Muse - Black Holes & Revalations
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Artist:
Artist: MuseAlbum Title: Black Holes & RevelationsRelease Date: Out Now [Released July 11, 2006]Record Label: Warner Bros / WeaTrack Listing:1. Take A Bow2. Starlight3. Supermassive Black Hole4. Map Of The Problematique5. Soldier's Poem6. Invincible7. Assassin8. Exo-Politics9. City Of Delusion10. Hoodoo11. Knights Of Cydonia
I remember seeing a documentary on Led Zeppelin recently, where they mentioned one of their strengths and reasons for success was their immense diversity. They crossed genres, innovated, experimented, and pioneered contemporary music in many aspects and forms.Up until now, Muse have been a fairly solid rock and roll band. In their first album Showbiz, they showed us what they could do by establishing their foundation with epics and instant classics like 'Muscle Museum'. Moving on a stage we received Origin Of Symmetry which defined their unique style in songs like 'Bliss' and 'Citizen Erased', while giving us a taste of their unbridled creativity and respect for music with a brilliant cover of 'Feeling Good'. After a superb double album containing live tracks and b-sides, they released Absolution which went to both extremes - we had roaring riffs from 'Stockholm Syndrome' and moving melodies from the likes of 'Falling Away With You', akin to 'Unintended' from their first album. In Absolution, they brought with them a large use of orchestral music which really drove the album. Apart from that, it was will within the Muse sound we had heard before. It is with the release of their latest album Black Holes & Revelations that Muse really break their mould - they move into different genres, innovate, experiment and pioneer. Truly, they are walking with the greats now; in my opinion they have an unrivalled live performance and this new album really does justice to the other half - the studio.The album starts simply with synthesised music and Matt[Guitar/Vocals]'s lyrics, on a track called Take A Bow. At first you will consider this a weak track. After several days however, you'll have the words you will burn in hell for your sins imprinted into your brain until you can do nothing but listen to the track again. As with most of the songs of Absolution, this song clearly has a political subtext - but don't let that fool you; there's a better mix between the music which is for the individual and that which concerns the world on this album than there is on Absolution. This song is incredibly powerful, and while using a lot of synth and effects, it works very well in song. The contrast between the sparse and bland beginning and the fiery end really helps to bolster the strong lyrics.It continues with what, in my opinion, is a contender for the strongest track on the album - Starlight. This song is definitely one which is for the individual as opposed to the Absolutionist. One cannot help but listen to this song and feel. The wealth of emotion brought out by not only the lyrics but also amazing guitar part is immeasurable. I don't think I can do justice to this track by trying to put its meaning or effect into words, you just have to listen to it to know what I'm talking about. It's quite fitting that the title lyrics [black holes and revelations] come from this song, since as I mentioned, this could easily be called the best song on the album.The next song still fits into the 'introduction' of the album, and it comes in the form of their first single Supermassive Black Hole. Now, I absolutely hated this song when it first came out, but it has grown on me to epic proportions since then. I love the fun factor of the falsetto style of Matt's lyrics, while the backing vocals really add something amazing to the song. The music here probably isn't Muse's best, but it works, and the lyrical part brings up whatever that takes down.An album, really, has to be a journey: a story if you will. It should function in the same way and certainly have defined parts like a beginning, middle and an end. Whether these are purposely defined by the artists or left for listeners to decide matters not, but the order certainly does matter and an album can only be looked at, as a whole. Those first three songs end the introduction in my mind and it is with the next song that we really move into the core of the album. Titled Map Of The Problematique [a fantastic name I must admit], it starts off fast and doesn't let up. Again it uses a variety of effects and synth but to a very complimentry end. The song is an absolute rollercoaster of a ride - I don't know how one could get off in the middle of it; once more, this dabbles in the personal with such moving and powerful [especially when paired up with the fast paced and explosive music] lyrics as when will this loneliness be over and I can't get it right (get it right) since I lost.If the next song didn't have such an important job of being a song which doesn't really function as a proper song, it would definitely be another contender for best song on the album. Unfortunately it's short, sweet, innocent and holds a brilliantly straight forward and honest message. The song is very soft and gentle with moaning backing vocals and displays itself with an almost child like quality. Clocking in at 2:03, it's the shortest song on the album, but in my mind it brings to light very well the last line of lyrics:There's no justice in the world and there never wasBeing sung with so little convinction only helps to make it more hard hitting and sticks with you for quite some time. I like to judge albums by the quality of their 'soft' track so to speak; this is definitely an excellent one, which I certainly do not skip while listening to the album as I do with most other bands when they decide to get the acoustic out and give us a ballad on their CD. It provides a very good link between the last song, and the next.Invincible is another track which starts off simply and quietly, and ends in a roar of emotions. It's a very personal song which is poignant since the next three are super-charged with politics. Again, when I first listened to this track I thought it was rather weak, but once again I had Matt's lyrics stamped into my brain and can't help but look forward to having this track come on. It reaches such a desperate peak near the end you hope that whoever he's singing too really stands by him