Muse ‘The Resistance’ released today.
September the 14th, 2009* - Muse release their fifth studio album, ‘The Resistance’.
It doesn’t seem like three years have passed since the release of their ‘Black Holes and Revelations’ album back in 2006 but it’s certainly been time well spent by the band because the latest offering is a very impressive collection of music, songs and lyrics.
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Not for nothing do I list music, songs and lyrics separately because each of those elements really deserves a mention in its own right. The progression from their early works (’Showbiz’ and ‘Origin of Symmetry’) through ‘Absolution’ and ‘Black Holes and Revelations’ is now complete with ‘The Resistance’. Musically this is an incredible album full of multi-layered guitars, synth, piano, orchestral and vocal elements combining to create a sonic soundscape of immense proportions. The lyrics cover such diverse topics as politics, conspiracy theory and love, all contributing to some epic songs. |
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Muse - ‘The Resistance’ |
Ah, the songs! This is for me where this album really shines. Sure the music and lyrics are important but if they don’t gel to produce some really great songs then what’s the point? Matt, Dom & Chris don’t miss the point though and on ‘The Resistance’ they have delivered some wonderful new songs. Highlights for me are ‘Uprising’, ‘Resistance’, ‘Unnatural Selection’ and ‘MK Ultra’ - you may lean toward the Queen-esque pomp rock of ‘United States of Eurasia’ or the haunting piano of ‘I Belong to You’.
Saving the best until last? The album closes with a 15 minute epic entitled ‘Exogenesis: Symphony Pts. 1-3′ - the end result of something that Matt is quoted as saying that he has been “…working on sporadically for many years.” I have listened to this several times now and I think it is a masterpiece. It’s not rock by any stretch of the imagination - in fact it is more classical in nature, but just listen to the textures and multi-layered instruments, particularly the guitar in ‘Part 1 (Overture)’ - it is a magnificent piece of work.
Muse dare to be different and they succeed where others would only look silly. In ‘The Resistance’, in all it’s variety and grandeur, they have demonstrated to the world what we fans already knew - that they are a GREAT band. Buy it, play it loud and enjoy it!
* Release dates - 11/9 Australia, Benelux, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Ireland. 14/9 Europe and New Zealand. 15/9 USA and Canada. 16/9 Japan. 17/9 Brazil.