| Product: |
Black Holes And Revelations - Muse |
| Date: |
28/06/06 (2616 review reads) |
| Rating: |
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Advantages: Easier on the ears, more tuneful, eclectic spread of styles, brilliantly mastered
Disadvantages: Aside from the weak track 5, none!
So here it is, the awaited new album from Muse, "Black Holes and Revelations". This review was made possible by an exclusive album preview on another website. beware, this review may end up long (mine usually do)
Matt Bellamy et al came onto the scene in 1999 with their first album "Showbiz", spawning several singles including the fantastic "Muscle Museum".
Over the past 7 years Muse have released 4 albums of unique hard rock classics, tracks such as "Time Is Running Out" and "Plug In Baby" which any aspiring guitarist will always try and emulate.
This new album sees a change though, gone is Matt's screaming into the microphone, gone is the the loudly distorted frantic riffs.. and instead comes a more mellower sound. A cool sound, a sound which was hinted at by the calmer later track they releasd.. "Sing For Absolution".
This review will take you through the 11 tracks on this new album, to give you an understanding of just what you'll get when you buy this album, be it from download or on good old CD.
Track 1:Take A Bow
I'm listening to every track as I write about it, so what I say is what I think at the time.
The track starts with a quick moving strings section, and booming bass, joined by the paranoid sounding vocals. Plenty of delay and echo used, the track works up and up the scale more and more, "you'll burn in hell, yeah you'll burn in hell..". Nice.
The scale builds up to a high tempo beat and the chorus, with very electronic arpeggios. It sounds like some kind of mad end of level guardian on an old Megadrive game... until the guitars kick in. Swooping melodies, and a sudden beat drop. It's a real attack on the senses!
Harmonising vocals and guitar chords going all over the place really sound very little like anything else, racking my brains for a similar band sound anywhere, and failing miserably.
The track carries on to a loud crescendo and fades of with guitar feedback. A really good track to kick off the album. 9/10
Track 2:Starlight
This track starts in a much more upbeat way, this sounds like an old U2 record. Driving guitar bass with a happy piano tune over the top. Matt's vocals get a little snarly until the piano comes back in, and he uses his fantastic voice to the best of his ability. The vocals are once again subject to a bit of reverb but it definitely works.
More swooping electronic arpeggios comes in along with the guitars, and suddenly this is dropped for a quiet pre-chorus bridge. "Our hopes and expectations, black holes and revelations" is repeated. Guitar twangs are met with a building drum roll, then a superfunky guitar bass comes in as the chorus is repeated.
When the bridging comes around again, the loudness is kept up, building more and more with chorusing "oooohhaaaahhh" backing vocals.
This track is definitely quite the foot tapper, the beat is very bouncy and the bass keeps the track very upbeat. I really love this track a lot, definitely reminiscent of the "Where The Streets Have No Name" era of U2. An easy 10/10.
Track 3: Supermassive Black Hole
Here we have the first release from the album, already doing well in the charts.. here's what I think, in case you haven't heard it already!
Okay so that's annoying, the player I'm using has crashed and there are no forward or back buttons. Get back to you when I've listened to the first two tracks again hahaha!
Right, so we're back on track. Glad I didn't find that out by track 10... haha.
So this track starts heavy, heavy beat and repeated guitar riff, sounding good so fa- WHOA what happened to Matt's voice? Yup he's gone all falsetto and sounds like a Scissor sister, but strangely it works.
Then the chorus hits, instantly you think "Goldfrapp" (provided you know who they are), serious discofunk electro bassline going. Matt's squeaky vox are joined by slightly confusing backing vocals for the vocals, the beat drops and the verse starts again.
This track is obviously gonna be a dance/rock crossover anthem and there is good reason for why they chose to release it first. This track just says "LOOK WE'VE CHANGED AND WE WANT YOU ALL TO KNOW."
The title of the track is screeched in a weird distorted voice over the driving bass, and then onto a guitar solo of sorts.
This being quite a dance record the lyrics are limited, two verses, mostly chorus and lots of bass/drums run on... just to keep you dancing. An amazing tune! 10/10
Track 4: Map of the Problematique
This curiously track starts with something vaguely industrial, sounds like Evanescence/Sisters of Mercy style. Sounding quite gothic, and joined with a guitar that sounds straight out of a Cure record.
The track is then made all the more industrial with the addition of a rather frantic drum beat. It sounds fantastic. The vocal's come in and once again an essence of U2 can be felt in the tune. Lots more vocal harmonising involved, until the tune is left to roll on for a while.
This track sounds very dark indeed! Gothic and pretty hard, the chorus comes in with lots of spooky vocals, finished off with a hard drum fill to carry on into the next verse.
The thickness of the record is so full, heavy drums, two different guitars, strings, vocals, backing vocals.. all at once, but everything is easily seperatable from each other. Nothing drowns out anything else, fantastic mastering!
With so many different elements its easy to make a instrumental break, and it does indeed happen, dropped down to the "DAGGADAGGA" guitar riff, strings and bass with the vocals.
The beat goes a bit mad once again as a build up to the very sudden finish. 9/10
Track 5: Soldier's Poem
This track is completely different to the previous 4. It sounds like Unchained Melody. Quiet bass, guitar arpeggios and gentle vocals. I'm not a fan, it just doesn't seem to fit with anything else.
The vocals are very paranoia inducing, panning across the left/right, several backing vocalists chorusing with Matt's vocals, all set off at different points at different points on the scale. I can only say for a comparison would be "Figaroooo" bit of Bohemian Rhapsody.