and does what he asks. It's a very new style for Muse, and not really comparable to anything we've heard before. Hopefully we'll hear more of it in the future because it truly is an excellent track.Next, we have a trio of politically charged songs all of which have an incredible energy to them. Once more, we haven't heard much of this type of music from Muse before, but it's amazing what they've come up with and the direction they've taken. Assassain is akin to a metal track, but one that is highly accessible to many. The title fits appropriately with the music itself, since it actually feels like an attack and doesn't let up throughout the song. Exo-Politics which follows, slows things down a bit but as with other songs on the album gradually builds up to a fantastic end and shows characteristics of the type of music from Origin Of Symmetry. The final song in this mini trilogy, which incidentally marks the end of the 'main' part of the album, in my opinion, is City Of Delusion; it starts with a brilliant Latin/Middle Eastern acoustic riff and incorporates this theme further on in the song with effects, strings and horns as well. The style and genre is such a blast of fresh air; I couldn't wait to hear more of this after I heard the track, and while more of a taster is provided with the end of the album, hopefully they'll follow this up with more of the same.Finally we come to the 'end' of the album so to speak, made up of the soulful Hoodoo and the epic Knights Of Cydonia. Hoodoo begins with another Latin/Middle Eastern riff and continues very much with simply guitar and vocals with occassional help from strings and a crescendo with the whole band before moving back down to just Matt. It's a brilliant self-effacing song, very much like Unintended [in that sense, not style], and like Starlight it really moves you to untapped feelings and thoughts.At last with Knights Of Cydonia, the other contender for strongest track on the album - a six minute masterpiece of epic proportions. Everything from the horses at the beginning, to the galloping drums, the guitar blowing wind through your hair and the bass and horns creating the surrounding landscape immerses you something which is as large as the universe. A cavalry charge? Simply galloping on a horse through the countryside or desert? Riding through the depths of space? Who knows, and quite frankly who gives a monkey's. The first half of a song is a journey - the music carries you to the bridge where Matt bellows no one's gonna take me alive, the time has come to make things right, you and I must fight for our rights before launching into a rock riff which deserves an amp that goes up to 11; it's like Ashamed [Muse], Heartbreaker [Led Zeppelin], Woman [Wolfmother], all rolled into one and then pumped up a few sizes.When I first listened to this album I was incredibly skeptical. But I've really come to appreciate all the intracices I wrote off the first time I listened to it. Muse have a new sound, and it's brilliant. I hope this review has been helpful - if you're a fan of Muse you'll like this album, but you need to keep an open mind, and be prepared to listen to it a few times. As for someone who's never listened to Muse before, I think this is a very good representation of their ever changing, unique and diverse style and does justice to their immense skill.Final Score (Out Of Ten): 8/10
I remember seeing a documentary on Led Zeppelin recently, where they mentioned one of their strengths and reasons for success was their immense diversity. They crossed genres, innovated, experimented, and pioneered contemporary music in many aspects and forms.Up until now, Muse have been a fairly solid rock and roll band. In their first album Showbiz, they showed us what they could do by establishing their foundation with epics and instant classics like 'Muscle Museum'. Moving on a stage we received Origin Of Symmetry which defined their unique style in songs like 'Bliss' and 'Citizen Erased', while giving us a taste of their unbridled creativity and respect for music with a brilliant cover of 'Feeling Good'. After a superb double album containing live tracks and b-sides, they released Absolution which went to both extremes - we had roaring riffs from 'Stockholm Syndrome' and moving melodies from the likes of 'Falling Away With You', akin to 'Unintended' from their first album. In Absolution, they brought with them a large use of orchestral music which really drove the album. Apart from that, it was will within the Muse sound we had heard before. It is with the release of their latest album Black Holes & Revelations that Muse really break their mould - they move into different genres, innovate, experiment and pioneer. Truly, they are walking with the greats now; in my opinion they have an unrivalled live performance and this new album really does justice to the other half - the studio.The album starts simply with synthesised music and Matt[Guitar/Vocals]'s lyrics, on a track called Take A Bow. At first you will consider this a weak track. After several days however, you'll have the words you will burn in hell for your sins imprinted into your brain until you can do nothing but listen to the track again. As with most of the songs of Absolution, this song clearly has a political subtext - but don't let that fool you; there's a better mix between the music which is for the individual and that which concerns the world on this album than there is on Absolution. This song is incredibly powerful, and while using a lot of synth and effects, it works very well in song. The contrast between the sparse and bland beginning and the fiery end really helps to bolster the strong lyrics.It continues with what, in my opinion, is a contender for the strongest track on the album - Starlight. This song is definitely one which is for the individual as opposed to the Absolutionist. One cannot help but listen to this song and feel. The wealth of emotion brought out by not only the lyrics but also amazing guitar part is immeasurable. I don't think I can do justice to this track by trying to put its meaning or effect into words, you just have to listen to it to know what I'm talking about. It's quite fitting that the title lyrics [black holes and revelations] come from this song, since as I mentioned, this could easily be called the best song on the album.The next song still fits into the 'introduction' of