For a long period of time, Muse was considered "that band which resembles Radiohead, even if they are good in their own (special) way". Well known as an experimental band, Muse mixed alternative, psychedelic and progressive, which, combined with Matthew Bellamy's high vocals, led to a unique, easy recognizable sound.
As for their fifth album, called The Resistance... you might say that Muse continued to follow the same line they followed until now. And that's because the taste for experiments is still there, you can feel it in almost every track on this album. However, it takes you a little time to convince yourself that it is Muse you are listening to, when the first track, Uprising, starts. Somehow the rhythmic sound on this song doesn't seem to resemble their previous releases too much. But, as you start to listen carefully to the lyrics (They will not force us / They will stop degrading us / They will not control us / We will be victorious), you can rest assured this IS Muse. And the game just started.
Resistance, the next track, somehow brings the atmosphere from [insert any novel about dystopian societies here], if we take in consideration the idea of love (and making love) used as a form of rebellion. As Uprising, this will probably be a great song to be played live.
Next one, Undisclosed Desires, pushes the experimental part a little bit too far, with its tempo which reminds more of a pop-R&B-whatever-we-don't-care-we-want-to-dance song. But even if you don't like the instrumental and you feel that Muse ceases to be Muse on this one, you must admit lyrics are breathtaking. Somehow, listening to them, I remembered Placebo's I'll Be Yours – lyrically, they're pretty much alike.
And here we are, at United States of Eurasia, a track which seems to be part of Queen's back catalogue. Yeah. Queen. Bohemian Rhapsody part II, ended with a piano sonata called Collateral Damage, which includes a modified Chopin's Nocturne. The title says it all about this song's lyrics: peace, love, empathy, unity in diversity. The end of this song begins with the next track, Guiding Light, which is basically a trip back to '80s rock music. Guns 'n Roses would have been proud to have this one in their setlist.
And now back nowadays with Unnatural Selection. Nowadays? Well, then why this "I've heard it before" feeling? Well, that's because this track resembles very much the sound Muse had somewhere around 2001. Not that it would be such a bad thing, especially if you loved Origin of Symmetry. The lyrics are (again!) a form of rebellion against to the self-called "special ones". Okay... MK Ultra goes on almost the same line, lyrically speaking. "Almost", because this time "they" seem to have the control, and "we" have to wake up. The instrumental helps a lot to our awakening; the guitar riffs and the drum line are amazing, full of freshness, like a cold glass of water on a hot day.
And then we have I Belong To You, another love song, which incorporates towards its ending elements from the aria Mon cœur s'ouvre à ta voix (My heart opens itself to your voice). Piano and Matt Bellamy singing in French? Well, yes. It's a nice introduction to probably the most praised part of this album, the three-part symphony Exogenesis, which includes bits of classical piano, and is the most diversified song on the album (if we take in consideration the fact that Bellamy said this song features an orchestra of over forty musicians). Its three parts, Overture, Cross-Pollination and Redemption are a journey which starts in agony, despair and solitude and ends with a hope for a new beginning. Impressive!
And this is how the new journey in Muse's experimental universe ends. As always, they managed to do something different. Something good. Something worth trying.
*photo courtesy of Muse official site.
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