They’re back. And it’s about time.
Rush has been in a holding pattern for the last few records. They’ve had their moments, sure, but little of their recent output has been all that engaging. Thankfully, that isn’t the case here. This is easily their best work since Presto, and it’s a welcome return to form.
Everything about the record is confident and self-assured. Much has been said of the lyrics, which follow an underlying narrative, but this isn’t side one of 2112. Neil Peart’s lyrics are much more down-to-earth than they were in the halcyon days of the late 1970’s. In fact, he’s laid aside most of his pretensions, and if I hadn’t read the pre-release hype, I’d have been unaware this was a concept album.