Track Listing

1. Far Cry
2. Armor And Sword
3. Workin' Them Angels
4. The Larger Bowl
5. Spindrift
6. The Main Monkey Business
7. The Way The Wind Blows
8. Hope
9. Faithless
10. Bravest Face
11. Good News First
12. Malignant Narcissism
13. We Hold On

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #510 in Music
• Released on: 2007-05-01
• Number of discs: 1

Amazon.com
A return to their former glory days, Snakes and Arrows shows this seminal prog rock band reclaiming some of the sonic territory that they'd lost over the past few years. It's not certain what contributed to this artistic rebirth, but Rush has crafted a historical and emotional odyssey that shows many both where they've been and where they're going--from the baroque soundscapes of "The Main Monkey Business," reminiscent of their earliest work to the seductive almost folkloric urgency of "The Way the Wind Blows," which is as dangerous, anxious, and prophetic as anything that Arcade Fire or Mars Volta is doing currently. Main Lyricist Neil Peart has spent the last decade getting over the death of his wife and daughter, and those tragic events have given his songwriting more depth and gravity as he explores the strengths and limitations of faith in both metaphoric and literal detail. While never didactic or ponderous, this disc is really an instruction manual for how one conducts themselves with grace and hope through unendurable pain and the vagaries of life. Gone is much of the shrillness of their earlier incarnations--Geddy Lee's trademark high pitch shrieks have mellowed considerably and Alex Lifesong's guitar playing has an assurance and freedom that can only come with age. --Jaan Uhelszki

Amazon.com
With songs such as "Far Cry" and "Workin' Them Angels," Rush has, with Snakes And Arrows crafted one of its finest albums of the decade and this new MVI DVD edition of the title allows you to experience the album in all its splendor. The MVI format (which works in all computers and DVD players but not in conventional CD players) allows you to hear the entire album in 5.1 surround sound (a must, especially for "Malignant Narcissism" and "Faithless"), to catch an in-depth documentary about the recording of this latest outing and extras that allow you to create your own ringtones, make wallpapers and much more. In order to fully enjoy the experience you may have to do some minor maneuvering with your stereo system or computer in order to fully appreciate what the MVI edition offers but any almost immediately proves worth the effort. Obsessives will want to buy the album in this format as it captures Rush in its true multidimensional element and everyone should own a small slice of Rush at this point in the game.--Jedd Beaudoin

Album Description
Anthem/Atlantic recording group Rush return with its first new collection of original material in nearly five years, entitled "SNAKES & ARROWS." The album was recorded in the fall of 2006 with Gammy Award-winner Nick Raskulinecz (Foo Fighters, Velvet Revolver) and Rush co-producing. "It's hard to describe," Geddy Lee recently told Revolver re: "SNAKES & ARROWS.""It's big, it's bold, and I think it's some of the best work we've done in years. I'm really pleased with the quality ofthe songs, and there's lots of playing on it. " Rush - Lee, Alex Lifeson, and Neil Peart - will trumpet the release of "SNAKES & ARROWS" with a full-scale North American tour, the renowned trio's first since 2004's "An Evening with Rush: 30th Anniversary Tour."

Customer Reviews

pretty good
About half of the songs on this album are very good actually but I could skip the other half especially the slow songs. I would say this is a departure from previous albums. Songs I like are Far Cry, Armor and Sword, Workin' Them Angels, The Larger Bowl, Spindrift, Malignant Narciscism.

Half Snakes, Half Arrows
Roughly, anyway. About half of the songs are real downers. Lines like "so much pain on the earth" and "in the whole world there isn't a magic place", while perhaps true, are extremely depressing. I guess maybe they're trying out their social conscience. I dunno, but I don't see much of the band I was delighted to discover several years ago via Power Windows. I guess there's always been a snarky side to this band, but here it seems to come out to the center. I guess maybe they're trying to be a moral compass, or something. It's quite hard to do that right though, and here they don't really succeed.

