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Opening with ambient sounds, quickly transforming into rolling drums, the titular track to Muse’s Resistance, hits its stride with a sing-along chorus, “it could be wrong, could be wrong.” You might even say that “Resistance” is 2009′s “Starlight.”
This might be a premature summation on my part, but having listened to Muse’s Resistance once through, I can say that “Resistance” (the song) gives you the general feel of the album. So it might be a good idea for you to listen to it:
[audio=http://pmatunes.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/02-resistance.mp3,Muse - Resistance]
The song runs a bit long at 5 minutes and 47 seconds, and it doesn’t get much across. Which is the general feeling of the album, honestly. On “Resistance,” Muse claim but a corner of what they accomplished with their previous works. It feels as if the band is tip-toeing around familiar ground showing little-to-no desire to grow, or to even match previous efforts.
This is, of course, not to say that it this song, or the album are bad. Not at all. With Resistance, Muse is contently squared away, celebrating their static musical relevance and position above mediocrity.
As a bonus, here is another track off the album, “Undisclosed Desires,” it’s been making the rounds lately and guess what? It sounds like a beat/instrumental Kid Cudi would die for. Hell, even a hook he would die for. Somebody please get Cudi on this track. I smell fire.
[audio=http://pmatunes.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/03-undisclosed-desires.mp3,Muse - Undisclosed Desires]
The Resistance hits stores September 14th.
by on September 10, 2009 ‡ 1 reaction
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{ 18 comments… read them below or add one }
After reading your succinct review I can’t help but comment so that you’re readers are not given the wrong impression of Muse’s new album.
The Resistance is anything but “mediocrity”. In our world of 30 second sound-bytes the album may not be the perfect fit, yes, but no work of art can be subject to the limitations of our national ADHD. And that’s what this album is, a work of art. Muse continues to use the cutting edge technology of our time, which is why Undisclosed Desires would have worked well as a Kid Cudi or other hip-hop artists song – the lead singer actually compared it to a Timbaland song.
Muse also continues to push boundaries. On this album you will hear classical influences, classic rock influences, contemporary Top 40 and hip-hop influences, and even eastern Indian influences on certain songs. It is an eclectic masterpiece.
The only reason Muse could possibly lose best album of 2009 to a band like Animal Collective is because of this modern “i-want-it-now!” syndrome. If you consider yourself a true music fan, however, if you can tell the difference between someone that stands in front of a keyboard and tries to cater to modern tastes and someone who is a true musician and composer, then you will love The Resistance.
I love you guys at Pretty Much Amazing but you’re letting your readers down with this review.
oh, this wasn’t a review of the album.. just the two tracks.. those few sentences I shared in respect to the album were strung up by one listen only.
PMA will review this album — at length — after listening to it at least 4 times.
I am a huge Muse fan, but I do feel that their best work is past them. This album is lovely though. L O V E L Y .
Oh and p.s., you’re reviews a little bit behind because the entire album is available for free stream on the band’s myspace.
http://music.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=music.artistalbums&artistid=1987445&albumid=13565653
Only an idiot wouldn’t realize how amazing the album The Resistance is. “Not getting anything across?” What, like Black Holes and Revelations (easily their best album) did, either? It was a space opera, nothing more. Not sure what to label this one as, but it’s still a masterpiece.
Black Holes and Revelations is easily their best album?!
I say this album is a flop. It’s not garbage, but Matthew Bellamy hooted and hollered about using a full orchestra for the first time and TRUE he did, but he merely reduced them to an acoustic version of their typical synthesizers. This is a typical Muse album like any other, but Matthew attempted some growth and didn’t make it. Plus none of the songs on this album seem nearly as catchy as anything on Black Holes and Revelations.
Origin> Absolution>Resistance> BHAR> Showbiz
I’m constantly surprised at all the love BHAR gets. I know it’s all a matter of preference but I don’t see how many peoplecan claim that it’s their best work after listening to Origin or Absolution.
Yup, a few choice cuts aside, BHAR was a pretty poor album. Can’t comment on the new album but I reckon Absolution > Origin.
For me, I can enjoy a Muse album for a week or so before it annoys the hell outta me and I won’t listen to it again for months.
The pretension and general annoyance can be overwhelming in large doses!
I very much agree with you Punk.
Origin of Symmetry is and will be their best album. However, I do think that some thing that has Muse, and maybe Bellamy for that case, is “grandeousity”. And they keep pushing on it. Resistance is their “grandeous”-er album yet. But it’s something very different from what New Born is. So… The Muse that we will all love died on Absolution. The Muse that shines on today, was born from those very same ashes.
