Artist: Rush
Label: Atlantic Records
Release: 1991
Rating: 4/5
“Roll The Bones” keeps the production foundations of “Presto” (1989). To that end, Rush stuck with Rupert Hine in the studio. The approach to songwriting shifted a touch again, which is nothing new when it comes to Rush. No two albums of theirs sound alike. Still, there are definitely logical lines of succession and building-up between them, running through the evolution of the band’s musical expression. That said, “Presto” and “Roll The Bones”, as back-to-back albums in their discography, are the siblings who look most alike.
“Roll The Bones” and “Presto” are close in sound and style. The difference is that on the new album Lifeson’s guitar is pushed even further to the center and is once again gaining weight in Rush’s expression, as the band keeps redefining their more organic, guitar-driven songwriting style. The album keeps a commercial touch, mostly thanks to the laid-back placement of the guitar motifs, which stick to a naturally clean tone.
Dreamline is direct proof of the band’s ongoing sonic redefinition, pushing a rock-forward guitar riff, as far as the album’s loudness goes, even beyond its own limits. The anthemic chorus melody, built on a solid guitar riff and backed by atmospheric keyboards that deepen the harmony and fuel the epic drama of a phenomenal chorus, is born to open the album.
In an instant, the clearly shaped elements that define this band’s artistry are right there with us. The contrasts between the sensual, highly melodic vocals, the refined drum slapping, a bass line that’s witty and exploratory throughout, and wildly unique guitar motifs that always keep that pinch of spontaneity and unpredictability bring a new, phenomenal album to the rock horizon, one that is completely authentic and unmistakable in the essence of Rush’s one-of-a-kind direction.
The songs carry even more clearly defined core motifs and even greater compactness, and the guitar, pushed up in the mix, suits them even better than on “Presto”. The artistry of the new album, which still doesn’t hide its detours into pop rock, comes across as even more accessible. Some of the songs stand out: the punchy triple that opens the tracklist with Dreamline; the excellent half-ballad Bravado, where art rock minimalism is crowned to the max, along with a superb string of verses about the follies of human civilization: “We will pay the price, But we will not count the cost!”; and the commercially minded title track that closes the triple, where Rush line up a great contrast between the superior melodic chorus and the tense mood of a pre-chorus built on a harmonious dialogue between guitar and keyboards. We run into similar atmospherics later on, as in the title track’s chorus (or rather, a similarly contrasting jump in mood between the pre-chorus – chorus of the title track), in The Big Wheel and Neurotica. With Heresy, which draws inspiration from the ordeal of war that engulfed the Balkans in the early nineties, Rush bring the half-ballad mood of Bravado back to “Roll The Bones”, and with that song the album keeps its high level of songwriting and serves up yet another dynamic shift across its many moods. With the nifty instrumental Where’s My Thing, Rush once again show off their mastery of combining “innate” exploratory wit with the fluent craftsmanship of highly listenable motifs. The middle sections of the songs serve to build up dynamics and deepen the drama, and never steal the spotlight from the compact polish of each song’s core motifs.
With “Roll The Bones”, Rush have once again delivered a batch of songs that are hugely varied in motif and atmosphere, yet keep that strictly Rush-style recognizability and high artistic charm, which, on the strength of experience, a clear vision and compositional genius, Rush cash in on triumphantly once more.
With “Roll The Bones”, Rush managed to deliver an album that’s super easy to listen to, gets under your skin fast, and so works for less demanding listeners too. “Presto” was like that as well, and let’s not even waste words on how accessible “Hold Your Fire” is. With “Roll The Bones”, Rush kept the stance of “Presto”, but the songs turned out even better in the polish of their core motifs and the merging of their lead melodies, and on the expressive side they hit harder than the material on “Presto”. Alongside all that, the pop rock influence, flirting with commercial leanings, is kept on “Roll The Bones” too.
Lineup
Geddy Lee – vocals, bass guitar, synthesizers
Alex Lifeson – guitar, backing vocals
Neil Peart – drums, cymbals
GUEST MUSICIAN
Rupert Hine – keyboards, backing vocals
Production
Rush & Rupert Hine
Tracklist
1. Dreamline
2. Bravado
3. Roll The Bones
4. Face Up
5. Where’s My Thing
6. Big Wheel
7. Heresy
8. Ghost Of A Chance
9. Neurotica
10. You Bet Your Life
Album length: 48.04
