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.

Playlist - Santigold, MGMT, and more

It's that time again. Last week in my music playlist I talked about Imogen Heap, The Clash, The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and more. Check it out here if you missed it. This week will feature another set of great songs. They're all a bit lighter and danceable. I'm not going to feature Muse's new album in the playlist, because I'm going to write a full album review about it. You can look for that sometime during next week. Now remember, this playlist won't have any rock. It's a poppy one. That's about all you need to know, let's get to the playlist.

Santigold - Lights Out
As I said in the introduction, this song has a light feeling. The chorus is especially smooth. Santigold sounds incredibly different from her previous single L.E.S. Artistes.

MGMT - Kids
I actually wasn't fond of this band when I first heard them. Time To Pretend was my first exposure. It still isn't my favorite song. Kids is much better. If you like Kids, then listen to Electric Feel, it's even better.

Kate Earl - When You're Ready
I wrote about Kate Earl earlier this week. I reviewed Melody here. This time it isn't Melody. When You're Ready is another cool pop song.

The Whip - Blackout
Here's an electronic song that's pretty good. I don't usually like long and extended electronic/dance songs, but this one is an exception. Although it clocks in at over six minutes, it doesn't seem to drag on and on as others do.

If you want a couple more songs, then here they are...

Depeche Mode - Wrong
Scissors For Lefty - Lay Down Your Weapons
Chester French - She Loves Everybody

Kate Earl - Melody

Sometimes pop music can get tiring. You either turn on the radio and hear a song that you wouldn't want your parents to hear you listening to, or it's some Disney product that only your little sister could enjoy. Some kind of in between is needed. Kate Earl is an upcoming pop singer. She released her sophomore album, which is appropriately named Kate Earl, last month. Melody is the first single from the album, and it just might fill the empty gap in pop music.

Her debut album, Fate Is The Hunter, had a less produced sound than this song. It had the sound of adult contemporary radio. This song adds a beat, which will open it up to a younger audience. While it may be considered pop, it's sophisticated enough to keep those who dislike the bubbly mainstream sound from running away. When I first heard the song, I thought she sounded somewhat like a female Jason Mraz, minus the acoustic vibes. The verses have that same flow that he has. She has also been compared to Fiona Apple, Cat Power, and Jewel, which is a pretty big accomplishment for someone so new to the industry.

Melody has the potential to boost Kate Earl into pop stardom. She would also put some fresh air into the small group of female pop stars that are out there today. It's a simple song with, as the title states, a nice melody. Listen to this song if your tired of Lady GaGa, Miley Cyrus, and everything else that sounds almost identical. Every now and then you want a break from the questionable music that floods the air waves. That's where Melody comes in...

MTV's Video Music Awards

Ok, I had to write something about this, it was just too crazy to ignore. The VMA's have always been a huge event for the media. They tend to bring controversy. From Madonna to Britney Spears, it's never boring. This year was no different. If you missed it (like I did, I had to watch the second showing) then here's a little recap on the craziness of it all. I'll also give a couple comments on the subject. I was a little prepared for it, seeing as I knew some of the major events already, but I was still shocked by parts. Brace yourself...

1. Kayne West's Attack On Taylor Swift's Speech

I had heard about this a couple minutes before I watched the repeat. Here's what happened. Kanye West stormed on to the stage after Taylor Swift beat Beyoncé for Best Female Video. He then expressed how upset he was that Beyoncé didn't win. Wow. I knew he had a massive ego and was crazy stupid, but wow.

2. Lady GaGa's Act

This is just about her in general. I always knew she was weird, but I thought it was just a quirky eccentric weird. From the costumes to the "performance" she did, I'm still in shock. First she's wearing a neck brace, then it's a full body red leotard/gown complete with crown structure, then she has a straw basket on her head. To top it off, her performance of "Paparazzi" was filled with chandeliers, wheelchairs, and fake blood... lots of fake blood. She wound up hanging herself in the end. Yeah, that could probably offend a couple of people.

3. Lil' Mama

Why hasn't she disappeared yet? The finale performance of Jay-Z and Alicia Keys was going perfectly, until she came. The singer known for her "poppin" song Lip Gloss and an Avril Lavigne remix did a "Kanye West" and jumped onto the stage. She then proceeds to fold her arms and bob her head. She topped it all off by frantically dancing around the stage. What?!? Why couldn't she just be satisfied with being invited there in the first place? I'm sorry, but if that isn't begging for attention then I don't know what is.

All of the chaos overshadowed the true entertainment. Green Day and Muse's performances were great, but I don't think many people will remember them. It's kind of sad really, that someone as stupid as Kanye West can become that famous. I think the lesson we all learned from this is that MTV needs to hire more security...

Set Your Goals - The Few That Remain

Set Your Goals is a pop-punk band from California who gained most of their popularity from the Vans Warped Tour. Like many of the other bands on the Warped Tour, they play fast aggressive punk music. They released This Will Be The Death Of Us earlier this year. On the album is The Few That Remain. This song features Paramore's lead singer, Hayley Williams. The song resembles something that New Found Glory or Blink-182 would put out. It's a little different than the massive swarm of generic pop-punk acts out there today. It doesn't lean too much on the pop side. One thing that's kind of different is throughout the song there are little bits of talking. For example when Hayley Williams pops in, the song is interrupted altogether. After her and the band have a small chat the song picks back up even bigger than before. The Few That Remain is a solid song and gives a great idea of what the full album is like. Honestly, the only reasons I even found out about it was because Hayley Williams was in it. I'm glad I found it. You should listen to it if you like New Found Glory, Blink-182, Anti-Flag, Hit The Lights, or Paramore.