I love’em both
Origin=Resistance>Absolution>Showbiz>BHAR
Although Map of the Problematique and Knights of Cydonia were both great, I cannot say that BHAR was Muse's best stuff. I loved both Origin of Sym. and Resistance. They are so different that I cannot really tell which is better. Origin is just raw talent while Resistance is layered with greatness.
Undisclosed Desires is definitely my favorite track along the likes of Bliss, MapoftheProblematique, and Sunburn. Exogenesis is brilliant and a great step forward for the band and Belamy's expression of real art. Beats the hell out of anything on top 40.
Surprisingly, Resistance is my least favorite track on the album.
PS would kill to get one of the vinyl copies!
For me, Absolution is their best work, but I’d put Resistance a dead heat for 2nd with Origins.
Undisclosed Desires is a great song, and quite a shift from their ‘normal’ vein.
I’m still waiting for a fast DJ to put some Kid Cudi verses on it.
After listening to the first eight songs on the album (this is excluding the Exogenesis Symphony because I want to buy it before hearing it) I think that this album in turn, DOES show growth for the band because they are showing a different side from them and yet still being able to remain themselves. A perfect example of this WOULD be “Undisclosed Desires” and “I Belong To You” which have “Un-Musey” beats but are still able to retain good lyrics and still be Muse. They are experimenting with their sound and why is that a bad thing? Why should they constantly play OoS-type songs? Would you rather listen to a monotonous band that constantley stays the same in regards to their style? Or would you rather a band that can shift it’s style and still retain a fantastic sound? But that’s one man’s opinion.
OH!
And the reason Muse might not win Best Album is because the music industry is FULL of people who enjoy monotonous, same-faced, boring bands that never change their style or evolve.
But again, one man’s opinion.
It’s a nice album, no more than that… Origin is clearly their best album even though the recording quality was pretty poor, but still their best with songs like citizen erased and Megalomania, it’s pretty difficult to top that…
they had their best time in my opinion. But i am sure the live shows will be spectacular as allways!
I remember when Muse’s fans complained about BHAR when it was released because it was nothing like they had done before. It was so different from the previous Absolution album that the fans thought Muse would only get worse from now on. Less rock, more pop, more mainstream.
Now people again are complaining about Resistance being nothing like the last one again, i.e. it sucks! It’s like a repeat of the review of their last album. And I must admit, Absolution was the best, but nothing before or after it has had so many good songs one after the other like on Absolution until their new album. Their first album is great all the way through, but it’s more mainstream style.
Resistance is a masterpiece. I don’t know why so many people complain. Don’t artists have the freedom to express themselves as they wish? Do Radiohead play what their fans want to hear, or do they play what they feel like? Why always follow the mainstream? It’s so boring.
Resistance just happens to be the only album thus far this year that feels worth listening. An artist has the freedom to express themselves as they wish, not as they are told. They are inspired.
Why do you think a modern art museum has so much rubbish on the wall? It’s inspiration. It means something to the artist. Resistance is a piece of art that is not even rubbish. It is genius!
Matthew Bellamy said himself that the album is inspired by all their favorite music styles, and who can mix the styles so well that they just flow into each other. Great job, Matt!!
The only reason this album will be a flop is because of the lyrics – for the same reason that the movies “Lions for Lambs” and “State of Play” were flops. They talk too much in the eyes of the elite! haha
I agree with Alex. It’s the true artists that write and play music that THEY like, not something that will please the fans. And that is why Disney “singers” fail. Writing music for fans, defeats the purpose of expressing yourself. Writing music that someone else will like is NOT what art is about. You need your own inspirations and you need to love what YOU write and it needs to mean something to YOU. I write songs and I definitley do NOT write songs just because someone will like it. I write it because I like it.
Origin=Resistance>Absolution>Showbiz>BHAR
Although Map of the Problematique and Knights of Cydonia were both great, I cannot say that BHAR was Muse's best stuff. I loved both Origin of Sym. and Resistance. They are so different that I cannot really tell which is better. Origin is just raw talent while Resistance is layered with greatness.
Undisclosed Desires is definitely my favorite track along the likes of Bliss, MapoftheProblematique, and Sunburn. Exogenesis is brilliant and a great step forward for the band and Belamy's expression of real art. Beats the hell out of anything on top 40.
Surprisingly, Resistance is my least favorite track on the album.
PS would kill to get one of the vinyl copies!