Album review: Thankfully, Rush can't stop thinking big

Rush

Clockwork Angels

Anthem

4 ? stars out of five

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If a young band released a futuristic, richly layered concept album set in a surreal land ruled by a watchmaker, it would be a bold move. The fact that Rush has done so in 2012 makes Clockwork Angels even more audacious.

For the past two decades, give or take ? especially since 2002?s Vapor Trails ? Rush has been more direct, more primal, paring away the ornamentation accumulated in the 1970s and ?80s. And long before 1993?s Counterparts sandblasted layers of polish, lyricist/drummer Neil Peart had stopped imparting his philosophy through parables: The Spirit of Radio and Freewill marked such a dramatic shift from the ?70s sci-fi/fantasy epics that it seemed the bridge leading from Xanadu had not only been crossed, but incinerated.

So why revisit the future? Because the future changes. In Clockwork Angels? incandescent closer, The Garden, Geddy Lee sings of life ?in this one of many possible worlds.? For Rush, the number of worlds keeps growing, and the trio haven?t been to this one before.

They?ve brought plenty of souvenirs from their journey. Clockwork Angels carries not just the visionary questing of 2112, but the caustic urgency of Vapor Trails and hints of orchestration from the Power Windows era. If this makes it sound as if Rush?s 20th studio album is a career summation, it?s not. From Caravan?s flickering intro ? before the album opener thunders onward ? to The Garden?s deeply emotional string-laden valediction, Clockwork Angels adds as many colours as it reflects.

The overarching narrative ? a young man?s travels involving an encounter with an anarchist/terrorist, a carnival, a search for lost cities, etc. ? is told in fragments, elucidated by prose in the liner notes. As with all great concept albums, the songs can stand apart from the story. The Wreckers ? another sweet-natured melody on an album that balances light and dark ? tells of a cruel ambush at sea, but speaks truths about false hope and unseen danger. The punishing BU2B sets up the protagonist?s world view while lashing out at blind faith. (?All is for the best / believe in what we?re told? ? sounds like the controlling Watchmaker has the totalitarian priests from 2112 on speed dial.) There are universal questions raised regarding the virtues of fixed destiny vs. unfolding adventures, and anyone familiar with Peart?s individualism will know how that plays out.

Despite the binding theme and the band?s famous precision, Rush has never sounded so gloriously loose, perhaps taking a cue from the narrative?s lesson that uncompromising order and anarchy are both dead ends. There?s a neck-whipping flexibility in Seven Cities of Gold?s bobbleheaded bass intro, and a remarkable fluidity to guitarist Alex Lifeson?s quick switches between propulsion and lyricism in the towering title track.

The bristling but detailed production (by the band and Nick Raskulinecz) will satisfy those who found Vapor Trails too rugged or 2007?s Snakes & Arrows too flat. It serves the material well: even by this band?s standards, there?s an immeasurable depth to Clockwork Angels, in terms of both sound and vision. When the protagonist declares in Caravan that ?I can?t stop thinking big,? he isn?t just speaking for the disillusioned in his futuristic farming town ? he?s speaking for Rush.

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Podworthy: The Wreckers

Rush performs Oct. 18 at the Bell Centre. Tickets: $59.25 to $145.50. 514-790-1245; www.admission.com.

jzivitz@montrealgazette.com

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