First Listen: Muse The Resistance

Oooh, can't wait!! It's been a looong three years.

sound utter bearshit. i'm willing to be proved wrong though

I mean bands like Radiohead, Arctic Monkeys (with their latest album) - everyone hates them on DiS. And we all love Pete Doherty!

I agree that some people are a little harsh on Muse here, I wasn't crazy about the last album, but there was enough good stuff in the first half of it. But it's obvious that the direction they've headed in was always going to be somewhat polarising.

I'm little bit afraid of this new album. I've grown up on Showbiz/Origin Of Symmetry, heavy riffs and pain, no poppy Queen meets R&B. Experimenting doesn't mean to try everything like Muse have probably thought. 'United States of Eurasia' is too kitschy and 'Uprising' is anti-inventive, so I'm afraid of the record. But I give them chance, they deserve it.

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I'm going to get it just for Unnatural Selection which sounds like a belter. As stealthy says even thought there is a distinct posibility that this album could be utter wank it's still worth buying because who knows what it'll sound like, I'm actually excited by the prospect of not knowing what to expect, if that makes sense. It's nice to think that even though Muse have become such a huge band they're still prepared to do whatever they want, Biffy Clyro should take note...

are all brilliant. They're the ones I've heard so far (plus Uprising and USoE, obviously). Brilliant live.
Resistance in particular has a killer chorus.

album now the new songs they played on friday sound amazing and batshit mental just how i like muse songs

This album just doesn't...feel like an album, more a collection (or mish-mash) of songs. There's far too many ideas which means the really good ones get drowned in the mediocre ones. Bellamy's lyrics are poor, once again, and because the band self-produced this album it's heavy-handed in some places and short in others eg. Unnatural Selection sounds nowhere near the rock behemoth it should be, and in Exogenesis I the violins feel too high in the mix as it builds to the crescendo.

There are massive Pink Floyd moments on this record, including the middle section of Unnatural Selection, and oddly those are the bits of this record where Muse sound best, and have a swagger to their rhythms. Otherwise it feels forced. 5/10 from me.

Absolutely brilliant stuff, miles better than BHAR.

MK Ultra is the standout track for me, and while the 3-part symphony may be seriously over the top, it fucking works.

There is no flow to it whatsoever. Just listen at the worst possible track combination on this album of MK Ultra, followed by I Belong To You, then Exogenesis. Completely mismatched, and ruins the flow of this album. Muse do not suit the stylings of Undisclosed Desires, or I Belong To You. Those two moments disrupt a reasonable album and turn it into something that is unlistenable as a whole. It doesn't help that the production is far too brash on some songs, whilst being flat and limp on others. Bands that don't have any proper production training should not self-produce. Listen to Elbow's Seldom Seen Kid. That is a perfect example of how good a self-produced album can be, but Guy Garvey has had years of training and practice to get that good.

That comment alone shows you know absolutely nothing about them or their music.

It's a fact, Muse are not pretentious. Anyone with any sense knows this, they're one of the least serious bands around and clearly don't give a toss about appearances. It has nothing to do with how good or shit this guy thinks their music is and I'm not here to defend them from that point of view.

I had doubts at first but after couple of listens it simply unleased its brilliant quality. It has no flow? Oh yes, it has. Throughout each and very track I can sense that unique atmosphere of conspiracies, travels, unrest and various other hints to modern world. It flows perfectly and it's definitely better and more coherent than Black Holes and Revelations. I adore Origin of Symmetry and this album is nothing near but The Resistance is almost as good in its own way. 9 out of 10 as for now.

When I say it doesn't flow, I mean musically. There are too many different musical stylings here for any flow to be possible. One of my favourite analogies of this album is about being at a restaurant. I'd order a tuna steak, on a bed of salsa, with rocket and new potatoes, and perhaps a nice glass of wine. All those things complement each other in the course of the meal. But I wouldn't go to a restaurant and order a pizza with ice-cream, tomato ketchup, chocolate brownies and chips on top. With coffee to wash it down. All of those things are ok on their own, but they're not meant to be together. That's how I feel about this album. It's a pizza with chocolate ice cream on top.

When you talk about the atmosphere of conspiracies, that's a linking theme, not something that makes the album flow.