England has always been synonymous with great music: Queen, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and now Muse.
The British rock band Muse, famously known in Europe for its unique style of music, was relatively unheard of in the United States until they hit big with its song “Supermassive Black Hole.” This song is off its album “Black Holes and Revelations,” and was featured in the blockbuster movie “Twilight”.
Soon after this Muse went from playing for small audiences to playing sold-out arenas across the U.S. After touring all over the world and putting on jaw-dropping performances, Muse went to work on recording what would be its fifth studio album.
They recently released “The Resistance” on Sept, 7. The highly anticipated and critically acclaimed album created quite a stir with audiences due to its unusual yet intriguing sound. Muse has achieved what many bands before have strived for: successfully creating an album that truly is a mixture of all styles and genres.
The band’s first track off the album “Uprising,” which they performed at the MTV Video Music Awards, sets the strange tone for the rest of the album with its almost science fiction and futuristic beat that instantly makes you want to dance. The band completely switches gears with its– what sounds to be– Queen inspired song “United States of Eurasia (+ Collateral Damage).” The beginning of the song is solely piano giving the song what appears to be a very calm and mellow feel to it. This melodic beginning soon explodes with an electrifying guitar and drum beat very similar to the style of Queen. This is probably the most political song off of the record with lyrics that seem to imply that the United States is trying to control Europe and Asia hence the name “Eurasia”.
The most talked about and perhaps well put together song on the album is “Exogenesis : Symphony Part I (Overture)”.
This song is the first of a three part symphony which includes Exogenesis : Symphony Part II (Cross Pollination) and Exogenesis: Symphony Part III (Redemption). Its operatic sound gives the album a classical feel with its use of an orchestra and instrumental introduction. The song is beautifully put together both sonically and lyrically. Some argue that the song will be difficult to perform live due to the use of orchestral instruments but Muse has claimed that this won’t be an issue.
With “Undisclosed Desires,” the band once again surprises listeners with a hip hop and R&B inspired beat that sounds like it was produced by Kanye West. A very catchy and melodic song, “Undisclosed Desires” probably does the best job in showing the risks that Muse is willing to take on this album.
“The Resistance,” which appears to be more of a rock opera than a rock album, ranges all over in terms of style and is held together beautifully. Fans of Muse will get a chance to see them perform its new songs live on its upcoming tour, although shows are already selling out. The newest album has only not proven that Muse is not afraid to show its versatility but has also made Muse a household name here in America.
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