the album, and it comes in the form of their first single Supermassive Black Hole. Now, I absolutely hated this song when it first came out, but it has grown on me to epic proportions since then. I love the fun factor of the falsetto style of Matt's lyrics, while the backing vocals really add something amazing to the song. The music here probably isn't Muse's best, but it works, and the lyrical part brings up whatever that takes down.An album, really, has to be a journey: a story if you will. It should function in the same way and certainly have defined parts like a beginning, middle and an end. Whether these are purposely defined by the artists or left for listeners to decide matters not, but the order certainly does matter and an album can only be looked at, as a whole. Those first three songs end the introduction in my mind and it is with the next song that we really move into the core of the album. Titled Map Of The Problematique [a fantastic name I must admit], it starts off fast and doesn't let up. Again it uses a variety of effects and synth but to a very complimentry end. The song is an absolute rollercoaster of a ride - I don't know how one could get off in the middle of it; once more, this dabbles in the personal with such moving and powerful [especially when paired up with the fast paced and explosive music] lyrics as when will this loneliness be over and I can't get it right (get it right) since I lost.If the next song didn't have such an important job of being a song which doesn't really function as a proper song, it would definitely be another contender for best song on the album. Unfortunately it's short, sweet, innocent and holds a brilliantly straight forward and honest message. The song is very soft and gentle with moaning backing vocals and displays itself with an almost child like quality. Clocking in at 2:03, it's the shortest song on the album, but in my mind it brings to light very well the last line of lyrics:There's no justice in the world and there never wasBeing sung with so little convinction only helps to make it more hard hitting and sticks with you for quite some time. I like to judge albums by the quality of their 'soft' track so to speak; this is definitely an excellent one, which I certainly do not skip while listening to the album as I do with most other bands when they decide to get the acoustic out and give us a ballad on their CD. It provides a very good link between the last song, and the next.Invincible is another track which starts off simply and quietly, and ends in a roar of emotions. It's a very personal song which is poignant since the next three are super-charged with politics. Again, when I first listened to this track I thought it was rather weak, but once again I had Matt's lyrics stamped into my brain and can't help but look forward to having this track come on. It reaches such a desperate peak near the end you hope that whoever he's singing too really stands by him and does what he asks. It's a very new style for Muse, and not really comparable to anything we've heard before. Hopefully we'll hear more of it in the future because it truly is an excellent track.Next, we have a trio of politically charged songs all of which have an incredible energy to them. Once more, we haven't heard much of this type of music from Muse before, but it's amazing what they've come up with and the direction they've taken. Assassain is akin to a metal track, but one that is highly accessible to many. The title fits appropriately with the music itself, since it actually feels like an attack and doesn't let up throughout the song. Exo-Politics which follows, slows things down a bit but as with other songs on the album gradually builds up to a fantastic end and shows characteristics of the type of music from Origin Of Symmetry. The final song in this mini trilogy, which incidentally marks the end of the 'main' part of the album, in my opinion, is City Of Delusion; it starts with a brilliant Latin/Middle Eastern acoustic riff and incorporates this theme further on in the song with effects, strings and horns as well. The style and genre is such a blast of fresh air; I couldn't wait to hear more of this after I heard the track, and while more of a taster is provided with the end of the album, hopefully they'll follow this up with more of the same.Finally we come to the 'end' of the album so to speak, made up of the soulful Hoodoo and the epic Knights Of Cydonia. Hoodoo begins with another Latin/Middle Eastern riff and continues very much with simply guitar and vocals with occassional help from strings and a crescendo with the whole band before moving back down to just Matt. It's a brilliant self-effacing song, very much like Unintended [in that sense, not style], and like Starlight it really moves you to untapped feelings and thoughts.At last with Knights Of Cydonia, the other contender for strongest track on the album - a six minute masterpiece of epic proportions. Everything from the horses at the beginning, to the galloping drums, the guitar blowing wind through your hair and the bass and horns creating the surrounding landscape immerses you something which is as large as the universe. A cavalry charge? Simply galloping on a horse through the countryside or desert? Riding through the depths of space? Who knows, and quite frankly who gives a monkey's. The first half of a song is a journey - the music carries you to the bridge where Matt bellows no one's gonna take me alive, the time has come to make things right, you and I must fight for our rights before launching into a rock riff which deserves an amp that goes up to 11; it's like Ashamed [Muse], Heartbreaker [Led Zeppelin], Woman [Wolfmother], all rolled into one and then pumped up a few sizes.When I first listened to this album I was incredibly skeptical. But I've really come to appreciate all the intracices I wrote off the first time I listened to it. Muse have a new sound, and it's brilliant. I hope this review has been helpful - if you're a fan of Muse you'll like this album, but you need to keep an open mind, and be prepared to listen to it a few times. As for someone who's never listened to Muse before, I think this is a very good representation of their ever changing, unique and diverse style and does justice to their immense skill.Final Score (Out Of Ten): 8/10
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