Muse - Absolute Genius' (Absolution - Muse)

Member Name: World-of-Bones

Product:	Absolution - Muse
Date:	18/06/09 (32 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great Lyrics, Great Vocals, Well musically written

Disadvantages: Structure could do with some work

Absolution is the 3rd studio album to be released from the British Alternative Rock trio Muse. I first learned of Muse through the album of Absolution, an old school friend brought it into school and I was blown away. It was something truly special and I was surprised how they had evaded me for all these year. Now, i'm not sur eif this is Muse's best album, but that would be a pretty superb feat considering the brilliance of their other 2 albums preceding this, but it is without a doubt a stunning album.

I have to say, listening to this album first time through one might think "What thehell is this intro for" because there is a quite unnecessary intro to the album, that I still don't get. But you soon forgive the trio, as it kicks into Apocalypse Please. Matt Bellamy's voice has become synonymous with lyrics associated with grief over the years, with the main exception being Feeling Good, and this song is no exception. The lyrics in the song are beautifully written but painfully depressing, and this is Muse's style, and we love it. The music itself is slightly less heavy than some songs in other albums but quite aggressive in parts, with hammering piano sounds, rolling drumbeats and crashing cymbals. It's a very good way to start off the album and by the end you've all but forgotten the unnecessary intro.

The first single on the album, Time Is Running Out, is up next. It is obviously created for commercial purposes, with some catchy clapping and finger snapping. It's a very well written song to catch attention from the public, however, this isn't saying it's a bad song because it was created with commercial purposes in their minds, it's actually very good, a different song than we are used to hearing from Muse.

Sing For Absolution provides us with one of the best songs on the album and a quite evident link back to the Muse of old. It is quite a relaxing song altogether with great lyrics and nice music. Near the end all this pent up aggression Matt Bellamy is used to utilising in his song is released for the final minute of the song with some wailing guitars, more crashing cymbals and emotional vocals. One of the stand out songs on the album.

Stockholm Syndrome takes us back to the heavy, hard rock elements of previous Muse elements with it's downtuned guitars and complex drum patterns. The verses are filled with fast drumbeats and faster guitar riffs before it kicks into the chorus where it becomes slower, louder and heavier with some very emotive vocals from Matt Bellamy. Another great song on this, so far, great album.

Falling Away With You completely changes the mood of the album after the last frantic and heavy song. This song begins with some beautifully written acoustic guitar chords and Bellamy singing beautifully softly. It picks up the pace a bit after a minute or so, but it never gets anywhere near as frantic as Stockholm Syndrome. Another of teh stand out tracks on this album with very well written music, a beautiful melancholic set of lyrics sung amazingly by Bellamy.

The Interlude between this and their next single, Hysteria, is also a bit unnecessary but again, we soon forgive them when that amazing first riff of Hysteria kicks in. This is much less commercial than the first single, Time Is Running Out, with it's downtuned guitars and heavy sound. It's a great song with a very fitting video to go with it. The solo in the middle of it is also very good. You can feel the anger that is meant to be portrayed when the chorus kicks in before breaking down into a wonderfully frantic guitar solo. Another of the stand out tracks, at this rate every song on the album will be stand out.

Blackout takes us back to a ballad-esque song with a very sombre feel to the whole song. Very slow drumbeats, melodic, sad vocals and lyrics and an overall slow tempo to the song. It's a much needed break after Hysteria, but I can't help but feel Muse could have structured this album a bit better, with it constantly going from fast, heavy, frantic songs to slow, sombre, melodic songs.

Butterflies and Hurricanes is, as you can guess by the title, about consequences to our actions. A butterfly beating it's wings can cause a hurricane on the other side of the World, is the metaphor it's referring to. It's a slow start to the song before breaking into a faster paced song. This song seems heabily vocal and lyrics based, with them being obviously louder than the music in the background. This is no bad thing because the lyrics in this song are very relevant to today's world and are very well written.

The Small Print, or TSP, continues in the fast paced, heavier vein of the last song, with the verses being filled with faster paced drum patterns before slowing down and becoming heavier in the chorus. The chorus to this song is amazing in my opinion, it's musically great, the verses are nothing special compared to the rest of the album but the lyrics are great as always.

And back down to the other end of the spectrum with Endlessly, another ballad like song. This song is reminiscent of a few songs ago with Blackout. More slow drummbeats, soft, melodic vocals and depressingly beautiful lyrics. They truly are heartcrushing lyrics but you can't help but love them because of the way they are written and sung.

Thoughts of a Dying Atheist lifts our spirits a bit with slightly less depressing lyrics and a more upbeat musical style. It's back to the heavy stuff again after Muse's standard momentary lapse into ballad form. This is another very good song, to go along with the rest of them really. Lyrics are pretty average for Muse but musically it's great, with a brilliant solo thrown in there.

We end our musical journey with Ruled By Secrecy, and we move down on our "Up and Down Rollercoaster" of an album, with another slip into soft, ballad form. There are some great lyrics here and it says goodbye to the album in a fitting way, depressing lyrics,great vocals and great lyrics.

Overall, this an absolutely brilliant album, with Matt Bellamy producing some outstanding vocal work with great lyrics, if a little depressing. The main problem I have with it is that it's not so much of a great album, but more a collection of great songs lumped together with little, if any thought. The constant up and down nature of the album makes it a little hard to listen to, one minute you're listening to heavy, downtuned guitars with vocals laced with angriness, the next it's acoustic chords overlain with beautifully soft, melancholic lyrics, then you're back again. This is why this is only getting 4*, if this was structured in a better way it would be, without a doubt a 5*album.

Summary: An amazing collection of songs, if not an amazing album.