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TyronneMuse - A conspiracy within itself
July 7th 2006 03:33
Blackholes and Revelations
No one ever knows what to expect from Muse. From the apparent "Radiohead ripoff" that was "Showbiz" (something I still fail to see), to the hard rock riffs of "Origin of Symmetry" and then to the overly political, and slightly electronic stylings of 2003's"Absolution." Thus, when the first chance to hear Muse's new material came in the form of Supermassive Black Hole, one could not really be surprised. It was different, and a little Britney Spearsish, but it was Muse. Thankfully, the whole album isn't like this.
The first thing one must know is that "Black Holes and Revelations" is that it is the ultimate love/hate album. Many of the reviews I have read concerning this album has started off by saying this is Muse's "Ok Computer" or "Dark Side of the Moon," and then proceeded to rip every single track to shreds. This album does not rely on musical preference, but either previous affiliation with Muse, or at the very least some sense of an open mind in relation to the band's ability.
The first track, Take a Bow, opens to an extremely simple synthesised riff made up of two chords, immediately quashing any thought that the Rachmaninoff-esque piano stylings of Matthew Bellamy might make a reapparance in the album. Rather, the song, like the album, is much more electronic, relying on samples of Bellamy's voice and very heavy on the synthesisers, all to Bellamy's lyrics about the ultimate failings of politics, a seemingly important theme in Muse's current material. Though this isn't always the case, as can be seen in the second track, the poppiest song the band has ever written. The base track of distorted bass so characteristic of Muse, accompanies an ambient piano riff that is reminiscent of David Bowie-era 80s pop. The song is a pure and simple love ballad, surprising to anyone who knows Bellamy's antics and recent obsession with conspiracy theories.
Then, the song on everyone's lips, the first single - the possible sign of things to come. Extremely surprising is that, in the context of the album, Supermassive Black Hole isn't actually all that bad. As a single, it is far from anything typical of Muse, but within the track listing that was chosen so carefully by the band, the song is slightly stronger, strong enough, at least, to be part of the album. The fourth track, Map of the Problematique is a direct step forward from some of the tracks off "Absolution," namely Hysteria, though there seems to be the distinct move toward a rock-opera Queen-esque vocal format.
But when the first portion of the album ends, the second begins. Soldier's Poem, a political ballad of sorts, sticks out like a sore thumb from the album, poorly produced and unfortunate in its appearance on the album. Muse make up for it, however, in Invincible, another ballad, this time about the the power of the population. The song has its charms, lacking a conventional chorus, but rather feeling like a poem, in that the structure is of separate stanzas, centred solely around the single line "together we're invincible." Again a contrast, Assassin is the fastest and heaviest song of the album, the riff more like something form a heavy metal band rather than Muse. Nevertheless, it harks the welcome return of Bellamy's famed vibrato and soprano vocals.
But then, finally, there's the musical crescendo - Knights of Cydonia, the perfect ending to an album if there ever was one. From the wierd mix of alien sounds and horses, to the classic Deep Purple riff that ends the song, it is pure musical bliss to listen to. This is Muse's epic song, the one that will go down in the books as their ending - god forbid there should ever be one - but if they were to play a song at the funerals of any of the three to summise their career, this would have to be it.
"Blackholes and Relevations" will not be loved by all, and it might even turn off established fans of the band from Devon. But Muse have never been about pleasing their audience - they're about making good music, exploring every which way and, of late, making sure their political comments are heard. Now one can only hope and wish that the rumours of them and Chili Peppers heading to Austraia for the Big Day Out are true. Here's hoping.
Official Site
Muse Myspace
Unfortunately, they are no longer streaming their whole album, but you can listen to Supermassive Black Hole and Knights of Cydonia there.
Last.fm
Muse Myspace
Unfortunately, they are no longer streaming their whole album, but you can listen to Supermassive Black Hole and Knights of Cydonia there.
Last.fm
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