The Resistance: I Got Yer Robopocalypse, Right Here!
Anticipating a new Muse album (for me, anyway) is like anticipating the latest entry in a beloved blockbuster franchise - the reasoning being that the best blockbusters strive to encompass all genres at once (adventure, comedy, romance, drama, action, etc) and make them all work in service of the same ultimate goal. This is Muse's approach to music. It has become increasingly apparent that there is no genre the band isn't into. They love it all, they use every bit they can, and the results are both accessible and somewhat esoteric for those very reasons.
Because there's been so much drastic style-variation in the band's output over the years, some fans tend to attach themselves to one Muse album over another. Thus, one person's Origin of Symmetry is another's Absolution - and so on. There's rarely any consensus, so it's challenging for some Musers to be accepting of everything. But for those up to the challenge, following this band is a thrill - you never know what to expect.
Matthew Bellamy, the infamous and often misconstrued frontman, says that The Resistance distills every type of music they've ever experimented with, all working within the context of a dystopian sci-fi love story inspired by George Orwell's 1984. What's surprising is that you can, if you choose, follow this loose narrative throughout the album, and I can't think of another time Muse has done this - typically their albums are just themed around a concept. On a meta level, the crazy genre-bending works to the story's advantage, because it makes the listener run the gamut of the emotions experienced by the "characters" involved in the titular Resistance. Whereas Black Holes and Revelations merely felt like a collection of good, but unrelated songs, The Resistance flows like an album should - despite the wildly clashing styles from track to track. If it sometimes feels like Muse is designed for the ADD in all of us, I fail to see how this is a bad thing.
MY FAVORITE TRACKS AND HOW I LOVE THEM (in album order):
In a recent interview with Q Magazine, Chris Wolstenholme (bassist) recalls an early local show during the band's formative years in the 90's. During this show, Matt practically mumbled the words to the songs. He was flighty and nervous on-stage. He'd had frontman duties pretty much forced on him after other locals quit the band when it became clear that Matt, Chris and Dom "didn't want to be Nirvana" (and as Chris says, back then everybody wanted to be Nirvana).
After the show, the venue's sound technician told Dom and Chris they should "get a new vocalist".
Matt heard this. The next night, he went on stage, opened his mouth, and - with nothing to lose - belted out his now trademark power-voice. Until that moment, none of the bandmates knew he had it in him, much less Matt himself.
To me, this is a perfect summary of Muse. They've made a habit of not holding anything back - to hell with appearances. They wear themselves on their sleeves, and their music is alive and full of all the ridiculous and beautiful things they feel. Sometimes, this is too much for people; it gets dismissed with words like "pretentious" and "overblown" (very common among head-scratching critics). But I think Muse's success proves that they've tapped into something much more basic than the bombast implies. If you don't put it all on the line, and embrace all possible ridicule, you'll never really know what you're capable of. And neither will anybody else.
All that to say? I LOVE THIS BAND. *wipes a tear*
Now BRING ON THE TOUR PLEASE. :D
Because there's been so much drastic style-variation in the band's output over the years, some fans tend to attach themselves to one Muse album over another. Thus, one person's Origin of Symmetry is another's Absolution - and so on. There's rarely any consensus, so it's challenging for some Musers to be accepting of everything. But for those up to the challenge, following this band is a thrill - you never know what to expect.
Matthew Bellamy, the infamous and often misconstrued frontman, says that The Resistance distills every type of music they've ever experimented with, all working within the context of a dystopian sci-fi love story inspired by George Orwell's 1984. What's surprising is that you can, if you choose, follow this loose narrative throughout the album, and I can't think of another time Muse has done this - typically their albums are just themed around a concept. On a meta level, the crazy genre-bending works to the story's advantage, because it makes the listener run the gamut of the emotions experienced by the "characters" involved in the titular Resistance. Whereas Black Holes and Revelations merely felt like a collection of good, but unrelated songs, The Resistance flows like an album should - despite the wildly clashing styles from track to track. If it sometimes feels like Muse is designed for the ADD in all of us, I fail to see how this is a bad thing.
