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Post by Mr. Atari on Oct 2, 2011 15:00:05 GMT -5
Okay, one final Rush post, and then I'll be done.
Time for my favorite fifteen Rush songs. Why fifteen? Because 20 is too many and 10 isn't enough.
These aren't necessarily their best songs, and certainly not their most famous. But they're my favorite, and this is my blog. So eat it.
My Favorite Fifteen Songs
1. La Villa Strangiato- The greatest instrumental ever. 2. The Big Money- Everything that makes them great rolled into one song. 3. Marathon- Incredible bass-line, incredible lyrics, incredible orchestration. 4. YYZ- AKA The greatest instrumental ever, short form. 5. Analog Kid- A great riff on a song that feels like my life story. 6. Cygnus X-1- The band at their sci-fi best. 7. Red Barchetta- The song that first hooked me on the band. 8. Time Stand Still- The older I get, the higher this gets on the list. 9. Manhattan Project- Another perfect gem from Power Windows. 10. Something for Nothing- My favorite obscure early-era song. 11. Afterimage- So good it should be in the top 10. 12. Natural Science- Their best mid-sized epic. 13. Secret Touch- Representing all of the great songs from Vapor Trails. 14. Driven- The best song of the '90s era. 15. A Farewell to Kings- My favorite of what I call their "glockenspiel period".
If you don't know anything about Rush beyond Geddy's screeching and "Tom Sawyer", these are all good places to start. And a good place for me to finish.
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Post by Mr. Atari on Oct 2, 2011 13:52:13 GMT -5
Well...? This was my least favorite season finale of the new era. I thought the Tesarect Doctor was a cheat, but a better cheat than a doppelganger Doctor would have been. I thought of the LOST tricks with the whole "what would have happened if River didn't kill the Doctor" alternate storyline.
In the end, I guess it works and they didn't screw up the River storyline too much. They tied up a lot of her loose ends in a nice way. I liked that Amy finally showed some emotion about having River stolen from her. The vengeance moment with patchy was nice, as was the alternate universe "Amy meets Rory" stuff.
But I thought it was too interpersonal and not big enough for a finale. Plus, it created too many paradoxes with Amy & Rory's personal timelines.
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Post by Mr. Atari on Sept 30, 2011 18:06:06 GMT -5
I don't want to end the project on such a sour note, so here's a positive conclusion to this epic Rush review:
One of my great pursuits in life is to be a world-class musician. For 25 years I have sat at the feet of these three, who taught me more than any other teacher or artist. I have spent countless hours trying to master the technique and musical imagination of Geddy, Alex, and Neil. Along the way, I was deeply influenced by Neil's intelligent and poetic lyrics. Even when I disagreed with the worldview, I was still affected by the ideas and admired the profundity.
MJ once accused me of liking "precision" instead of "guts". I understand the sentiment, but I disagree. I admire musicianship, but I also demand groove, hooks, and oomph from my music. Unlike their prog rock peers, Rush has it all. The groove might be precise instead of sloppy, but it's still there. The hooks might be complicated instead of simplistic, but they're still hooks. The complexity of the notes and the words are perfectly matched to the oomph of the songs.
With Rush, the whole is exactly as good as the sum of its parts. And because the individual parts are this superlative, that's some good eatin'.
Another component not mentioned in my reviews is their sense of humor. These guys have lasted so long because they don't take themselves seriously. They're private family men, who happen to play to hundreds of thousands of fans every tour. Geddy loves baseball, Neil likes his motorcycles, and Alex might be the funniest man in music. Their new concert DVD (The Time Machine Tour) opens with a five minute comedy bit that totally takes the piss out of the band:
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Post by Mr. Atari on Sept 29, 2011 0:36:41 GMT -5
That was an amazing night of baseball. Probably one of my all time favorite sports-watching experiences, and I didn't even have a team in the running. Agreed. Mrs. Atari and I went to a pub that had the games on over the bar. I was rooting against the Cardinals (because they're the enemy) and the Red Sox (just don't like 'em), but I honestly stopped rooting for anyone when the unbelievable started happening. It made me think of the Rockies run in 2007, which was just as unbelievable and exciting to watch.
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Post by Mr. Atari on Sept 28, 2011 23:21:10 GMT -5
Sorry it's tough, Mr. A. Hope it gets better. YouTube video link doesn't work. I'm getting "Removed by User." Thanks for the sympathy guys. I'm sure it'll turn around. Just dealing with a lot of work anxiety. Thanks for the heads up, sky. It looks like the guy took down all of his Rush videos. I had posted a few of his, so I went back and replaced them with other versions in my posts.
