Rush
Presto

THE REVIEW

"Presto" or the American equivalent of magic formulas like "abracadabra" and similar.

Magic, then... but is it a return to fantasy themes like in the times of "Caress Of Steel"? No, nothing could be further, in terms of genre, from this album; what remains as a concept, however, is precisely that of "magic," indicating the disarming class with which Rush at the time continued their evolutionary path, always remaining perfectly recognizable and continuing to amaze their supporters.

"Presto" opens the so-called phase 4, the most controversial in my opinion, after an impressive series of high-level records, ideally started with "2112"; this work from 1989 is, of course, different from the previous studio album, "Hold Your Fire"; in detail, we find a greater presence of the guitar, and the keyboards, although still present, serve more as complements to the arrangement of the songs, or in any case, enrich the "skeleton" of the song with precise interventions. Lifeson takes advantage of this regained quantitative presence, but we are certainly not at the excesses of "Vapor Trails", on the contrary, his guitar work is eclectic but excellently balanced with the other instrumental and vocal components. It ranges from the unconventional riffs of "Show Don't Tell" or "Superconductor" to the funky guitars of "Hand Over Fist" and "Scars".

Very beautiful are the transitions from electric to acoustic and vice versa in "Presto", which gives the album its title, and the arpeggiated parts, found in the majority of the tracks, are always enchanting. It should be noted that "Presto", in terms of sound quality and chosen sonorities, sounds much more modern than "Vapor Trails"... quite contradictory for a group that has often been at the forefront both in ideas and production, no? Back to the point... "Presto" contains truly great music; in addition to the mentioned tracks, moments of great power like "War Paint", "Chain Lightning"," "Red Tide", all characterized by very striking choruses, and, again, by the perfect balance of guitar-keyboards-voice cannot be overlooked. "Anagram" is a bit below average, but falls into a sort of "divertissement" that Rush wanted to take (just read the nonsense lyrics). Wonderful is instead the conclusion with "Available Light", perhaps the piece with the most emotional and moving vocal melodies, with bursts of piano, an instrument I would have liked to hear more often on their records.

In a few words, "Presto"... and well, very well indeed!!