Rush’s latest effort aims to rekindle the spirit of 2112. Does it?
Rush fans knew that there was something new brewing after the band’s extensive Snakes and Arrows Tour. In the buildup to the release of what would later be called Clockwork Angels, the band teased the imminent release of new material during their Time Machine Tour from 2010 to 2011. The singles ‘Caravan’ and ‘BU2B’ were making regular appearances during performances on this tour. After the tour, additional singles continued to drop leading up to the 2012 release. ‘Headlong Flight’ dropped April 19, 2012 and the album dropped June 12, 2012. Additional singles, ‘The Wreckers’, ‘The Anarchist’ and ‘Clockwork Angels’ would be released June 25, 2012, February 20, 2013 and November 12, 2013 respectfully. The album was well recieved by Rush fans and charted at number 2 on the Billboard 200 upon release.
Clockwork Angels was promoted as a concept album. The band, the press and Snakes and Arrows producer, Nick Raskulinecz, said that this album would be a throwback to the band’s progressive material ala 2112 and Hemispheres.
One thing worth noting about Clockwork Angels is that despite the inclusion of a book and all these additional parts outlining the story and concept of Clockwork Angels, one can’t help but wonder: what exactly is the story around Clockwork Angels? Unlike 2112 and even ‘The Fountain of Lamneth’ and ‘The Necromancer’ off of Caress of Steel, I found myself doing some deep digging to find some leads on to what exactly the concept of this concept album is. One lead I got came from PopMatters, where the piece’s author, Brice Ezell, supposes that the premise of this album is an existential crisis. Here’s an excerpt from his piece over at PopMatters, Rush: Clockwork Angels:
“The story of Clockwork Angels centers around an existential crisis of sorts. The setting is a futuristic, steampunk-esque world, the center of which is the majestic Crown City, where the Watchmaker presides over his creation. The character of the Watchmaker, a reference to Christian apologist William Paley’s teleological argument for the existence of God, is the site of Peart’s biggest lyrical exploration here, namely the battle between human will and determinism. As the unnamed protagonist journeys from his humble village to Crown City in search for greater meaning, he finds himself crushed under the weight of society’s prolonged quest for understanding divinity. This is a society rife with conflict, here embodied by the titular contrarian of “The Anarchist”. Throughout the story, a recurring character called “The Pedlar” stops by to ask the central question underlying the protagonist’s quest: “What do you lack?” To this, the Anarchist responds: “Vengeance.” The domineering force of fate is met by the unquenchable thirst of boundless rage, reaching its climax during a nearly devastating encounter at a carnival on “Carnies”. This tumult, along with a long voyage overseas that culminated in a ferocious storm on the return home, are the impetus for the collapse of faith the protagonist comes to on Clockwork Angel’s shortest work, the string-backed “BU2B2”…”
One thing is for sure, that the story of this progressive rock album is not nearly as clear cut and, arguably, as listener friendly as their past works. Additionally, this is Rush making a concept album approaching their 40th anniversary – their fanbase is established, they were recently inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (finally) and universally recognized as powerhouses in rock and deemed a culturally significant rock band. They don’t need to impress anyone or win anyone over with their work. This album is for the fans and the fans will, at the end of the day ‘get’ the messages Neil embeds into this album.
Clockwork Angels isn’t without it’s hangups, however. Some of the effects and background wails feel a little cheap and under-thoughtout. For a band so reknown for their setups and storytelling as Rush, one might have ex
Musically, yes, this is certainly Rush challenging themselves again. With another album with 13 songs clocking in at over an hour of playtime, there is a lot to listen to and a lot to take in. If listening to Snakes and Arrows or Vapor Trails from start to finish left you feeling worn out and tired of listening, then this album will leave you feeling the same way. There is a lot of music here. Very technical music and deep concepts that you’re probably going to want to square off multiple listening sessions to get through all the way.
At the end of the day, Clockwork Angels is a great effort from a band continuing to challenge themselves. Most acts don’t get to see 40 years together, let alone continue to put out quality music or feel inclined to challenge themselves as long as Rush has. Clockwork Angels is almost a testament to the band’s work ethic and drive to deliver what they believe is the best they can deliver to their fans and to themselves.
Clockwork Angels (2012)
- Caravan – 5:40
- BU2B – 5:10
- Clockwork Angels – 7:31
- The Anarchist – 6:52
- Carnies – 4:52
- Halo Effect – 3:14
- Seven Cities of Gold – 6:32
- The Wreckers – 5:01
- Headlong Flight – 7:20
- BU2B2 – 1:28
- Wish Them Well – 5:25
- The Garden – 6:59
Credits on Clockwork Angels
Liam Birt | Associate Producer |
David Campbell | String Arrangements, String Conductor |
Pegi Cecconi | Associate Producer |
Richard Chycki | Engineer |
Martin Cooke | Assistant |
Andy Curran | Executive Producer |
Ray Danniels | Management |
Jason Dufour | Engineer |
Paul Fig | Engineer |
Brian “Big Bass” Gardner | Mastering |
Rouble Kapoor | Assistant |
Stephen Koszler | Engineer |
Geddy Lee | Bass Pedals, Composer, Guitar (Bass), Keyboards, Vocals |
Alex Lifeson | Composer, Guitar, Keyboards |
Andrew MacNaughtan | Band Photo |
Neil Peart | Composer, Cymbals, Drums, Tambourine |
Nick Raskulinecz | Arranger, Mixing, Producer |
Lowell Reynolds | Assistant |
Rush | Arranger, Primary Artist, Producer |
Jason Sniderman | Piano |
Hugh Syme | Art Direction, Design, Illustrations |
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