The Resistance

This is an article that I wrote for the Bison and was published a few weeks back.

The word hype is a dangerous but necessary demon in the music industry. Too little of it and your band falls into obscurity and you amount to nothing special. But, if you get too much you stand to disappoint your fans, and that can be a nail in your career’s coffin. This is the demon that Muse has been fighting ever since they announced they would be heading to the studio to make their next album.

It has been three years since any new material has been heard from the English trio that is Muse. The Resistance is the much-anticipated follow up to the critically acclaimed Black Holes and Revelations album. The trio had a lot to live up to following such a market success and they did not disappoint. The band in fact took their music to a whole new level of excellence.

I will admit that the first single off the record, Uprising, had me a bit worried about the album as a whole. The song gives off a much more popish tone than past Muse hits. With a shuffle feel set by the drums and a steady bass pattern leading the harmony, it is up to Mathew Bellamy’s vocals to carry the song. This being said it is a solid first single that does draw the curious listener into the album.

Muse is quick to shove any ideas that this is a pop record off as soon as the second song plays. The next song the needs to be brought up though is The United States Of Eurasia. With a beautiful melodic piano intro, followed by accompanying synths and then Bellamy’s amazingly smooth voice that carries the song into a strong Arabic feeling interlude that sticks for the remainder of the song. The song feels like something out of a Queen album with the vocals creating chords all by themselves and the song ends with a brilliant piano concerto.

The next song is a brilliant throw back to an older Muse. MK Ultra feels like a throw back to Muse’s Absolution album. It is a beautiful mix of synths, strings, percussion, and bass that carry the backup to the amazing vocal harmony that carries the song along.

The final piece of music that has to be mentioned is the masterpiece that is the three part symphony that closes out the album. There is not a part in this piece that stands out because all three are so brilliant. The first movement serves an overture for the next two pieces. Being a symphony there is a more of a focus on strings and instrumentals than vocals. This may seem risky but Muse pulls it off brilliantly. The second movement contains in it a fantastic piano piece with strings in the background. This movement does contain more vocal melody than the previous movement. The simplistic feeling of the piano does not last for long as the drums, guitar, and bass enter and lead the song spiraling till it somewhat fizzles out into another piano interlude. The last movement brings about rest and resolution to the piece. Much slower than the previous two movements the song runs it’s course and the ritardandos into a final cadence between strings and piano.

This album blew my mind. I will admit that I went into listening to it with very low expectations and expected nothing more than a remake of Blake Holes and Revelations. Muse proved me wrong. They made a fantastic record that is both classical and innovative. I hope they continue to make the amazing music they make so that I can be pleasantly surprised again.