For an album set in a far-distant, dystopian future yet also celebrating its 40th anniversary later this April, there’s a small sense of irony in feeling the years have been kind to 2112.

The fourth studio album from Rush sounds just as inventive and thrilling today as it did the day of its release – perhaps even more so when considering the long list of musicians that have drawn inspiration from the Canadian progressive rock master’s greatest opus.

“Our fanbase is intense in their curiosity over what we’re about,” says singer/bassist Geddy Lee. “Maybe it’s something they sense in us, the fact that we are who we are. Nobody’s pretending to be something; we’re generally trying to play as hard as we can and make it as interesting as possible. And maybe that engenders a response to the authenticity of our work… it’s an honest statement of where we are musically and lyrically.”

Our fanbase is intense in their curiosity over what we’re about

With their future remaining shrouded in mystery, Lee telling us that they’re “not sure how many tours, if any, are left in us” back in December, now feels like a good a time as any to look at what they have achieved in 48 years as a band.

And even twenty albums in, 2112 remains a firm fan-favourite for its brain-tickling ambitiousness and meticulously crafted sonic majesty. Lee walks us through the various chapters of its conceptual sublimity… “if I can remember what they all are, that is!”

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