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Post by Mr. Atari on Sept 28, 2011 18:42:38 GMT -5
I haven't been sleeping lately (stress), so to help my insomnia, I've been trying to watch Gamera vs Gaos. I drift off after about 5 minutes, and sleep while it plays for another 10. Then I wake up enough to put my laptop on the bedside table and go to sleep. Except once I'm there, I can't sleep again. So I turn the laptop back on and go back to Gamera. I try and start at the spot where I fell asleep the last time. I drift off after about 5 minutes, and sleep while it plays for another 10. Lather, rinse and repeat.
So it's taking me 2 weeks to get through the episode at 5 minute intervals.
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Post by Mr. Atari on Sept 28, 2011 16:02:11 GMT -5
Snakes and Arrows (2007)[Quick admission: I'm having a rotten few days, and I'm as frustrated and upset with life as I've ever been. Please bear that in mind as you read the following...] I hate this album. I absolutely hate it. Loathe? Yeah, loathe. For two weeks now, I've been trying to get over my issues and give it a fair listen so I can write an objective review. I can't get through an entire song. Any song. So instead of an objective review, I'm going to write an honest one: This album is full of spite, condescension, self-righteousness, double-standards, intolerance, and divisive, preachy rhetoric. Oh, the music is pretty lame, too. If you can't say anything nice about someone, don't say anything at all. I'd like to follow that advice, but Neil spends the entire album not following that advice. He claimed that this album was all about his "reflections on faith", but it's more like his "belligerence towards faith." There's an arrogance and a smugness here that is miles beyond Roll the Bones, which was his real "reflections on faith" album. Anyone who doesn't share his anti-supernatural views is labeled, "empty vessels, fools and thieves, barking dogs and wandering madmen, and superstitious fools" intent on persecuting and endangering those who disagree with them. And yet in making that point he exudes an intolerance of anyone who disagrees with him. His tone undermines and contradicts his entire argument. "So it's come to this, it's like we're back in the dark ages. From the middle east to the middle west it's a land of superstition," he laments in "The Way the Wind Blows." Since we're all merely products of our culture, no one should be able to tell anyone else what to believe. Unless it's that belief, which Neil lectures the listener to believe with both barrels. Let me be clear here-- it's not his atheism or humanism that bugs me. He's been pushing that ideology since the first song on the first album he was on ("Anthem"). It's the inflammatory rhetoric and victim mentality that he uses to justify some pretty weak philosophy. He's moved beyond "You can choose ready guide in some celestial voice...I will choose freewill." Now he says, "What happened to your old benevolent universe...that revolves around you?" You can almost hear the bitter venom on his tongue, even though Geddy sings it. He trots out freshman-level Problem of Evil complaints, as if he never read Pascal or Dostoevsky or Chesterton. He throws out one insulting generalization after another that people of faith are anti-science, necessarily violent and harmful to others, as if he's never heard of Isaac Newton, Martin Luther King, or Mother Theresa. Here's a nice tidbit from the song "Faithless": " All the preaching voices, empty vessels dream so loud as they move among the crowd. Fools and thieves are well-disguised in the temple and the marketplace. Like a stone in the river against the floods of spring, I will quietly resist." Okay, A) You're not noble. Just stop. B) You're not quietly doing anything, you're attempting to influence millions of listeners. Which is fine, but just admit it. C) In arguing against religion, you're modeling all of the characteristics of religious people you hate-- intolerance, aggressive evangelism, smug self-righteousness, and divisive rhetoric. Once again, I don't have an issue with his decision not to believe. He's entitled to his opinion, and he's earned the ability to broadcast that opinion because of the amazing band he's in. But his opinion seems to be that people who disagree with him aren't entitled to their opinion. Considering what happened with his wife and daughter, I can't begin to fathom what he went through and how he processed his beliefs in light of the tragedy. I respect that. And if he wants to lash out and be angry at people who believe in a higher, benevolent being, I could even understand that. But that's not how this album comes off. Instead, it seems like he read him some Dawkins and started trumpeting weak, dime-store atheism, complete with misrepresented arguments and a martyr complex. At worst, it's insulting and offensive to someone who is a theist (like me); at best, it's disappointing that such irresponsible and irrational thinking could come from such an intelligent and influential thinker. But what about the music, you ask? Well, the mix is a vast improvement over Vapor Trails (which wasn't hard). They wrote a lot of the songs on acoustic guitar, which gives it a feel of their early '90s output. It sounds far more like Roll the Bones than any other album in their catalog. There are three short, pointless and dull instrumentals, and none of the songs have any real hooks. The album opener, "Far Cry", is very good, and the only one that is worth a listen here. 1/2 star
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Post by Mr. Atari on Sept 24, 2011 3:01:01 GMT -5
I was listening to Nevermind again recently and it struck me that it wouldn't have been half the album it was with a different drummer. Grohl is almost melodic with his rhythms, and carries most of those songs from behind the kit. Without his phrasing and fills, I think it would have been a pretty bland punk-pop record.
