Whether you love them or hate them, you’ve really got to hand it to those venerable hosers from the Great White North: while lesser bands from their nascent era (that’s the early 70’s) have either gone tits-up or are touring the casino circuit in an attempt to cash in on the nostalgia of aging fans, Rush are still making interesting and vital music.

For those of you not familiar, Rush is essentially a hard rock-based power trio made up of Geddy Lee (bass, keyboards and high-pitched vocals), Alex Lifeson (guitars) and Neil Peart (drums). With a predilection over the years towards pop experimentation (with mixed results), Rush has managed to maintain an intensely loyal fan-base if not the respect of critics.

Having said that, “We Hold On” – taken from 2007’s modern rock wall-of-sound thrill-ride Snakes and Arrows – can be taken as testament to Rush’s staying power. But in the end, and listened to in the context of the entire album, the song is about the tenacity necessary for one to endure the slings and arrows of our deeply troubled world. Placed as the final song on the hour-long CD, “We Hold On” is the glimmer of hope at the end of a series of songs penned by primary wordsmith Peart that do not hold out much optimism for humanity. And like a Shakespeare comedy, there is always trouble creeping in at the edges: Peart writes in a self explanitory style, “How many times do we weather out the stormy evenings/ long to slam the front door / and drive away into the setting sun.” The only hope offered here is given with the words, “We could be down and gone/ but we hold on.” Pretty slim pickings at the end of an album whose primary themes are war and religious intolerance.

But in typical over-the-top Rush fashion, “We Hold On” is driven by a high energy, indeed optimistic and oddly groovy propulsive force. This is a song you can get your freak on to. “We Hold On” bounces along primarily due to the lethal rhythm section provided by Lee and Peart. Lifeson’s guitar, accompanied by Lee’s whiny and by now characteristic and appropriate vocals, is brooding and direct, but for the song’s chorus descends into a messy wash of chords and single strings reminiscent of Soundgarden.

Trying to get most people to appreciate the music of Messrs Lee, Lifeson and Peart is a bit of a chore at the best of times, but with “We Hold On” Rush just might have made a song everyone can enjoy. Well, maybe not your girlfriend, but definitely your mom.