RUSH
Feedback
Rush's new disc is as much an exercise in self-indulgence as anything they've done before. In this collection, the sheer joy and fun they had while making it come through clearly. You can also see how these songs, which were what Neil, Alex, and Geddy were listening to when they were young, influenced what became Rush.
The playing on this disc is very different from what we've been hearing over their last few albums. As exemplified with
Vapor Trails, Rush is very riff-heavy, and Geddy has been utilizing bass chords more and more often. In fact, the traditional roles of guitar and bass have become blurred and sometimes interchanged. On
Feedback, tradition reigns. Alex power-strums his way through these songs, whether on six or twelve string, electric or acoustic guitars. The credits list mandola as well, but I haven't yet pinned down where that is being played. Geddy plays the traditional bass role, providing the bottom, the rhythm, the counterpoint to the strummed guitar. And Keith Moon's influence is clear in Neil's drumming.
These gentlemen show that virtuoso playing isn't necessary to demonstrate one's facility with an instrument. Their sound is, as always, flawless while being fun.
One should not expect to hear Rush "remaking" these classic-rock standards. They are, rather, paying tribute to them. This is clearly Rush playing, but they are just as clearly not playing their own material, but material they enjoy the hell out of.
