I have a soft spot for this recording as this was one of the earliest albums I owned by Rush growing up and even though the presence of keyboards and synths became more prominent within their sound during this time period, I find it to be a perfect melding of styles and it simply opens a newer chapter within the evolution of their musical panache. "Subdivisions" begins the record with a lower register synth line and the main theme of the song is dominated by this feature, but the Rush sound still remains firmly in place with Neil Peart's indelible drumming style and Geddy Lee's definitive lead vocals. "The Analog Kid" allows Alex Lifeson to flash some muscle to this dexterous and swift number with a mid-paced chorus that has a new age/new wave quality adopted and interpreted masterfully as only Rush can do. "Chemistry" is yet another number dominated by synthesizer within its "chop and change" rhythm melody and arrangement and expands on the group's penchant for complex and intricate progressive tendencies. "Digital Man" goes further with Peart adopting a somewhat Stewart Copeland influenced drumming style during the numbers middle reggae-like section. Lee's bass playing is fluid and plentiful, while Lifeson manages some tasty solos and lead breaks within the complexity of this stirring number, one of my favorite cuts of theirs.

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"The Weapon" is again, driven by synthesizer and is a somewhat mid-paced track that grows on the listener after repeated rotations, achieving a trance-like medium within its 6 plus minutes of length. "New World Man" would be the hit from the record, cracking the US top 30 singles chart(no. 21) and is relative to the previous "Moving Pictures" release in style and musical continuity. Closing with the last two cuts in "Losing It" and "Countdown", which was inspired lyrically by the launching of the Space Shuttle "Columbia", the previous year, of which the band were present at, the feeling of the record offers a much denser and insular feel than the previously commercial success of "Moving Pictures", and I like it because of those qualities. I return to this release on the odd occasion and I always listen to it thoroughly every time. Great Album.

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Rating Grade- A+