Muse - Madness

When Muse claimed that Skrillex inspired the sound of their upcoming album, The 2nd Law, I became slightly worried.  I like my Muse without dubstep, thank you.  However, it appears that Muse have decided to contain the record's Skrillex influence within the final two songs of the album, for the most part.  Their new track "Madness" is far from a Skrillex shout out.  It's actually pretty subtle for your average Muse song.  The closest they've come to this sound before was with their 2009 single "Undisclosed Desires".  It's dominantly electronic, but they've saved room for a short guitar solo.

I'm still a bit on the edge about what to expect from The 2nd Law.  It definitely doesn't look like it'll be another Absolution.  Oh, how I wish they would create another album that equals the power of Absolution.  With that said, my curiosity is racing for what Muse will deliver.

The 2nd Law will be out in the UK on October 1 and one day later for the US. You can pre-order an overwhelming variety of album packages here.

Playlist: Weezer, Muse, Rise Against & more

Muse - Absolution

I know it's been out for several years now, about six or seven to be exact, but I just now got around to listening to this album.  This might be my favorite Muse album, out of those that I've heard.  Some of the songs are just genius.  They really flow into each other, in a good way.  Butterflies & Hurricanes is by far my favorite song on the album.  The piano solo is epic.  Actually, the entire album is epic.

Rise Against - Appeal To Reason

This is another album that I just bought even though it has been out for over a year.  I previously had Siren Song Of The Counter Culture, and Appeal To Reason is completely different.  It's more alternative than punk.  "Siren Song" was much heavier.  I'm not sure which one I like more...

Weezer - (If You're Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To

I've actually been listening to the entire Raditude album, but this song is my favorite.  It's pop at it's finest.  I know Weezer has been considered more alt-rock in the past, but this song is pretty poppy.  You can't stop yourself from singing along, or at least I can't.

Here are a few more songs that have been in my head...

The Sounds - No One Sleeps When I'm Awake
Lady GaGa - Monster
La Roux - Tigerlily
Norah Jones - Man Of The Hour
You Me At Six - Gossip
Alicia Keys - Empire State Of Mind (Part II) Broken Down

What songs have you been loving lately?  Leave a comment with your current favorite songs or albums.

Post-Christmas

It's the day after Christmas and everyone has opened their presents.  Everybody had that one thing they really wanted.  Wether it be a Christmas sweater or something, well, better.  What did you get?  Me?  Lots of music...and a MacBook.  First post from a Mac, time to celebrate!  Anyways, there will be a lot of new music being played around the house.  Here's a list of it all.  Take note that it's not all mine, some my brother's and some my sister's. But still, you know I'll hear all of it in the end.

Muse - Absolution
Weezer - Raditude
Norah Jones - The Fall
Kelly Clarkson - All I Ever Wanted
The Black Keys - Attack & Release
Lady GaGa - The Fame Monster

So far I've listened to Muse, Weezer, Lady GaGa, and part of Kelly Clarkson.  I have to say, they're all really good.  I already had the two most recent Muse albums.  This one is a little more piano based.  I think I prefer that.  The Weezer album is interesting.  I really like older Weezer music (Hash Pipe, Buddy Holly).  This album is kind of random.  None of the songs really flow into each other.  They're still good separately, though.  Lady GaGa's album was solid dance-pop.  Extremely catchy.  What surprised me the most was that there was zero filler.  Every song was strong on its own.

I still need to hear the rest of the albums to make my final assumptions.  I hope everyone got whatever music they wanted.  I still have plenty of gift cards to spend on what else... but music.

Muse - The Resistance

On the 14th of September the British rock trio, Muse, released their fifth album, The Resistance. The Resistance is the follow-up to 2006's Black Holes And Revelations. The singles Supermassive Black Hole, Starlight, and Knights Of Cydonia made "Black Holes" a hit not only in the UK, but worldwide. The question that critics have been asking is, can The Resistance top Muse's prior success? Let's find out...

First off, The Resistance resembles Black Holes And Revelations much more than their previous works. If you disliked "Black Holes" and loved Absolution or Origin Of Symmetry, then you may not love this album. But if you were fine with their sound evolution, then brace yourself for another step in the process.

The opening song on The Resistance is Uprising. Uprising is also the album's first single. If you want a review on this particular track, then click here. After hearing the full album, I actually feel that Uprising is one of the weakest songs of the set. It doesn't have as much depth as the other songs. One song that may surprise long time Muse listeners is Undisclosed Desires. It sounds as if it was produced by a mainstream pop artist and Depeche Mode. This results in a catchy electronic based song. Although it is the most mainstream sounding song of the bunch, it doesn't bring down the overall quality of the album too much. It just sounds very... out of place. I feel that the part of the album that stands out the most is the three part symphony, which closes The Resistance. Exogenesis: Symphony is separated into three parts, Overture, Cross-pollination, and Redemption. They time in at almost fifteen minutes total. Muse has successfully fused classical with rock.

I have explained in previous reviews that some albums are best listened to as a whole. This statement applies to The Resistance. You should definitely get the entire album, and not just the single. I can't imagine listening to Exogenesis: Symphony in separate parts. I don't think that The Resistance quite tops Black Hole And Revelations, but it sure does get close. The Resistance is a great album, but it has just a few too many flaws to be Muse's best album.

Upcoming Releases

I have a few highly anticipated albums coming out later this year. Some of them have no set release date, so I can't be sure how much later this year they will be released.

Paramore - Brand New Eyes

This one might be the album I'm most excited about. I still listen to Riot! on a regular basis, and the single is a good sign. Brand New Eyes comes out Sept. 29.

Vampire Weekend - TBA

This album has no determined release date or title, but it's coming this year. I'm listening to their debut album as I write this, and I hope their next release will have a similar sound.

Flyleaf - Memento Mori

Here's another album without a definite release date. It seems to be flopping back and forth between Sept., Oct., and Nov. Anyways, a single is scheduled for this month.

Muse - The Resistance

I reviewed their single, Uprising, in another post. Read the review if you want to know about this album. The single kind of has me on the edge. I'm not sure if I like the synth focused style. The three part symphony at the end of The Resistance should be amazing. The Resistance is released on Sept. 15.

I'm sure there will be more albums announced later that I'll pick up, but these are on my "buy it on release day" list.

Muse - Uprising

The British rock trio, Muse, is back with thoughts of revolution. Earlier this month they released their new single, Uprising. This is the lead single to their upcoming album The Resistance.

The band's previous album, Black Holes and Revelations saw major success with singles such as Supermassive Black Hole, Starlight, and Knights Of Cydonia. The lyrics were very political, focusing on war, leadership, and as their new album title says, resistance. Uprising has a very similar lyrical style. Musically, it has a stadium rock feel, complete with a shout-along chorus. The beat is more stomping and clapping than anything. It also has much more synth than any of their previous work. Keyboards and pianos are extremely common for Muse, but not synths. Overall, it still has that Muse feel to it. Matt Bellamy's vocals sound no different than their previous albums. If you like Muse and have followed their career, then definitely check out Uprising. If you're new to them, I would listen to Black Holes and Revelations or Absolution first, then listen to Uprising.