Test for Echo

Once again Rush have confounded critique, evolved AND maintained the status quo and created yet another frustratingly brilliant yet flawed addition to their body of work. Test for Echo(T4E) is at first uninteresting, at times harks back to material circa A Farewell to Kings/ Hemispheres (an era that for me produced similar feelings of apathy towards their music) and on the surface presents itself as quite an 'average' sounding record. But, as with most of the Rush albums I have initially disliked, T4E does probably the most impressive job of slowly becoming a fantastic collection. It's never going to be a classic in my eyes and there are no outstanding tracks but every single song is well-crafted and contains melody, rhythm and hooks that are more subtle than any that have come before.The title track is probably the best proof of this. At first it sounds a bit of a mess with tempo changes aplenty. Fast, slow, heavy, acoustic. It is difficult to pin-point and make any sense of. But this is Rush and they are all about that. Suffice it to say that it will eventually become a great song with swagger, attitude and grace. 'Driven' is the most immediate track here. It does not take long to 'get' as it were. However once you think you've nailed the melodies it just gets better and better with every listen, and instead of sounding like a single with a great chorus it turns into a thoughtful, dark anthem. 'Half the World' is rather breezy in comparison and does itself an injustice of making it sound trite at first. But, yes, it also transforms and its simple wassailing become passionate strains. 'The Colour of Right' is probably one of my picks from the album while initially it was my least favourite. It's another quiet song that has so much packed into it it is a wonder how they made it all sound so simple. 'Time and Motion' is an angular, erratic, heavy and almost alternative piece(not unlike material from Counterparts). Same rules apply - it gets better with every listen. Much better.'Totem' is quieter but still contains the magical expertise of the band to create so much tune and melody from something that sounds like a wisp of a song. 'Dog Years' turns the amps back on. At first I found this almost laughable but it was hard to deny its musical prowess. Time once again proved to soften its edges and sharpen its bite. 'Virtuality' and 'Resist' are another of my highlights. The former is akin to a Rush single and has a very simple but irrepressible chorus. The latter is a near perfect ballad with a central melody that both soothes and moves, together with the usual excellent harmonies. 'Limbo' is possibly the only Rush instrumental I have ever liked. I don't know why I have never been that fond of them but I suppose it can relate to how well they can create a song with lyrical content. But 'Limbo' is great. And 'Carve Away the Stone' finishes how it started and continued - frustratingly. An ok song suddenly turns into a belter after 4 or 5 listens. Cracking chorus.So yet another statement of intent and triumph of creativity over marketability. I'm almost sad that I only have 2 more Rush albums to enjoy (3 including the yet to be released Clockwork Angels at time of writing 05/2012). But as an album that it seems many fans list as one of their least favourite, T4E does itself justice eventually with nothing more than being full of just great music. It is there, and just like Sisyphus' stone, you'll need to chip away at it, put the effort in and it will be freed. It will be more than worth it.After all that I think I'm coming down with a case of the vapors. Which can mean only one thing....

this album has a less spacious soundscape to it is the first noticeable thing, it is quite like counterparts only with less space and lot more distortion on the guiars and heavier bass, and different drum sounds. That said I think musically its more interesting. its not really basic rock, they try using different rhythmns and structural ideas. the synths are pushed right back but can still be heard if you listen carefully.I think Driven and test for echo are my two favourites from this albumalso the album title and cover are just great both of them are great

This is the band's sixteenth studio album. It is far from being among the best, but not bad. It features a heavier tone with a slightly heavier guitar and not so fast or heavy vocals. There are no fascinating songs, however none should be discarded. Good! Note 7.5.

Highly recommend!

Outstanding Service, Outstanding Music. Outstanding Price!! Thank you Amazon UK for having this treasure available.