Rush
Signals

THE REVIEW

In 1982, Rush released the album "Signals", perhaps one of the least appreciated CDs in the discography of the Canadian trio. The evolution in music and sound continues the concept already hinted at in the previous "moving pictures":

1. The gigantic anthems of the past, like "villa strangiato" or "2112", disappear, leaving space exclusively for the composition of songs.
2. The keyboards take on an extremely prominent role, played by bassist Geddy Lee. The consequences of these two fundamental changes are the homogeneity of the album, especially in sound (it almost feels like a concept is being presented), greater attention to vocal lines, but also the absence of masterpiece tracks, despite the composition level remaining consistently high.

The keyboards sometimes form an ethereal and dreamy sonic tapestry: this is the case with tracks like "Subdivisions", "Chemistry", or "Losing It", the latter featuring a fabulous instrumental segment characterized by Ben Mink's electric violin solo. Tracks like "Digital Man" reaffirm the genius of the Lee-Peart bass-drum rhythm line, which incredibly manages to combine precision with an improvisational feeling that has an almost jazz-like warmth. Amidst this perfect duo is Lifeson's guitar, which skillfully divides itself between prog rock riffs, as in "The Analog Kid" (often performed live), and precious melodic streams characterized by that distinctive slightly distorted chorus.

The sonic evolution towards more "electronic" atmospheres also affects Neil Peart's lyrics, which are very particular on this CD, dealing with science, the digital age, and new society. We also find a song, the closing "Countdown", dedicated to two NASA astronauts, where we hear sounds of airplanes, spacecraft, and transceiver commands from all sides. The references to other registers are also quite pleasing, such as the reggae in "New World Man".

Ultimately, we are faced with a decidedly valid and at times experimental work, easier to listen to compared to other Rush albums, but certainly far from being radio-friendly, and it does not deny the group's progressive roots.