Rush - Snakes and Arrows

A five year wait for a new album (2004 covers EP notwithstanding) ends for Rush fans with the 18th studio release, Snakes and Arrows. The triumvirate of musicians are rarely anything other than in perfect accord, while Geddy Lee's lyrics tend towards a link with social concerns and religious symbolism: not to any devastating effect it must be said. The final three tracks up the ante with some technicality introduced to the riff/hook formula, summing up the knowing title given to Lee's two minute bass solo of a song: Malignant Narcissism. Staying true to Rush ethics in length, sonic depth and solos, it's bound to hit all the right spots at the right times as the band find the exuberant and complex structuring techniques of their formative years, giving way to the sort of honed songwriting lustre that only comes with over three decades in the game. [Jamie Borthwick]