They lost me after that album. Even at the time, I vastly preferred Pearl Jam. I get Cobain's attitude and his sensibilities, and he was a skilled songwriter. But he wasn't as earth-shattering as he gets credit for, and he wasn't a very good guitarist. Without Grohl, I don't think his stuff would have had nearly as much zing.
Foo Fighters are a different animal, and a much better rock and roll band. Again, Grohl's strength is how he makes his rhythm guitar so stinking musical. The old axiom is that your band is only as good as your drummer. Foo Fighters have two world-class drummers, and it gives the songwriting that extra punch. Maybe they're too mainstream compared to Cobain's iconoclastic tendencies, but I don't think that takes anything away from their quality.
They're one of those bands where you can start rattling off their great songs, only to realize there's another one you forgot, until you think, "Holy crap! I didn't think they had that many!" Also, Wasting Light is a masterpiece.
For my money, Grohl is the better musician, the better singer, the better guitarist, and a better (albeit different) songwriter. Plus, I like how he doesn't take himself too seriously. Maybe that's why he doesn't impress you, MJ-- he doesn't have that introspective tortured quality that you like so much.
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Post by Mr. Atari on Sept 22, 2011 20:58:58 GMT -5
My complaint about the Constant has nothing to do with Desmond or Penny (though I care very little for either, I could care less, I will admit). It's jus one of the most atrociously written hours of television I've ever seen, especially on a show that I enjoy. It was the only point in the series I actually consodered giving up on it. You've complained about it before, but I don't think you ever explained why you think it's the most atrociously written hour of television. Is it the impossible logic of the mental time travel? Do you find the phone call too sappy? It's probably my favorite episode in the series, so I'm very curious to hear your reasoning.
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Post by Mr. Atari on Sept 22, 2011 0:35:37 GMT -5
I recently watched them all again, and had some interesting and unexpected reactions. Some performances grated on me big time (Ana-Lucia and Claire, especially). Other performances impressed me more the second time around (Charlie and even Shannon & Boone).
I liked the finale when it aired, and I like it now. I don't feel like they left me with too many unanswered questions that I can't connect the dots on myself. I think the emotional payoffs make up for the big carrot in the ground. However, there are still some season 6 cheats that bug me. For example, did the bomb create two realities? Sorry, no, the bomb actually never went off at all. Is Desmond the key to connecting the two story lines? Absolutely! His whole arc has been building to this...wait, sorry, no. Is Sayid possessed by evil because of his dirty baptism resurrection? Well, sort of, but not really.
But the actual explanation at the end is still satisfying for me, even if the component parts are flawed.
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Post by Mr. Atari on Sept 16, 2011 16:26:28 GMT -5
If you tilt your head and squint a bit, that guy on the right kinda looks like Jonathan Silverman.
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Post by Mr. Atari on Sept 15, 2011 17:02:03 GMT -5
Toasters from Galactica.
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Post by Mr. Atari on Sept 15, 2011 2:04:24 GMT -5
Vapor Trails (2002)Vapor Trails is a comeback album. It is a messy album. It is a powerhouse album. It is a tragic album. It is a poetic album. It is a noisy album. Rush is still complex, but not like the '70s progressive era. This is a new kind of complexity. After the Test for Echo tour, Neil Peart went through hell on earth. His 18 year-old daughter was killed in a car accident. His wife of 22 years died of cancer a year later (he later wrote that the cancer was the weapon, but the broken heart was the killer). He coped the only way he knew how-- by getting on his motorcycle and riding for thousands of miles and dozens of months. Alex & Geddy (and everyone associated with Rush) shut the organization down out of respect, with no expectations of ever playing again. So it is with sensitivity and sympathy that I listen to this album. It's impossible not to feel the weight of Neil's grief in his lyrics. It's a dark album, but deeply personal and incredibly poetic. The other infamous note on this album is that it is Exhibit A in the loudness war; the poster child on how NOT to mix and master an album. Everything is mixed too hot, and the digital noise and over-compression is horrible. If you listen to this album on a pair of good headphones, you will get a headache after 3 songs. This is especially unfortunate because underneath the buzz and white noise is a tremendous album. The sound is raw, unpolished, and packs a Joe Louis right-hook wallop. There are no keyboards and hardly any guitar solos. Geddy's voice is an asset; his voice has character and emotion, and he actually sings well for once. The arrangements defy the verse-chorus-verse pattern, and there is hardly any straight chord playing anywhere. There are layers and layers and layers of tracks-- probably too many. The bewildering and stunning lyrics don't fit nicely into a simple melody, so the songs don't immediately grab you; instead, they reach down to a different level of your psyche. The melodies are awkward, the harmonies are like tin foil on a