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.

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.