This being said, there are some really good tracks on here, nothing on say "Free Will," but definitely listenable. The instrumentals in particular are quite good, atmospheric and evocative. The guitar playing is about as super as ever. Which is to say, it Rocks! Bass and Drum are both competent, and excellent in places. Why such a low rating then? Well, as I mentioned, about half of this album I don't enjoy listening to, and frequently skip. With some luck, they'll manage to squeeze out another album or two before calling it quits. I mean, they've been around for a while now... Maybe they're gonna pull a Stones. Subject-wise, though, here they miss the pulse of the post 2000 era, moaning about the world, making excuses, but condemning superstition, and the `dark ages.' Well, anyway, it's great to see they've got a nice view to sneer down from.

Here are the good songs: Far Cry (though it's kind of depressing), Workin' Them Angels, Spindrift and Main Monkey Business.

Slightly muddled, but overall still good work - with gems!
This album is a good album even though four of the songs I didn't like. Two were mediocre. Thankfully the remaining seven I liked or loved. Even though this was by far one of Rush's worst albums (as a complete work) it's still a must have for any true Rush fan. Even when Rush is bad, they still are better than most of the best work of most other industry-pushed cookie-cutter rock bands out there today.

Alex and Geddy - It's kick-a$$ to hear the guitars being brought back to the forefront. The electronic keyboards for which Rush was once criticized for, aren't even found. Alex's skill ranks him with among the great rock guitarists of all time. Geddy's vocals are seasoned and should be more agreeable to the average listener than it was throughout most of Rush's career.

Neil has, since the early 1970's, been the main lyric writer for Rush. He's always been an open skeptic of government, and especially religion. After the death of Neil Peart's wife and only daughter in the late 90's, he rebuilt his life and moved to Los Angeles with his new wife (2003). It seems to me, that in recent years, in light of his moving to the United States in 2003 where he's certainly given a constant barrage of depressing news about the war in Iraq, American religious culture and government, the personal tragedy he endured - he's only become more jaded, cynical, bitter and skeptical of faith, religion, and ideals of an "inherently good universe". These views have become more obvious and recognizable in his lyrics.

Below is my track-by-track review. Scaling: Tom Sawyer and YYZ (5 Arrows, 0 Snakes) - Arrows: good, Snakes: bad.

Far Cry - Hard rocking, very retro. Great opener. Alex Lifeson's guitar work has a gritty, grunginess that reminds me of Rush's hard rock roots. Neil Peart's drums are heavy, complex, and inspired. Time has taken some of the shrilly edge off of Geddy Lee's vocals - which to this longtime Rush fan is fine by me. Musically this song is well done. Lyrically, while it has a catchy hook, it is quite the opposite of the lead track (One Little Victory) off their last album Vapor Trails. One Little Victory held a positive energy that Far Cry lacks. Even though Far Cry has hints of something positive - there is a stronger undercurrent of negative cynicism of the world around us. Five Arrows, One Snake (out of five).

Armor and Sword - Melancholy but still beautiful. Certainly more subdued than Far Cry, it's power lies in it's lyrics. Lyrically - the song is very heavy, and like many of Peart's other writings, it's is both spiritual (in it's own way) and philosophical. However - this is by far the heaviest thing I've ever heard from Rush. Musically, Alex's guitar work is the best part of this particular song. It's somewhat strange, and it's aftertaste is none-too-pleasant. Four Arrows, Three Snakes.

Working Them Angels - Bright and uplifting beginning. A welcome song for this album. The music for this album is rather average, but the lyrical storytelling is superb. Portraits of "factory towns" and "English winters" are vivid and provide a great contrast to the idea that a person can, by his own risky choices and behavior, "over-work" his own personal guardian angels. I was amused by the neat little reference to their album "Moving Pictures". Four Arrows, Zero Snakes.

The Larger Bowl - Average and a real downer. Sure the song makes accurate and realistic observations about the world, and the song is kind of catchy (to me) - it's depressing tone is a bit much for me to take. After such classic songs as Subdivisions, Big Money, and Distant Early Warning - it seems as though Neil has lost some of his ability to call attention to the bad things in a manner that isn't a downer to listen to. Neil's drum work is great for this song, but it isn't impressive. Alex's stripped down guitar work is refreshing. Geddy Lee's instrumentation seems almost absent. Three Arrows, Four Snakes.