metal filling, and the mix can be infuriating. But the overall cacophony and depth to it all is maddeningly intriguing, so when the moments of clarity hit, they're that much more impactful. Listening to this album is like reading James Joyce. And I love it. The songs: "One Little Victory" announces the band's return with a machine-gun double-bass drum opening that says, "We're here to chew gum and kick ass, and we brought enough gum for everyone!" Alex's riff is a fast-picking, noisy wall of sound that hits all the right emotion. Lyrically, it's the perfect way back from tragedy, finding meaning in the smallest of victories along the way. "Ceiling Unlimited" keeps the fire hose flowing full-blast. There are at least 6 killer songs on this album, and this is one of them. It gets better every time I hear it. It almost has a Foo Fighters vibe to it, which is a comparison Dave Grohl & Taylor Hawkins would LOVE to hear. "Ghost Rider" is the most autobiographical song here, detailing Neil's motorcycle therapy. Unfortunately, it's one of the lesser songs on the album. "Peaceable Kingdom" is a veiled commentary on terrorism and the events of 9/11. Again, it's unfortunate that it's not a better song. These two songs feel like they should be the standouts, but sadly, they're the weakest of the litter. "The Stars Look Down" holds together nicely. It's all about Neil's raging against a God he doesn't believe in, and concluding that the universe doesn't provide meaning, it just looks at us. It's got a nice drive and an even better chorus. (Pointless aside: The band I drummed with for a time had a song called "The Stars Look Down", recorded in 1999, and I was simultaneously honored and bothered when I pretended that Neil ripped us off.) "How it Is" is another great riff with a quick pulse. I used to think of it as filler, but I enjoyed it a lot this time through. The chorus has a bright '60s rock vibe, like early Who. "Vapor Trail" is a good title track because it represents the feel of the whole album. It's needlessly busy and over-tracked, yet with a pattern in its seemingly disjointed tangle. "Secret Touch" might be my favorite song here. It starts off with a light refrain then explodes in a mess of syncopated growly guitars chugging away. It doesn't sound like anything they've ever done before, but it really cooks. Especially the break after the guitar solo, when Neil goes a bit jazzy and Alex is ripping up a fast repetitive low E-string riff. "Earthshine" is another superlative song. The main riff is world class, and the oooh-oooh pre-chorus is a nice transition to the catchiest chorus on the album. It's also a fun astronomy-laced metaphor that hearkens back to vintage nerdy Rush. " Floating high in the evening sky, I see my faint reflection. Pale facsimile, like what others see, when they look in my direction." Man, that's good. "Sweet Miracle" has some nice punchy low end. It's a track like "How it Is", in that it should be middle of the road filler, but it's better than that, especially Geddy's vocals. It's another one of Neil's anti-supernatural, humanistic rants, but it doesn't bother me as much as his others for some reason. "Nocturne" is flat-out awesome. There's a moment between the verse and chorus where the instruments go into sonic chaos and Geddy has a distant wail in the background that is both intense and haunting (and NOTHING like the screechy Geddy wails in the '70s). Did I mention this song is all about nightmares and the twisted logic in dreams? Intense and haunting is right. "Freeze" is part 4 of Neil's "Fear Trilogy", the first addition since 1984. If you recall from previous reviews, the trilogy is all about the causes and effects of fear on the human psyche. This entry is about the fight or flight instinct, and the all-too-common tendency to freeze up when the fear is too great. Knowing the context and timing of this song makes it even more profound. Oh yeah, the music is ten kinds of awesome on this one, too. "Out of the Cradle" ends the album with a slight drop. It's not bad, but it doesn't compare to the previous five songs. Amazing bass on this one, though. Geddy's playing never disappoints, even if his vocals miss the mark a bit here. I won't lie, this is a hard album to listen to. Sonically, it's awfully painful, and there are just too many overdubs-- which is all the more frustrating because the songs are outstanding. With decent production, this could have been one of their top 3 albums ever. Alex announced back in February that they were going to remix the whole shebang and fix the compression issues. Here's hoping they cut out some of the atonal harmonies and clean up the guitar collage while their at it. Even with the mix issues, this is a wonderfully dense album; one that rewards the listeners the deeper we go. Writing and Performing: ****1/2Mix: 1/2 star
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Post by Mr. Atari on Sept 12, 2011 14:47:25 GMT -5
I think he meant drowned in. . . . . .and yeah, usually Sloane topics go off the rails in two posts. . . Not feeding the troll anymore. 1i'm not a troll... No, Mitchell meant the troll he keeps in his basement for Friday nights. Well...he calls it a troll. It's really just a mutated wolverine. With a pink polka-dot dress. His name is Jimmy.
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Post by Mr. Atari on Sept 12, 2011 10:25:37 GMT -5
DirecTV had a free preview of their NFL Sunday Ticket package yesterday.
All I'm gonna say is that today seems like a good day to go sell some blood and semen for cash.
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