The band that gave Geddy Lee hope for progressive music: “There will always be something new”
The modern age of rock and roll hasn’t left much room for traditional prog in the limelight. There are certain niches where bands like Peripheral are expanding on the concept of what metal can sound like when it makes something more complex, but it’s always going to be a hard sell to convince someone that a new band can keep something engaging for the length of a 20-minute song.
But even for the heavyweights like Geddy Lee, he knew there were people out there willing to fly the flag for being slightly different.
Then again, part of Rush’s mentality was always to be searching for new music. Although they got their start as the same bluesy cover band that every Led Zeppelin fan dreamed of being, Fly By Night was what happens when you give the Canadian trio a nice helping of bands like Yes and Genesis. They were ready to move into other areas, but even in the 1980s, they managed to keep challenging themselves in terms of their capabilities.
The era of MTV may be considered a dark time for fans who preferred the longer material, but it’s not like they sold out or turned away from their roots by any stretch. Lee was still pushing himself behind the synthesisers, and listening back to their albums from around that time, Grace Under Pressure deserves to be called a masterpiece on the same level that people praise albums like Moving Pictures and 2112.
But in the modern age, Lee was always a bit lenient about checking out new bands. There are moments when some new artists stood out in the 1990s, like Bjork, but as rock fell by the wayside, it was time for people to start thinking outside the box, and Lee knew that Fleet Foxes had their finger on the pulse of what was going on.
While there isn’t too much in common with how the indie darlings play compared to Rush’s celebrated records, Lee always felt it was refreshing to look at a genre with fresh eyes again, saying, “There is so much going on. The way they play and the beautiful use of harmonies. I couldn’t believe it when I first heard it but it gave me hope that there will always be something new happening in music, no matter what they say.”
It’s not like what they are playing is the kind of mind-melting material that Rush did. They were more than capable of making music that fit in the realm of mainstream rock, but by bringing in a lot more traditional instruments, it seemed to appeal to both indie kids who wanted to hear unplugged material and the older generation who had fond memories of listening to Simon and Garfunkel.
And while Rush didn’t have that kind of musical makeup, there were pieces if people knew where to look. There was no reason for them to give Neil Peart a primitive drum kit, but listening to songs like ‘Rivendell’ or even ‘Resist’ off of Test for Echo, they were at least interested in seeing where their sound could have gone had they decided to go the way of Led Zeppelin on their third record.
But while it’s not necessarily progressive rock by the same definition as Lee’s upbringing, it’s still willing to push the boundaries like everyone from Yes to Jethro Tull did back in the day. It might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but any musician can look at Fleet Foxes’ albums and appreciate what they are bringing to the table.