MY FAVORITE TRACKS AND HOW I LOVE THEM (in album order):
- Resistance. The title track! It's one of the most straightforward songs on the album, but this in no way hampers its worth. It's a rock anthem with a side of Broadway (the "it could be wrong" phrases in the pre-chorus make me think Grease, of all things!). I approve of anything that lets Matt sing his heart out like he does on the chorus here. His voice is just incredible.
- Undisclosed Desires. Dubbed "the anti-Muse song" by the band themselves, it's a guitar-less, completely synthesized R&B groover that is responsible for Matt strapping on a KEYTAR IN LIVE SHOWS OMG! It's like the darker older sister of "Supermassive Black Hole" - catchy as hell, featuring SHAMELESS "I can bring sexy back too" vocals, with Chris joining in! It makes me want to dance and LOL FOREVER. It is also Luke's favorite track, he would like you to know.
- Unnatural Selection. HELLO RIFFS. This is a total throwback to the Origin of Symmetry days - a prog monster not unlike "New Born" or "Citizen Erased" in its aggression and scope. I adore it. I adore the ridiculous drop in Matt's voice when he sings "OOOCEEAAANN." :D It is clear this song was built with live shows in mind and it will kill in that capacity.
- MK Ultra. Humble on first listen, this it may be the best-conceived song on the entire album. MK Ultra was a covert CIA mind-control program, and the song structures itself both musically and lyrically around the experience of a test subject. The change-ups are insane, the riffs are spectacular, and Dom's drumming kicks your trash and mine. It's tightly spun into 4 minutes, and I simply cannot get enough of it.
- I Belong To You (+Mon Cœur S'ouvre À Ta Voix). The piano is my favorite instrument. This is actually the first reason I fell in love with Muse - because they use the piano's full range as a rock, pop, and classical instrument; it's not just restricted to ballads and artsy accents. And so, I ask you, how am I supposed to resist the piano line in this song? It has so much to do. The breakdown at the bridge is perfect, merging two songs into one. And it's just a total kick to hear Matt singing French. The perfect segue into...
- Exogenesis Symphony: Parts I-III (Overture, Cross-Pollination, Redemption). What can one say about these three tracks? They were an inevitability. This is the kind of music that's always been hiding behind certain strains of Muse; behind songs like "Space Dementia", "Butterflies and Hurricanes", "Micro Cuts", "Blackout", "Ruled by Secrecy"... it's the classically-influenced side of Matt's brain manifested in full force, and it is astonishingly beautiful. I seriously want to go SKYDIVING OFF THE MOON when I hear the chorus to "Cross-Pollination" - I'm not even being facetious. And parts of "Redemption" remind me of Dario Marianelli, they're so gentle and transporting. All my superlatives will not suffice. This is a dream come true for both the band and their fans.
In a recent interview with Q Magazine, Chris Wolstenholme (bassist) recalls an early local show during the band's formative years in the 90's. During this show, Matt practically mumbled the words to the songs. He was flighty and nervous on-stage. He'd had frontman duties pretty much forced on him after other locals quit the band when it became clear that Matt, Chris and Dom "didn't want to be Nirvana" (and as Chris says, back then everybody wanted to be Nirvana).
After the show, the venue's sound technician told Dom and Chris they should "get a new vocalist".
Matt heard this. The next night, he went on stage, opened his mouth, and - with nothing to lose - belted out his now trademark power-voice. Until that moment, none of the bandmates knew he had it in him, much less Matt himself.
To me, this is a perfect summary of Muse. They've made a habit of not holding anything back - to hell with appearances. They wear themselves on their sleeves, and their music is alive and full of all the ridiculous and beautiful things they feel. Sometimes, this is too much for people; it gets dismissed with words like "pretentious" and "overblown" (very common among head-scratching critics). But I think Muse's success proves that they've tapped into something much more basic than the bombast implies. If you don't put it all on the line, and embrace all possible ridicule, you'll never really know what you're capable of. And neither will anybody else.
All that to say? I LOVE THIS BAND. *wipes a tear*
Now BRING ON THE TOUR PLEASE. :D