Snakes and Arrows

May 1, 2007 A big day for us Rush fans. The new CD Snakes and Arrows is released. While the excitement of this maybe tempered a bit by the various internet leaks and streaming media that have been playing the songs for the last few weeks. I have stayed faithful. I did not download the CD. I did burn a CD of the first single "Far Cry", but I did not see this a bad thing, because it was there on the Rush website for anyone who wanted to hear it, whenever. Burning a CD just made it more convenient. Enough of that. The reviews have been kind of mixed from the media. It seems that anyone who has never gotten Rush still doesn't, thats no a shocker, and if you don't care for them you will not magically like the new stuff. That said the new stuff is kinda like a return to the old stuff. The sound is richer and some of it is "heavy". The lyrics are all themed towards "Faith" and the lack thereof.

The lyrics slant seems to be that Faith is a individuals thing, and that fundamentalism, whether it be Christian or Islamic can be a bad thing. We all know this to be true as well. Without hearing the whole thing I can't really comment on that yet, but I have never been one to be offended by lyrics. Its one person expressing himself/herself and therefore they can not be "wrong" even if I do not agree with their stance. I can still dig the music.



So dutifully this morning after dropping off the munchkin at Daycare I went to Wal-Mart to buy the new CD. Its not there. Ugggg, so now I will have to wait until the day is over. I do know a few fans who have actually taken the day off from work so they can sit at home and listen. Well, thats nuts. I will get to listen to it as I drive down to visit Mom, who is out of the hospital finally (Yeah!!) and back "home". Home is in quotes because she is in the medical support center of the facility where she lives. They will give her all of the things she needs to get well and move back into her apartment. She will not enjoy the new Rush CD, so I will not play it for her. My father liked some of their older music specifically Permenant Waves and Moving Pictures. For a long time Dad and I butted heads about music. Rock was crap and Big Band was were it was at. Once we had a discussion about what music really is, emotion. When you make it, you feel emotion and when you listen you do as well. Focus on the emotion. He did that and I played him "Witch Hunt" from Moving Pictures and he was very moved. He never would have even thought of liking the song until he examined the emotions behind and within it. Dad was a good guy and I will think of him when I listen to this CD for the first time later today.