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Signals

by Rush

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Rush had already begun using electronics and synth in their music by the time Signals was released in 1982, so the synth-heavy opener, "Subdivisions" (a song that proves that high-school separatism is older than last year), wasn't that great a departure from their previous material. Signals also contains the single "New World Man," which still gets heavy radio airplay almost 20 years later, as well as groove-heavy, tech-savvy songs like "The Analog Kid" and "Digital Man"--prescient comments on the forthcoming information technology revolution if ever there were any. This was Rush's first studio album following Moving Pictures, which arguably remains their strongest and most well-known effort, after 2112. That's a tough act to follow, and Rush did it in the best possible way--by maintaining their distinctive sound while updating it with 1980s touches. Signals indicates that it was a good move. -- Genevieve Williams