During the band's year-and-a-half break following its Snakes & Arrows Tour, the group decided to write a new studio album. The album was recorded in April 2010 at Blackbird Studio in Nashville, Tennessee and from October to December 2011 at Revolution Recording in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Two songs that would eventually appear on the album, "Caravan" and "BU2B," were released to radio stations and made available as a digital download on 1 June 2010.
Following the release of the two songs, the band embarked on the Time Machine Tour, with "Caravan" and "BU2B" included in the set list. Clockwork Angels was completed following this tour.
The album's second single, "Headlong Flight," was released 19 April 2012. The album's third single, "The Wreckers," was released 25 July 2012. On 20 February 2013, "The Anarchist" was released as the fourth and final single.
A 10" picture disc version of the song "The Garden" was released as part of the 2013 Record Store Day Black Friday sale, limited to 3,000 copies.
The album debuted at No. 1 in Canada and at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 chart. The album won the award for Rock Album of the Year at the 2013 Juno Awards.
Clockwork Angels has been a long time coming. Rush foreshadowed it in 2010 by releasing "BU2B," and "Caravan" to radio.
The next single, "Headlong Flight," didn't appear until 2012. Co-produced with Nick Raskulinecz (who also worked on 2007's Snakes & Arrows), Clockwork Angels is a return to the concept album by the band that perfected it on 2112 in 1976.
It centers on a loose narrative about a young man following his dreams. He struggles with inner and outer forces of order and chaos; he encounters an expansive world where colors, images, territories, and characters are embodied by pirates, strange carnivals, rabble-rousing anarchists, and lost cities. His enemy is the Watchmaker, a ruthless authoritarian presence who attempts to rule the universe and all aspects of everyday life with fascistic precision. Neil Peart's lyrics embrace notions of alchemy and steampunk sci-fi in his thematics.
(The album is due to be novelized by Peart and sci-fi author Kevin J. Anderson.) Musically, Rush step up the prog from Snakes & Arrows without losing the blistering riffs or hooks. Alex Lifeson's acoustic guitars have an established place here, but his electric axes roar over them throughout. Geddy Lee's bass is mixed further up-front than it has been in some time -- which makes his mind-blowing chops resound: there are amazing pizzicatos interspersed in driving hard rock fills and edgy, off-kilter funk riffs.
His voice is more nuanced and more emotionally expressive. Peart's drumming is the catalyst: his technical mastery makes his playing sound purely instinctive. CA is full of dynamic surprises, wild rhythmic variations, and expansive textures.
This set sprawls, embracing everything from metal and prog to electric jazz to flamenco touches -- and more. Varied musical shades jostle up against one another, keeping the listener not only engaged, but delightfully surprised. "BU2B" and "Caravan" are slightly different than their single incarnations -- more was added and for the better.
There are nods to the band's past in the blistering intro to "Seven Cities of Gold" and the snarling rampage in "The Anarchist."
Lifeson breathes fire on both. The title track is nearly a concept album by itself. It contains a grand Townshend-esque overture, punishing twists and turns, bluesy acoustic interludes, and a grand finish. "Halo Effect" is destined to be among the band's classic power ballads with a dramatic middle and end.
The album's seven-minute tour de force, "Headlong Flight," careens across musical genres with ceaseless intensity. "Wish Them Well" is an anthemic hard-edged pop song, while closer "The Garden" is an intricate seven-minute ballad with numerous odd angles and labyrinthine sonic corridors.
Ultimately, Clockwork Angels demonstrates why, after 36 years, Rush's fan base continues to grow. Its musical athleticism and calisthenic discipline are equaled only by its relentless creative drive and its will to express it in a distinct musical language.
Tracklist
1. "Caravan" - 5:39
2. "BU2B" - 5:10
3. "Clockwork Angels" - 7:31
4. "The Anarchist" - 6:52
5. "Carnies" - 4:53
6. "Halo Effect" - 3:14
7. "Seven Cities of Gold" - 6:32
8. "The Wreckers" - 5:01
9. "Headlong Flight" - 7:19
10. "BU2B2" - 1:28
11. "Wish Them Well" - 5:25
12. "The Garden" - 6:59
All lyrics are written by Neil Peart; all music is composed by Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson.
Rush
- Geddy Lee – bass guitar, bass pedals, lead vocals, synthesizers
- Alex Lifeson – guitars (electric, acoustic & 12-string), additional keyboards
- Neil Peart – drums, percussion
- David Campbell – String arrangement & conducting
- Jason Sniderman – Piano on "The Garden"
- Arranged & produced by Rush & Nick Raskulinecz
- Recording engineers: Richard Chycki, Martin Cooke, Jason DuFour, Paul Fig & Stephen Koszler
- Mixed by Nick Raskulinecz
- Mastered by Brian Gardner
Released: 12 June 2012 (North America)
Recorded: April 2010, October–December 2011 Studio Blackbird Studios (Nashville, Tennessee) / Revolution Recording (Toronto, Ontario)
Genre: Progressive metal
Length: 66:04
Label - Anthem / Roadrunner (outside Canada)
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