The track is very short at 2 minutes, and it's finished before it started, and quite happily so. While they were obviously adding for a rest, I think they took it a little too far. 5/10
Track 6: Invincible
This track starts interestingly, variety of sounds in a military soundscape. Swooping guitar, and a marching durm beat. Once again I have to say this sounds like U2, this time from the album "All That You Can't Leave Behind". This is of course no particularly bad thing, U2 are awesome.. and they do sound like them rather a lot.
The track is joined with a weird distorted guitar or synth (not sure) that mirrors Matt's vocals. The vocals in this track are essentially unaltered, no reverb or anything.. it sounds very raw.
The next verse has a curious up-down bass which makes the tune strangely bouncy, like a big fat man plodding along. It brings the track a much happier sound, but once this has passed the tune changes again.
Now the track goes into a loud guitar solo section, full of effects, very stadium rock, very... Queen.. then it all breaks down into a loud mad cacophony of sound for a chorus.. sounding reminiscent of their past selves.
This track hits several different styles and pulls it off well. 9/10
Track 7: Assassin
The start of this next track sounds quite frantic, one guitar playing a quick riff, met with a hard beat and another guitar.. sounding a little System of a Down like. The beat drops and the SOAD sound continues nicely.
Then Matt sings, and it's Muse. His unique voice instantly makes this track their own without any doubt on hearing. The harmonising curious backing vocals make a continued appearance on this track, evidently part of their new sound.
This track is very hard rock, you could happily headbang to this track without a problem, and plenty of time between verses is left to do so. Each time the verse comes in it chills out a bit so the lyrics aren't drowned.
The track continues in this vein throughout, until the end.. a fantastic powerful track. 10/10
Track 8: Exo-Politics
Track 8 starts interestingly. Weirdly reverbed drums and a single guitar are joined with Matt's vocals and a quiet "ooooh" backing. Something sounding like a theramin joins in, everything in the track following the same chord progression, before the beat gets a little weird and then the main tune comes in.
Whoa. Guns and Roses guested? Nope.. but the singing style and choice of delay on the vocals sounds just like Axl is on the mike for Sweet Child... It's quite unnervingly similar for a moment, but the tune continues on, and the similarity is lost.
The beat is jerky, and sounds very up to date with the guitars, sounding a lot like the indie we have in the charts at the moment. Axl makes a return, and then the tune goes into the main chorus.
This sounds very much like old Muse, and sure enough he's doing his little "breath" thing before every line which used to irritate me like crazy in older tracks.
The track stops suddenly, and its onto track 9! 9/10
Track 9: City of Delusion
Acoustic guitar and miserable vocals start this track, sounds vaguely latino.. then the bass and beat comes in, it's a very unique bassline, and joined by strings which make it sound like flamenco! Only for a moment though, and everything drops to a loud chorus.
The chorus sounds like old Muse again, and I'm starting to think that by the end of the album they're gonna return to how they were! Muted guitar slashing and a weird melody sounds quite something though, and the strings come back and it sounds new and strange once again.
Following another chorus, trumpets come in and we've got a Mexicano sound on the go, what the hey?! This is dropped just as quickly as the other curious genre choices in favour of the chorus once again.
This track doesn't really sound like anyone else to compare to, it just sounds like the new sound that Muse have decided to occupy, weird crossovers of various genres. Throughly enjoyable though! 9/10
Track 10: Hoodoo
We have wild west now! Heavily reverbed guitar plays a gunfight sounding tune... until it chills out to something that sounds quite 60s, just Matt reverbed like the guitar singing along.
The beat comes in, a slow tempo intriguing time signature, with strings.. calm and classic sounding.
Then it all changes. A grand piano comes in, and it all gets just that little bit louder! Matt's voice wakes up into the well known wail... and the drums pick up into a selection of rushes and the strings get very sinister. I was busy reading a text message when it happened and it made me jump!
Just as quickly as it started, it stops... just vocals and the guitar once again. Beautiful lyrics throughout this track, definitely quite moving. 9/10
Track 11: Knights of Cydonia
The final track on the album... starting with a weird selection of sounds and a very very VERY low bass which is making my feet wobble.
Guitars kick in, with AAH.. AAHH.. AHHH vocals. It sounds quite Floyd in some aspects. Then the beat kicks in and a guitar plays over the top. Sounds almost cartoon like, really upbeat and heroic.
More weird noises herald a very odd guitar that appears to have been attacked by a million effects.
This track definitely sounds like something out of Pokemon or something so far... then the vocals hit, more harmonising creeepy backings join Matt in some rather hard to hear lyrics.
I'm tapping my feet along to this one quite happily, the beat is infectious.
The Floyd sound comes back, bouncy stadium 70s stuff. Then it drops to just an electro bass and a loud chorus of singing, with a building beat and guitar... building to...
A freakin excellent guitar riff! (Bear in mind i'm listening to this as I type) The vocals play over the top, and it sounds really quite something. Can't stop bouncing my head and tapping my feet.
Synths join in to further the sound, and the guitars and drums play out to the end of the track, and the end of what turns out to an absolutely fantastic album. 9/10 for the track.
So, this album spans several genres, starting out very electro.. sounding quite like Depeche Mode did in the 90s, but fusing it with goodies from the very much here and now. Fantastic driving beats and basslines, and Matt's vocals have found a new strength.
I adore this album, and even though the later tracks waned a little in comparison, the first tracks more than make the album a definitely 10/10 for me!
Note: Quite why it says I don't recommend it, I don't know.. but I do. Also, spending ages HTML tagging then finding it doesn't support them is a tad annoying.
Summary: An amazing jump for Muse, dance, funk and rock all at once! Fantastic.
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