Muse - The Resistance
The Resistance cover
Starting off this review, I will say this, this album will go down as my favorite Muse album. It is the first Muse album I have listened to from start to finish and I am proud to say it is the one that has made me a fan of all of their work.
1. "Uprising" - The first song off the album entitled "Uprising", really sets the tone for the record more so in terms of lyrical content I would say then sound. Although the sound of "Uprising" is very unique with the synth and drum and guitar combo, while lead singer Matt belts out lyrics such as "They will not force us, they will stop degrading us, they will not control us, we will be victorious". Lyrically, the album's main theme of resistance is perfectly summed up in this song.
2. "Resistance" - The second song "Resistance" Is also the title track. It is the song that seems the most straight forward to me with no sudden lefts or rights as are evident in some of the other songs. Matt singing "Love is our resistance", while Dom the drummer drums out a very nice clean beat with some added parts here and there, is one of my favorite parts about this song.
3. "Undisclosed Desires" - This is my favorite song off the album. This song has a sort of hip hop-ish kind of beat that flows through it, while Matt's effects make lyrics such as "Please me, show me how it's done, trust me, you are the one", sound that much more powerful.
4. "United States of Eurasia (+Collateral Damage)" - This song has gotten quite a lot of comparisons of late to the band Queen, with its epic sounding operatic tone. The lyrics discuss the eventual coming together of the states and world, somewhat like Pangea. This is the song I would play for someone who had not heard Muse before and wanted to hear a song off of the album. The song's epic sound ends with a soft piano outro which leads into the sound of a jet taking off.
5. Which leads into the next song "Guiding Light", which is a slower number for the band, though not so slow as to bring the whole record to a grinding halt. The synths really compliment this piece very well and add to the over all power ballad-ness of this song.
6. "Unnatural Selection" - Is without a doubt the most hard hitting song on the album and is a song about finding out the truth and wanting to expose how the system has failed. Another one I seem to find myself listening to more when I want just one song off the album to listen to.
7. "MK Ultra" - Was at first a song I skipped over after the first listen through. Now it is another one I seem to find myself listening to a lot more, it grew on me.
8. "I Belong to You (+Mon Coeur S'ouvre A Ta Voix)" - Is a simple love song but since this is Muse we are talking about, it is very rock oriented and also has little hints of jazz thrown in there and other various musical elements to make it one of the more unique love songs. I think I have ever heard, the breakdown with Matt singing in french is lovely as well.
9. 10. 11. "Exogenesis: Symphony Part 1, 2, 3" - Is a 3 part trilogy of songs that close out the album. All 3 songs are very much splattered with classical elements such as harps and strings and a full orchestra. The only complaints I have with these songs are that you cant really hear Matt's voice all that well in the first part and that part 3 really does not close the record on the same level that I believe "Uprising" opened with.
My final score for this is a 9 out of 10. I find this to be a refreshing rock record in a time where so many bands are following trends and playing it safe. Apparently, Muse missed out on that follow the leader memo and instead decided to lead and not follow when they decided to make The Resistance, which in itself is a amazing record but also takes many risks that other bands would not even think about taking. I highly recommend everyone pick up this record and see how Muse has been able to progress and add new elements to their music, while still keeping the familiar epic Muse rock sound, I believe sets them apart from any other band today.