Spindrift - Heavy spirited, wrought with tension. "Where are the words to answer when you talk that way" is a reference to the helplessness of meaningful dialogue with extreme fundamentalists who are not interested in dialogue but mere adherence to their faith. Ultimately, this song is about the clash between values of Western liberal tolerance and extreme religious intolerance. Musically it's not very inspired. Two Arrows, Zero Snakes.

The Main Monkey Business - Awesome, intense, and inspired! The first perfect song of this album. From the opening acoustical chords to the last note this is a magnificent instrumental soundscape sure to please anyone who has an ear for talent. Geddy, Alex and Neil all show that when Rush is firing on all cylinders, it is far greater than the sum of each of it's supremely talent parts. Though TMMB will never replace YYZ, this modern masterpiece alone is worth buying this album. So many subtle effects are used in the creation of this song - it's a wonder that only three men are playing this song. Five Arrows, Zero Snakes.

The Way The Wind Blows - Bluesy, rocking, intense. Blues-based guitar work shows Alex and Geddy had fun on this jam-packed rocker. Geddy's vocals are very smooth in this song. Drum work shows Neil in groove. Despite another cynical and lyrical commentary on the negative aspects of those who are adherents to faith and belief - it's musicality is light enough to allow the listener to take the whole song in much easier than Armor and Sword or The Larger Bowl. While this one will never be radio friendly tune, it earned my liking for this longtime hard-core Rush fan. Four Arrows, Zero Snakes.

Hope - Bluesy, guitar-oriented, and very beautiful. Coming in at just over two minutes, I wished this bright and wonderful piece would have been longer to balance out the otherwise dark and depressing cynicism found throughout just over half this album. To hear Alex Lifeson play that twelve string guitar is a pure privilege. Aptly named. Four Arrows, Zero Snakes.

Faithless - Beautifully written. Both musically and lyrically. As a person who both harbors a Christian faith and is a longtime Rush fan, I've always had a difficulty reconciling my personal views and beliefs with the lyrical writings of Neil Peart. But after following Rush for twenty-plus years, I feel I have pretty good sense of who they are as a band and as people. And I've learned that I can still love and respect them for who and what they are. Lyrically speaking - this song is very Humanistic. As a Christian who has seen both the good and bad that "faith" has wrought on earth, I am very empathetic to Neil's skepticism. Four Arrows, Zero Snakes.

Bravest Face - Semi-depressing with flashes of brightness. The strong opening gave me sense that this was going to be another rockin' tune. But nope, it didn't happen. Musically it seemed very mixed. At some points I felt like I could connect with it , but then a moment later, it'd lose me. I can't help but wonder if the producer's hands kind of over-worked this one. Geddy's vocals here soar without being pitchy or shrill. His bass-guitar work is inspired. Neil's drums are, again, excellent. But overall, I didn't quite know how to feel about this one. Three Arrows, Two Snakes.

Good News First - Great drums, poignant lyrics. Geddy's vocals seemed ethereal on this one. Alex's guitar work here is some of his best. Lyrically, this song is somewhat of an attack on the religious right here in America, because many pay lip service to the "good news", and at times flippant or un-concerned with the pain of others who do not believe as they do. Three Arrows, One Snake.

Malignant Narcissism - JUST like The Main Monkey Business - only better! Awesome, intense, and inspired! The second and last perfect song of this album. Being a lover of bass-guitar, Geddy's abilities show that he's not just some high-pitched wailer who only plays an electronic 80's keyboard. Too bad this song is only 2:17 minutes long. Five Arrows, Zero Snakes.

We Hold On - Uplifting end to an otherwise muddled outing. While it was tough to endure some of the darker songs on this album, this is a gem that you only fully appreciate when you've gone through the others before it. Musically it's well done, and lyrically it's contains a certain measure of hope that was mostly prevalent in Rush's last album Vapor Trails. Four Arrows, Zero Snakes.