Rush-Permanent Waves (1980)

At the dawn of the 1980s, Rush released the album "Permanent Waves", in which they began to gradually move away from the progressive sounds of previous works such as "2112", "A Farewell to Kings", and "Hemispheres". While not entirely abandoning that genre, they delved into more accessible and mainstream sounds, always maintaining the framework of complex compositions with high-quality instrumentation. "Permanent Waves" was the most evident work of this transition, showcasing both Rush's most epic and progressive side and their most accessible. Tracks like the lengthy and experimental "Jacob's Ladder" and the epic and sublime progressive "Natural Science" are combined with clearly commercial tracks like "The Spirit of Radio" and "Freewill", featuring deep mid-tempo grooves and impeccable technical and instrumental execution. Many of the tracks here have a more realistic theme, unlike the splendid science fiction narratives of their previous albums, where philosophical reflections are bathed in epic yet more earthly details. The revealing dreams of a prophet ("Jacob's Ladders"), the critiques of the system ("Natural Science"), and those dealing with the affirmations of individuals and their relationships, such as "Different Strings" and "Entre Nous", are clear examples of this. In contrast to the aforementioned, more addictive, AOR-influenced tracks "The Spirit of Radio" and "Freewill". Ultimately, this seventh album from the Canadians was one of their finest achievements, in which they masterfully combined echoes of the past with the most modern sounds, a style they would soon reflect in their subsequent albums, such as the monumental "Moving Pictures" released a year later.