Tag Archives: rush

Dante Spumante Again

By lytspeed Posted in Music Leave a reply

Yes, we went to see Dante Spumante again. This time, John, the bassist from Juan Hit Wanda (aka Flat Rabbit) and Squidlick (aka Better Than Nothing) and his wife were there. Also, Trevor, one of the guitarist/vocalists for Dot Com, and his wife Debra showed up. Brad the Drummer‘s wife Cindy was able to get a babysitter tonight, and showed up as well.

The rest of the crowd was pretty quiet, but those of us at the band table had fun. I must confess that part of me wanted to be at Fiddler’s Green watching Rush on their first tour in six years, but we didn’t have the money for that concert. Dante Spumante was much less expensive, and though they didn’t have lasers and fog machines, they were entertaining in their own right.

At the end of the night, John, Brad and I briefly talked about getting together to jam next week. I hope that comes through; we haven’t played together for at least a month and a half, and probably more. Trevor also expressed interest in playing with us, so maybe we’ll have a miniature party that night. It was good seeing John; I still entertain delusions about being good enough to play in Squidlick with him and his other band members.

Sour mood

By lytspeed Posted in Gaming, Music, Writing Leave a reply

Today was a relaxing day, but my mood is pretty sour. I’ve been snapping at my wife and son and heaping guilt on myself for playing Morrowind instead of getting some writing done. By the end of the day, I hope to get my review of The Legend That Was Earth written, and perhaps review Rush’s new album, Vapor Trails. I also want to put together a CD of the cover tunes that Flat Rabbit plays to use as a practice CD. If I add to this entry, that means that I got some or all of that done. If I don’t add to it, put your fingers in the shape of an “L” on your forehead and call me a complete loser.

(Later that evening …) Okay, you don’t have to call me a complete loser. I did finish the review of The Legend That Was Earth. (I know, I know, “that” and “was” technically shouldn’t be capitalized in that title. I chose to capitalize them anyway because it’s a pretentious enough title that those words feel like they need to be capitalized.) It’s fairly late now, though, so I won’t get the Rush review or the CD put together. I guess that just makes me a partial loser, rather than a complete loser. 😉

Test for Echo

By lytspeed Posted in Music, Opinion, Reviews Leave a reply

Test for Echo

By: Rush

Type: Progressive Rock

Hot Tracks:

  • Driven
  • Time and Motion
  • Limbo
  • Totem

Continuing the shift back to a leaner, less layered sound, Test for Echo is a quality effort from Rush. Alex Lifeson’s guitar is more up front than it has been in a long time, especially on songs like “Driven,” “Limbo” and “Time and Motion,” yet the characteristic syncopation that has become Rush’s trademark sound is not compromised. Geddy Lee’s bass playing continues to show influence from Primus’ Les Claypool and the trio uses synthesizers less than they have in several releases. Lee’s voice also seems to be getting better with age. Neil Peart’s lyrics continue to sport poetic and literary devices that other rock songwriters fear to approach and he stretches a little to play hammer dulcimer on “Resist.” In short, this album is a predictable progression from previous trends.

Which is just fine with me.

I am happy to see Rush moving back to simpler arrangements and a little more distortion. The spacey, ethereal sounds of their 1980s albums began to wear on me a little, though I do think Neil Peart’s lyrics were at their peak during this period, particularly on Power Windows. His best lyrics on this album are probably presented in “Totem,” a defense multi-cultural belief systems. I am also happy to see the band returning more often to the extended instrumentals, like “Limbo” on this album.

The pamphlet design is of high quality, similar in style to the old Hipgnosis album jackets. A lot of computer generated images and fractal patterns give the slipcover booklet a feel almost like a graphics intensive web page, which fits very well with the song “Virtuality” in particular.

It will be interesting to see where the group goes from here. Recently, Peart’s daughter died in an accident, and I am predicting this will have a profound effect on his lyrics in the future. We may see him returning to the level of lyricism he attained in the mid eighties, if only because he is driven by pain. I’m not sure the group’s current musical trend will fit well with the kind of lyrics that might come from this loss, though. I look for the Lee and Lifeson’s music to get a little lighter in the future if Peart’s lyrics go that direction.

Until then, I will continue to enjoy the status quo of one of the most consistent bands in modern music.

Rating (out of a possible five):