) and his group on his one (so far) solo album. Being one third of Rush, it means that this album bears a strong resemblance to Rush's music. Lifeson makes little effort to differentiate the tones of his guitar from what he does with Lee and Peart.

Right from the beginning of the album, the Rush sound is there. Don't Care has a nice, complex structure, that mixes up timing in 6, 7 and 8, giving it a more progressive sound than most Rush songs since the early 80s. Promise follows, with an even more Rushlike sound. Vocalist Edwin, however, tries to add a more contemporary alternative gruff vocal style to the pieces, but with Lifeson's guitar, it still sounds more like Rush than anything else.

Lifeson does branch away from the Rush parallels on a few songs, most notably Shut Up Shuttin' Up, a funky piece, that has two women (one of whom I believe is Lifeson's wife) prattling on about Lifeson and men in general, with guitar breaks interspersed. It's quite funny. Another departure is the spacy Victor, with a spoken story, that ends up as a religious parable.

So this album is good. It's better than some Rush albums, not as good as others. But it does have some nice prog (and a cameo from Les Claypool).