You asked for it. Well, actually, you didn't. Anyway, I relistened to VT to see if my perception changed.
"One Little Victory" - I actually like this one. At least the groove is kind of cool, and that helps.
"Ceiling Unlimited" - This isn't bad for what it is. It has a certain momentum, but two of the things that drives me bonkers on this album surfaces: Alex playing mulitracked loud, noisy, overdriven guitars VERY FAST to the point where the sound just becomes white noise, and Geddy Lee sounding like he's singing from the other side of a closet door. At least the melody is somewhat interesting...
"Ghost Rider" - I don't want to diss this one as it's obviously a personal statement by Peart, but frankly, the song's very boring. That "Like a ghost riiii-der" line sounds so forced melodically, and I can't pick up any emotion from this one at all. Then Geddy overdubs his vocals in some attempt at counterpoint at the end, and it just becomes blah blah blah.
"Peaceable Kingdom" - Again, LOUD STRUM STRUM STRUM accompanied by the Geddy choir on the other side of a cement wall. Any interesting attempt at melody in the softer parts becomes destroyed by Alex thumping in with his ugly guitar sounds. I'm getting a headache already, and this is from the "remastered" version.
"The Stars Look Down" - I remember liking this one before; the syncopated intro and overall psychedelic vibe wasn't bad, but Geddy's vocals are muddy AGAIN, because God knows we wouldn't want any less than five guitar tracks going on at once, obscuring everything else. The chorus would be more effective if I hadn't zoned out during the dull verse.
"How It Is" - Geez, even the twelve-string sounds like it's being played through a broken drive-in speaker. Still, this is one of the better tracks. I like the groove in the verse (though the effect on the vocal is hideous) and the chorus is fairly pretty. Still, dammit... MIX GEDDY'S VOX UP. I CAN BARELY MAKE OUT WHAT HE'S SINGING.
"Vapor Trail" - Eh, I'll be honest. The verse isn't bad. Then Alex plays a "chorus" part that feels badly stitched on to the song, and the soggy Geddy choirs slush into action. It just makes the song so boring. And really, the sameness of the overall sound is starting to get to me.
"Secret Touch" - This is actually my FAVORITE song on the album, and the only one besides "Victory" that I ever return to. "The way out is a way in" is a beautiful part, and makes the entire song. Even Alex crashing down with his usual unsubtle STEROID STRUM can't ruin it. I just figure if I want the VT sound, I'll pull this song out and be done with it. But even so, Christ.. I'm getting to the point where I want to lock Alex Lifeson away entirely.
"Earthshine" - Dull power chord verse riff, uninspired melody and a terrible, uninvolving chorus. Next.
"Sweet Miracle" - The constant thudding sameness is getting to me, and I know this is supposed to be a sensitive song. Why can't they let anything just breathe?
"Nocturne" - Jeez, the intro guitar line seems identical to the one starting "Ceiling Unlimited." I'm in an infinite loop here. They seem to think variety involves playing a lone bass line with a clicking high-hat, until Alex assaults us with his noisy guitars giving it POWAH!!! The twiddly guitar sections accompanied by the Weinrib Zombie Singers don't help, either. They just seem pointlessly busy. There's no let-up.
"Freeze" - I remember I was supposed to be impressed by another odd time signature, but I only remember thinking how maybe the "Fear" trilogy didn't need a follow-up. If this monotonous hiccup is all they could produce, it really, really didn't. Do I really have one more song to get through?
"Out of the Cradle" - Hey, that's kind of a cool acoustic guitar groove! Let's add all sorts of horrible overdubs and make it grating! And I know I've heard that damn chorus melody before. Or I think I did. And one thing I didn't mention - I'd rather hear Geddy Lee scream circa his seventies "EVERY NERVE IS TORN APART" than hear that anemic washed-out wail one more time.
Honestly, I hate this. The songs all have the same feel, the same rhythms, the same damn vocal effects, the same boring melodies, turning into one dirty mushy pile of noise. "Snakes and Arrows" had at least some variety in its makeup (I'd have welcomed something like "Hope," "Spindrift" or "Bravest Face" at any point during this endless barrage) and though I don't think S&A is sensational, I find it infinitely more LISTENABLE. I haven't warmed up to CA entirely yet either, but that's much better than this as well.
And when I got this, I WANTED to like this. Peart was back! Rush was back! This was going to be a deeper album than ever before! Surely Lee and Lifeson have saved up some A material by now! The let-down was just more painful for it.
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