Rush-Signals (1982)

After eight studio albums and two live albums, synthesizers take center stage for the first time, overshadowing guitars on a Rush album, even replacing them in much of this ninth work by the Canadians. On “Signals”, Neil Peart’s signature, immeasurable drumming is still present, but progressive rock and heavy guitars have almost completely disappeared, shifting the style towards new wave sounds, albeit in a rather subtle and complex way, with those intricate, high-class arrangements and the trio’s established personality. Opening the album is one of the best songs of the era, “Subdivisions”, a track that enjoyed considerable chart success and is a true classic in their repertoire, especially its keyboard intro. Also noteworthy are some tracks revived more recently for live performances, such as “The Analog Kid” and “The Weapon”, the latter being the third installment of the “Fear” trilogy. The rest of the album revolves around technological advancements with a modern and futuristic feel, reflected in tracks like "Digital Man", "Chemistry", and "New World Man". The album closes with the fantastic "Losing It", featuring Ben Mink with a spectacular electric violin solo, and "Countdown", which attempts to recreate the experience of a space launch and brings to a close an album that would keep them at the forefront of the rock world, despite the radical stylistic shift the band introduced in this commendable new release, following their album, "Moving Pictures".