Album Review: Coldplay – Ghost Stories

May 19, 2014June 17, 2020 Drew

That didn’t last long. Coldplay’s upbeat almost happy embrace to song writing that defined much of 2011’s anthemic Mylo Xyloto is completely wiped away with Ghost Stories (out today). There is no paradise on this latest effort that is moody, a bit slow and just downright melancholy. What one outlet dubbed the “Divorce Album,” Ghost Stories sounds more like a full length apology from lead singer Chris Martin to his ex-wife Gwyneth Paltrow. Martin, shortly after he and Paltrow famously “uncoupled” said he blames himself for the breakup but despite the clear anguish of Ghost Stories, rumors already have him … Continue reading Album Review: Coldplay – Ghost Stories

Album Reviews

Album Review: Rush ReDiscovered Vinyl Box Set

May 3, 2014June 17, 2020 Drew

What a great and overall satisfying purchase the Rush ReDiscovered Vinyl box set is of the iconic band’s first album. Sure it would be any collector’s dream, and even more so the ultimate Rush fan, if the contents in this limited edition release commemorating the band’s 40th anniversary album, were authentic from the past. That of course would costs thousands. But packaged nicely for a mere $35 (Amazon just jacked up their price to $41 – meaning they just added the “free” shipping costs into the price) inside a sturdy cardboard box with the original Rush logo from the first … Continue reading Album Review: Rush ReDiscovered Vinyl Box Set

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Album Review: Rush Clockwork Angels Tour – Live CD

November 27, 2013June 17, 2020 Drew

Was there any doubt Rush’s Clockwork Angels tour would make it on disc? Rush’s acclaimed tour ended this summer but for the nostalgic and those who couldn’t attend one of the shows, Clockwork Angels Tour (released November 19 on CD and DVD/Blu-Ray) is a nice memento to carry around whenever listening to the latest Rush is a must. It’s not the greatest live album but it certainly beats by far the Time Machine 2011: Live in Cleveland album which is nearly unbearable. Depending on what rumors to believe (Geddy Lee might have had a cold that night?) Lee’s voice is … Continue reading Album Review: Rush Clockwork Angels Tour – Live CD

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Album Review: Pearl Jam’s Lightning Bolt Reflects the Past and Present

October 16, 2013March 6, 2020 Drew

Pearl Jam released Lightning Bolt on Tuesday, their 10th studio album and first in four years. The Seattle-based grunge-rockers chart a bit of new territory on Lightning Bolt and take an almost drastic departure from 2009’s effort Backspacer and much of its predecessors. Whereas Backspacer and 2006’s self-titled Pearl Jam give an almost immediate satisfying listen with mostly quick-paced songs Lightning Bolt as a whole slows the tempo a bit and offers more substance than the sometimes repetitive guitar chords and loud, 1-2 punch crashing percussion oft displayed on previous albums. Pearl Jam Lightning Bolt Review The first three tracts … Continue reading Album Review: Pearl Jam’s Lightning Bolt Reflects the Past and Present

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Album Review: Rush Hemispheres on SACD

October 8, 2013June 17, 2020 Drew

Hemispheres, Rush’s last album featuring a sidelong title track, is the latest to receive Audio Fidelity’s remastered touch on the SACD format. It was originally scheduled for release in August but got it’s due last week, not to coincidentally when Vapor Trails received new life with a complete remix overhaul. Hemispheres, released in 1978, in many respects represents the final sound of what would define 1970s Rush. The album represented the third and last of the band’s concept albums that included one song divided into sections. (Rush took another 34 years to release a concept album, Clockwork Angels, but without … Continue reading Album Review: Rush Hemispheres on SACD

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Album Review: Rush Vapor Trails – Remaster

October 2, 2013June 17, 2020 Drew

Rush triumphantly returned, after a five-year absence, in 2002 with Vapor Trails, a personal and emotional album that at times expressed drummer Neil Peart’s rise from the ashes after the death of his daughter and wife in 1997. To the … Continue reading Album Review: Rush Vapor Trails – Remaster

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Album Review: Rush Counterparts on SACD

March 13, 2013June 17, 2020 Drew

After several delays, Audio Fidelity finally released Rush’s 1993 Counterparts, the band’s 15th studio album, on the remastered SACD format on March 5. It is the sixth Rush studio album tackled by the reproduction company and the first not released … Continue reading Album Review: Rush Counterparts on SACD

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Album Review: Rush Thinks Big With Clockwork Angels

June 9, 2012June 17, 2020 Drew

Now that it’s cool to like Rush again the band returns with a concept album that is sure to send all the bandwagoners running back to their Rolling Stone pimped, one-two punching 4/4 time pop bands. Clockwork Angels is about … Continue reading Album Review: Rush Thinks Big With Clockwork Angels

Album Reviews

Rush – 2112: Mythological Narrative Lyrics in Music

April 22, 1996April 2, 2019 Drew

Author’s Note: This is a transcription of a college research paper from 1996 on Mythological Narrative Lyrics in Music for which I used the album 2112 by Rush. I received an A-. It was written as two parts in two different years of study. The first part appeared in the Winter 94-95, Number 11 issue of “A Show of Fans” a Rush fanzine for and by Rush fans. Music has been a dominate force in communication for many years. The power of music results from it’s popularity. Chesebro, Foulger, Nachman, and Yanneli studied music’s influence through four decades. Music which has a method for … Continue reading Rush – 2112: Mythological Narrative Lyrics in Music

Drew's Reviews

Music Reviews You Won't Get Anywhere Else – Concert reviews, album reviews, sometimes a book review and the occasional artist interview when the timing hits just right.

Category: Album Reviews