by Dean Wolfe, Prog dog Media [album released November 7, 2022]
Rush is noticeably absent from the prog rock scene. After decades of heavy touring around the world and 19 studio albums the band called it quits in 2015, and recently with the passing of drummer Neil Peart any hopes of a reunion were dashed.
This has encouraged a small cadre of decent Rush cover bands to recreate and perpetuate an impressive legacy of prog rock classics to Rush-starved audiences on small stages across the world.
One such exceptional trio is called Rushour, based out of Orlando Florida. Though they have worked since the late 80s in various formations actively performing Rush covers, they recently struck out on their own writing and performing original compositions. They unapologetically wear their love for Rush proudly on their sleeves.
They took on the new name Signals, and in 2022 released a debut CD called "Lunar Landing" along with several videos posted on YouTube.
The first track sounds impossibly Rush-like. 'A Day in the Night' is a solid and well-written song that's thick and lusciously produced with Alex Lifeson-esque tones, snappy drum parts and round and plucky bass lines. Vocalist / bassist Chad Kulscar's voice is capable and pleasant, but not at all Geddy Lee-like (which I consider a plus because it would be eerily uncanny if he were a Geddy Lee clone). The chorus is just profoundly good. I love this track - it's one of my faves off the album. Is this a lost Rush song discovered on some mislabeled dusty reel of tape in a recording studio somewhere? Feels like it.
Listening to the CD got me wondering: if there's such a thing as fan fiction in the book market, is there a musical equivalent? Can musicians pick up where their musical heroes left off?
Rush influences abound throughout Lunar Landing, but beyond track 1, the band's own style and uniqueness shines though more and more, though they make no attempt to conceal their affection for Rush.
Angular, is also a favourite. It harkens a little more to 70's Rush. Guitarist Sean Ghannam demonstrates his mastery of incredible clean and distorted tones, not to mention fingering some amazing chords that immediately got me guessing 'what is that'? The title, Angular, is appropriate to the song structure as well- it takes plenty of right angle turns from section to section with unlikely variations that work well. There's some great clean, pretty sections and rockier, nastier riff sections that see the bass and guitar mimicking each other in tight syncopations. It got my head bopping. Chad's vocals are nice and smooth.
'Seahorses' demonstrates the band's confident adventurousness. A grooving instrumental, there's nothing lacking here in the musical skills department. Sean gets down with some great guitar solos at times sounding almost *Holdsworthian (Allan Holdsworth). Drummer Reed Hayes does some amazing work on this song- a treat to hear such precision and energy. The jazz fusion side of the band becomes more obvious here as well. Chad has some moments to shine with a bass solo.
'Lunar Landing' sees us return to the irresistible and poppier side of Signals. It's kind of Rush-like, maybe Signals-album comparisons, but their own sound is strong here. The verse shows an amazing symmetry among the band as songwriters- it's economical and exciting. There's a bridge in the song has a Grace Under Pressure flavour. Overall it reminds me of the greatness of Rush as a songwriting band and how this greatness is bound to rub off on all who bask in that glow.
'The Time Machine II' is another great instrumental. It's an exciting and energetic track, demonstrating the refined symmetry this trio has as musicians who have performed live for years together. There's foot triggered pedal synth lines throughout the song, proving it'll take a lot to exhaust the possibilities of such basic musical technology. Both Chad and Sean play them. There's plenty of room for Reed Hayes to express himself across the drum kits, including electronic. There's the definite sci-fi-ness coming across in the song as we hear a menacing alien voice over a public address system among spacey sound effects. I suppose there may be more of a 2112 or Hemispheres-album vibe here. This would be great live.
NOW we get into what feels like the deeper-cuts of the album- songs that probably won't appeal to a wider audience if they were used as introductions.
Track 6- 'The Tracking Station' has finger picked clean electric guitar parts and more single note pedal synths. There is a feeling of homage to Rush in parts -perhaps more to 70s and 80s era. Chad has some mechanical-like thick harmonized effected vocals going on in parts. Unlike Rush there are strong jazz fusion elements to the songs, as well as 80s' era Presto album similarities. It's a neat blend of styles. Again Sean breaks out the solos. This song is a bit of a mish-mash, maybe a little darker in tone and more experimental than any track on the album so far.
'Here I am' is a bit darker in tone once again but has some breaks of angelic sunshine bursting through the clouds. It features a lot of synth bass lines as well as sections of innovative busy bass guitar lines that move sections along as if floating on air. Chad's style of vocals become obvious here- he likes to sing broadly, often holding and stretching words- floating them in the air rather than keeping them transitory.
Lastly the CD ends with a 'bonus track' which sounds a lot like Steely Dan. 'City Lights' has plenty of parts where the bass gets busy and riffy. Plenty more great soloing in the guitar department too. The drums are driving and holding it all together, if not pushing it up a notch, but at times Reed lays it back into a jazzy swing groove. Chad employs an envelope filter for some of his bass solos, and is not shy with his slap thumb on the fat bass strings.
Prog dog Score: 3 out of 5 bones. Overall, Signals band gives us plenty to air drum to. There are some really really strong Rush-like tracks here. The CD also reveal hints of Signal's own style. This originality gets more exposure in the latter half of the CD, where Rush-ness gets abandoned. This seems appropriate because I would be uncomfortable if a band didn't let their own uniqueness shine through. Perhaps let A.I. do some copy-catting in the future. I look forward to more original songs from Signals because if this is merely their first go at it we could be in for a revelation. The prog force is strong in these kids.
Watch the interview with Signals HERE
( I don't consider myself much of a lyric specialist so minimal comments on that department, apologies).
Band fan fiction? That's an interesting idea for a genre—although I prefer bands that craft their own sound.
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