Clockwork Angels - Rush

Clockwork Angels (Rush, 2012)

1. Caravan - 5:40
2. BU2B - 5:10
3. Clockwork Angels - 7:31
4. The Anarchist - 6:52
5. Carnies - 4:52
6. Halo Effect - 3:14
7. Seven Cities of Gold - 6:32
8. The Wreckers - 5:01
9. Headlong Flight - 7:20
10. BU2B2 - 1:28
11. Wish Them Well - 5:25
12. The Garden - 6:59

While Rush's music has always retained elements of progressive rock, it has been a long time since they brought forth a full-fledged concept album, replete with musical ambition, unmasked chops, and a storyline.  True, there are elements of their 80's-90's middle-of-the-road songs in this album, but each song is challenging in its own way and contributes to the whole.

The album is based on an original story by drummer/lyricist Neal Peart that owes a lot to Voltaire's Candide. A young man leaves home to search for adventure, believing he lives in the best of all possible worlds, which is managed by the Watchmaker.  He meets with misadventures in the capitol city, catches momentary religious fervor, gets mixed up with terrorists, works in a carnival, pursues a woman who rejects him, searches for a lost land, and loses everything. At the end of his life, like Candide, he decides that, Watchmaker or not, the best thing to do is to is to tend your garden, nurturing love and respect from the others around you and letting go of grudges.

Musically, the Canadian trio are firing on all cylinders. Loud, heavy rock riffs abound, with knotty guitar, growling bass, and a unique barrage of percussives. Highlights include the soaring title track, the muscular arpeggios of "The Anarchist", or the driving guitar chords of "Wish Them Well." Some echos are heard from Rush songs past, but even familiar riffs have new life breathed into them in this setting. Geddy's voice is a little more warbly than usual, but there are great vocal moments, and most of the melody is carried by guitar and bass anyway. Clockwork Angels is a welcome return to form for progressive rock's best power trio.

Arbitrary rating: 4.5 out of 5 muscular arpeggios

Crush of Night - IZZ

Crush of Night (IZZ, 2012)

1. You've Got a Time - 4:09
2. Words and Miracles - 7:17
3. Solid Ground - 6:01
4. Half the Way - 6:07
5. I. This Reality - 13:32
6. II. The Crush of Night - 13:18
7. Almost Over - 4:19

A good friend recommended this album to me. I was further drawn in by the presence of Gentle Giant guitarist Gary Green, who is always worth a listen. But what I found was unexpected beauty. The multi-layered, intertwining vocals; the expressive and melodic bass guitar work; the beautiful piano parts; the snaky, sinewy guitar; and the overall high quality of these compositions coalesce perfectly to make a memorable, subtle, masterful album.

Apparently this is part two of a three-album concept suite. You don't need to know that to enjoy the music here, though.  The songs are very carefully thought out, with introspective, philosophical lyrics that also have emotional urgency. The restrained elegance of the opening a capella vocals to "You've Got a Time" or the piano-led childhood memories of "Half the Way" provide nice contrast to the more bracing rock desperation of "Solid Ground" ("I can't feel the earth, it's shaking underneath me/It's taking everything I have to stand") or the playful time-twisting 11/8 jaunt that is the first half of "Words and Miracles".

The centerpiece of the album is the 26-minute work formed by tracks 5 and 6. The band weave several styles and movements together successfully to create an adventurous journey about a search for truth. "This Reality" chronicles the attempt to cobble together your own comfortable philosophy by taking the bits and pieces you like and ignoring everything else, and about how the world shatters such attempts. "The Crush of Night" is less obvious lyrically, almost mystical in places, as it tries to capture the truth that comes after the self-serving deception is shattered. Musically, the piece ranges far and wide: graceful, unadorned piano dances over nimble bass and drums, with guitar etching melodies and countermelodies throughout, complemented in turns by xylophone one minute, electronic loop percussion the next. The singing by husband-wife-brother team Tom Galgano, Anmarie Byrnes, and John Galgano is intricate and emotional, and it meshes perfectly with the instruments to form a complex and exciting piece of music.

This group of dedicated musicians will probably continue to be criminally overlooked, but they have something significant and unique to say, and now that I know of them, I'm listening.

Arbitrary rating: 5 out of 5 graceful, unadorned pianos