Day 289: Xanadu by Rush // 7.5

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Related imageGENRE: rock
I don't remember the last time I've looked at such a long song. Sitting at 11 minutes, it's definitely the thiccest Rush song I know. At such a length, I expect a display of a mastered craft befitting of Rush's caliber.

Just hearing the beginning, I can already expect as such. Whenever you hear a song that progressively builds off of ambient, nature-esque sounds, you really know you're on a journey. I'm loving that seemingly syncopated beat around the 3-minute song. I love it when I mistake something to be in irregular time when in fact it was 4/4 the whole time. After all, it's the creativity that makes them great, not their ostentatious use of irregular time signatures.

Gosh, Geddy Lee's vocals don't enter until 5 minutes in. Under the guise of a fantasy setting, this song is inspired by one a particular poem, Kubla Khan. One critique I do have about the song is the seemingly disjointed segments. I feel like I hit a stop sign before going again down the same road. I wish it was a bit more streamlined, with one section leading to the other seamlessly. The mature and great thing is that they do double back and reference previous sections. I just wish they developed it a bit more rather than repeating it. Overall, it's still a solid Rush song. It walks like Rush. It sounds like Rush. It definitely jams like Rush.

Rating: 7.5/10


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