*Note: Please only request one album at a time! I'm not that fast!
REQUESTS:
The Fame Monster by Lady Gaga (Requested by Tales)
Invaders Must Die by The Prodigy (Requested by Firestorm)
Plastic Beach by Gorillaz (Requested by Firestorm)
Ghosts by Nine Inch Nails (Requested by Paranoid Android)
The Else by They Might Be Giants (Requested by Operation Awesome)
Stop Making Sense by The Talking Heads (Requested by Pootsforever)
Demon Days by Gorillaz (Requested by The Idiotic Oracle)
REVIEWS DONE:
The Resistance by Muse, 3/5 (Done by Deiphobus)
Shame, Shame by Dr. Dog, 7/10 (Done by Water)
Them Crooked Vultures by Them Crooked Vultures, 4/5 (Done by Firestorm)
Thick As A Brick by Jethro Tull, 4.5/5 (Requested by Mond, Done by Deiphobus)
Someday Came Suddenly by Attack Attack!, 1.5/5 (Requested by Reubo, Done by Deiphobus)
And here's a little scoring guide for my reviews:
5/5 - Perfect
4.5/5 - Outstanding
4/5 - Excellent
3.5/5 - Very Good
3/5 - Good
2.5/5 - Decent
2/5 - Poor
1.5/5 - Very Poor
1/5 - Horrible
0.5/5 - Dreadful
Anyways, first up is The Resistance by Muse
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)
Here we have Muse's fifth studio album. Uprising starts the album off, gracing your ears with a pretty standard but catchy bass line, followed by percussion and some synthesizer. Matt starts singing in a pretty low vocal range soon after, which is a little surprising, considering Muse songs are usually marked by Matt's distinctive falsetto. The lyrics are very predictable and go on about resisting, rising up, rebellion, fight against "them", it's horribly cheesy. The track is moderately catchy, but I though it was overly repetitive, especially the bass, except the guitar solo in the middle, which was moderately interesting.
The next track, Resistance, is probably one of my favorite tracks on the album. It begins with a nice piano melody, joined by a nice rhythm by Dom on the drums. The highlight of this track though, is Chris's bass line, which I love during the chorus. There's a piano and guitar section in the middle is excellent as well. The lyrics were obviously pulled out of 1984, but the music does make up for the cheesy lyrics this time.
Undisclosed Desires seems to be Muse's attempt to make a number one single, for better or for worse. I do not like this song, the slap bass and violin staccato are interesting for about five seconds. The lyrics are as cheesy as the title implies.
United States Of Eurasia is okay. Just okay. It's hard to describe. Collateral Damage, which is follows it, is just a Chopin Nocturne with violins, along with jets and children playing in the background. It definitely adds more atmosphere to the whole track, but I wish Matt had actually composed his piece here. The track also directly leads into Guiding Light, and the lead in is probably the best part of Guiding Light. The rest of the track is loads of cheese combined with U2 influences. And mixed poorly.
Unnatural Selection is basically a throwback to the days of Muse's second album, Origin Of Symmetry. It's a nice track, and I like the proggy section in the middle. The ending is pretty heavy and awesome as well. The only problems I have are the lyrics (again...) and that they basically recycled the riffs from New Born on Origin Of Symmetry. The song is really energetic, but feels too much like Muse is trying to please its old fans by imitating themselves.
MK Ultra is a pretty standard Muse song. Dramatic vocals, guitar riffing, heavy ending. The only thing I really like about it though, is the section in the middle with the constant and abrupt changes in the rhythm and dynamics, which reflect the subject of the song, a government program investigating mind control drugs well.
I hope I Belong To You/Mon cœur s'ouvre à ta voix isn't meant to be taken seriously, because between Matt's French singing and the bass clarinet solo, I really can't help but laugh at this song. Lyrics are chocked full of cheese as usual.
And, the album concludes with the Symphony. I have some qualms about it, particularly Matt's choice of wording here (for example, Part 1 (Overture) isn't actually an overture), but it is very nice. The song starts off with soft violin, and steadily builds up until matt's indistinguishable falsetto comes in. The ridiculously over-the-top lyrics about being "trapped in God's program" work perfectly with the overly dramatic strings and vocals. The guitar solo plays very nicely against the strings as well. In the second part (Cross-Pollination) Matt shows off his piano skills and sings, "Spread our code to the stars/You must rescue us all", possibly the most over-the-top part of the album. The songs builds up and cools off nicely into a soft piano solo. The third section, Redemption, ends the album with a touching piano melody, accompanied by strings as Matt sings, "It's our last chance to forgive ourselves", a very emotionally uplifting conclusion.
Speaking overall, The Resistance does have its moments, but seems more like a patchwork of ideas strung together. It's easy to see the various factors influencing the album, such as growing success in the US, a new fan base due to their new popularity, their old fans, who prefer Muse's previous sound, and Matt's own classical indulgences. It'd be nice if Muse paid less attention to how they're presented or how to please their fans or make charting singles, than indulging themselves in their own music. As with Origin Of Symmetry, and to a lesser extent, Black Holes And Revelations, Muse can be good when they simply write music they want to write, instead of paying attention to the reception of the album.
3/5
