Resistance, The (+DVD) - Muse

Muse are, in my opinion, rock gods and I loved every album they've produced to date. I consider Matt Bellamy a musical genius of the (rubbishly named) 'noughties' decade (of course I say this whilst also being aware the the talent of his bandmates too). As I was so busy in America this summer I kind of had my head in the sand and so it was a big surprise to see another Muse album on the shelves. Muse are a band that are going from height to height, ...
...this album seems to be as good if not even more fantastic than their previous releases...

==*~ The Tracks~*==

===1. UPRISING===

The album opens with a song that has Muse stamped all over it - the electronic backing, the epic guitar instrumentals and striking lyrics. This is a song full of attitude and self-importance that would not be out of place on 'Black Holes and Revelations.' It is a very interestingly ... more

Muse are, in my opinion, rock gods and I loved every album they've produced to date. I consider Matt Bellamy a musical genius of the (rubbishly named) 'noughties' decade (of course I say this whilst also being aware the the talent of his bandmates too). As I was so busy in America this summer I kind of had my head in the sand and so it was a big surprise to see another Muse album on the shelves. Muse are a band that are going from height to height, firmly establishing a reputation as a staggeringly brilliant band and this album seems to be as good if not even more fantastic than their previous releases...

*~ The Tracks~*

1. UPRISING

The album opens with a song that has Muse stamped all over it - the electronic backing, the epic guitar instrumentals and striking lyrics. This is a song full of attitude and self-importance that would not be out of place on 'Black Holes and Revelations.' It is a very interestingly political track about resisting the media's influence and brainwashing. It contains distinct synth backing that a lot of people have likened to the Doctor Who theme and Bellamy's voice is menacingly deep. I found that this track took some time to grow on me before I really liked it but I came to appreciate it as an irresistibly catchy and memorable song.

8/10

2. THE RESISTANCE

The soundtrack for Winston and Julia's love theme in '1984'? I think so. 'Love is our resistance' is the key line in a song which seems to refer to the forbidden romance of Orwell's Big Brother totalitarian state. This is another typical Muse song which I would argue is only mildly brilliant on the Muse scale of brilliance. I don't feel it really kicks in until the chorus and it can be just a little bit repetitive in places. A good song but not a significant departure from their previous recordings.

6/10

3. UNDISCLOSED DESIRES

In my opinion, this is a pretty unconventional love song. He sings about wishing to heal a love interest of their past pains and providing them with a relationship better than their previous relationships. However, it is a bit cold for a love song. It seems to be more about determination to fulfil such goals rather than romance. And it is really strange that there is absolutely no guitar (apart from bass) and no piano. Nevertheless, it is still a pretty wonderful and powerful song - Simple instrumentally and vocally but wonderful all the same.

7/10

4. UNITED STATES OF EURASIA

I always considered Muse the best band of this century with Queen taking the crown of best band of the 20th century and what an amazement to find that this track seems to be channel Mercury and his living band mates. This is a song that is resonant of Queen in their prime, a glorified rock symphony. On the other hand, it is not a downright copy of Queen's style and is very much a distinctly 'Muse' track. I truly love this song for its homage to Queen but also with the fantastic way in which Bellamy brings it to a conclusion - with a segment of Chopin's Nocturne in E-flat Major. Mr Bellamy, how I love you for this and how I love you for the idea of Chopin playing on Radio One. Who would have thought?

10/10

5. GUIDING LIGHT

I don't really have much more to say than that this is such a beautiful uplifting song with gorgeous vocals from Bellamy. Another gem on the album.

9/10

6. UNNATURAL SELECTION

This was a song that gave me déjà-vu, reminding me of earlier material from the band. The gentle intro of this song is quite misleading and you are soon hit by the familiar strong Muse guitar riffs.

8/10

7. MK ULTRA

The track title may seem like the name of a shop name or brand of sanitary towel but the learned person may know that it was the code name for 'a covert CIA mind control and chemical interrogation research programme' of the United States government (Just to clarify, I didn't know that - I had to google it to find this out). It is another addition to the political commentary of this album. Moreover, this is a real foot-tapping, head-bopping piece.

8/10

8. I BELONG TO YOU (Mon Couer S'Ouvre A Ta Voix)

This is my favourite track on the whole album. The lyrics and mood of this song seems to tell the story of a pained love relationship and I adore how the song blends into part of 'Mon Couer S'Ouvre A Ta Voix' by Saint-Saens. The appearance of Saint-Saens was quite a surprise to me. Saint-Saens is one of my favourite classical composers and the inclusion of part of his work in this song only continues to highlight the band's ingenuity. I have to say, I was shocked at the Twilight saga's 'New Moon' remix of this song - they cut out the Saint-Saens. Apparently, they don't feel a Twilight fan can cope with a bit of Saint-Saens. Typical...

10/10

Tracks 9, 10 and 11 - EXOGENESIS: SYMPHONY (Overture, Cross-Pollination & Redemption) (made sense to review it together).

I think when a lot of rock fans come across this they may be thinking 'What on earth?!' This three-part 'space opera' is practically a piece of classical music with influences of Chopin and Lizst. It is a symphony that has been much lauded by critics and rightfully so. It's beautifully chilled and relaxing. When I close my eyes when I listen to it I can imagine myself just cruising through the galaxies and star systems.
A great deal of effort went into producing this part of the album as it was worked and reworked over the years and this effort really shows. All I can say is, what an outstanding way to end the album. It provides the album with an unexpectedly mellow ending but outstanding nonetheless.

10/10

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Overall, this is essentially an epic album dealing with big themes, often drawing from the Orwellian universe of '1984' and current concerns with society. It may be criticized as unoriginal as many of the tracks share similarity with previous works. One may even consider their music to contain an air of pretention, with their grandiose lyrics and sampling of classical music. However, I find it hard to understand critics who make such criticisms. I don't think Muse would be Muse without their recognizable style. Throughout this album, they retain the essence of their style and yet quite often make a daring departure from their more conventional manner of song writing. It is a change that I hope doesn't put rock fans off. A little classical music never hurt anyone and the band crafts such music into their own songs with great skill.

There is no other band I can think of that I can sit on the same pedestal as Queen on my list of top artists. This personal love of the band is the result of their years of outstanding and unique music. This album is another addition to their rich and highly enjoyable back catalogue. It reminds me that this is a band that are deserving of being placed on a pedestal as they are surely one of the best bands of the 21st century.

Epic rock symphonies, classical music, thrilling guitar riffs and electronic instrumental? Yes please!

*~Thanks for reading~* :) x

*~Can also be found on Dooyoo - December 2009~* 

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