The Resistance

Currently Listening To: Muse - The Resistance

It's been a while since I've reviewed any music, so here's a review of Muse's fifth and latest album, The Resistance.

This is also the first time I've downloaded a Muse album in full, usually I only go for a few selected songs per album.



Hmmmm interesting cover, can't say I like it though.

I'm actually listening to the album as I'm typing this, so this review would my very first impression of it - so far every single song is super duper dramatic. It's like a very long symphony, and has a classical yet operatic feel to the whole thing.

One thing's for sure - it's very varied. No one can ever fault The Resistance for sounding too samey.

I can safely conclude that lead single Uprising is the one and only more commercial sounding track, cos everything else is just over-the-top, and you can tell that Matt Bellamy, the lead singer, was seriously influence by Queen. Like seriously.

In fact I think the main flaw of this album is that it takes itself too seriously. Or rather, Matt Bellamy takes it too seriously I guess. Didn't really pay any attention to the lyrics yet, but from what I've read it's all very anti-government. Not that I'm complaining, but that is one very heavy subject.

It's nearly the end of the album now, and my head's feeling reeeeeally heavy.
Looking through other reviews for it.
Rolling Stones - not really liking the album, I see.
The reviewer from The Star wasn't very into it either. Both gave it a 3 out of 5 stars.
Pitchfork Media and NME gave it an average rating of about 5.95 out of 10. Which translates to 3 out of 5 lol.
Q magazine and Allmusic loved it - then again Q gives almost everyone 4 out 5 anyway so yeah.

Tracklist:
1. Uprising
2. Resistance
3. Undisclosed Desires
4. United States of Eurasia/Collateral Damage
5. Guiding Light
6. Unnatural Selection
7. MK Ultra
8. I Belong to You/Mon cœur s'ouvre à ta voix
9. Exogenesis: Symphony Part 1 (Overture)
10. Exogenesis: Symphony Part 2 (Cross-Pollination)
11. Exogenesis: Symphony Part 3 (Redemption)

My final verdict? Well, it's too much. I mean, I do like some of the songs but overall it is way too fancy, way too dramatic, Adam Lambert would be absolutely excited about this album but not me!

The Exogenesis Symphony is like, listening to a rock version of Maksim. Individually, each song is only about 4 minutes long but as a whole it feels like a 30-minute overture.

Would I listen to this album from start to finish again? Yes I would, but only once in a while. It's better than say, Keane's Perfect Symmetry or Coldplay's Viva La Vida in terms of variation, but seriously the other two are a lot more accesible.

Final Rating: 6.8/10
Recommended:
Resistance, Undisclosed Desires, United States of Eurasia, Unnatural Selection.

(Come to think of it, even the song titles are super fancy O.o)

BTW I'm really liking Keane's new song Sovereign Light Cafe. It has an old-school feel to it and I like that. No fancy, trying-too-hard stuff. In other words, no Perfect Symmetry, Viva La Vida or the The Resistance (the whole freaking album, not just the song)!