AWmusic

During the making of Resistance, lead singer Matthew Bellamy emphasized that one of the keystones of the early concepts for the album was re-reading George Orwell’s 1984. By now it should seem like light reading to him because the manic sense of insecurity is ever present throughout. From Uprising and Resistance, to Unnatural Selection and MK Ultra the lyrics seem to be the opus of most songs. That doesn’t bode well for Muse’s style of music.

United States of Eurasia was the first song officially announced by the band and publicly released in parts in a form of treasure hunt for the fans. This utterly contrived song best described in its entirety here, was definitely not the best choice as the first example for a forthcoming album. Although Uprising was the first official single of the album they both suffer from the same problem. Whenever Bellamy speaks directly to the listener, the song hits an immediate downward spiral. I’ll be the first to admit that he is a master of metaphors, and that open interpretation goes hand in hand with the stadium/prog/space rock they create. However, when you take a linear progression to express a dystopian society, I find it hard to get into it with their atmosphere. The best example of this is during Uprising when he says: “If you could flick a switch and open your third eye” I get genuinely irritated. Compare Tool’s “Third Eye” to this in terms of lyrical compliment. Both feel very different but one can better induce the atmosphere of the message. And while Third Eye may not be the pinnacle example of an LSD induced hallucination turned song you can sense the different worlds they evoke even though they share common messages. Uprising – the song itself is classic Muse. It’s a solid introduction with a punchy aura best suited as a battle anthem.

The following tracks “Resistance” and “Undisclosed Desires” were the first songs I gravitated towards while listening to the record in succession. Both have slapping bass lines and maintain the subtle instrumental harmonies the band best incorporates. Most interestingly with Undisclosed Desires if you strip away the lyrics, it sounds like an R&B track. It sounds very minimalist in terms of editing and variation but it works very well. The middle tracks sound forgettable. Guiding Light and Unnatural Selection sound as if a lot of different concepts were hashed together forcibly. While Unnatural Selection still maintains those frantic guitar riffs you’ve come to expect, it and MK Ultra sound like they could have been b-sides to Origin of Symmetry/Absolution. Most notably with MK Ultra, it’s introduction follows identical timing to Futurism from Origin of Symmetry so it felt very evocative of a past era.

Rounding out the album is the highly anticipated Exogenesis symphony. Now if you thought the pretentiousness stopped at the introduction, surprise! Exogenesis is divided up into three parts. These parts are aptly named: “Exogenesis: Symphony Part 1 (Overture)”, “Exogenesis: Symphony Part 2 (Cross-Pollination)”, and “Exogenesis: Symphony Part 3 (Redemption)”. Makes you wonder what part four would have been called had it existed. Exogenesis is incredibly ambitious. It was crafted in the sense of an over arching story. In that regard it works, but you have to remind yourself of it. The twelve minute symphony is complete with a rolling melodic chorus and immense subtlety but it still smells of eccentricity. It’s a notable conflict I felt throughout. Understanding that the music itself is noteworthy however the vehicle and purpose seem at odds with the sound.

The Resistance is a solid album but it does not impress me. More than ever I need to emphasize that this album is a grower. It took about 5-6 complete sessions before I could even begin to form an opinion. I know for certain my opinion will evolve in month’s time but after 40+ sessions this is how it feels with immediacy. It’s hard to get totally on board because the classic Muse elements are just fused with this artificial larger than life feel. From the Resistance tour with glowing pianos and four foot high drum stands, to timely music ballads and even the format in which album is distributed (normal/limited/deluxe). The pretentious feeling driven by this larger than life aspiration sullies the opportunity to enjoy good music. If you love Muse there is music on this record for you to enjoy. If you’re looking to explore then I recommend against The Resistance being your first demonstration.

As a bonus my copy of The Resistance is the deluxe edition. At a price of $99, the deluxe edition comes with vinyl and cd pressings of the album alongside a digital version in various formats on a 2GB usb key. It also includes one 8×10 print and artwork of The Resistance on the vinyl sleeves. The vinyl is obviously the superior version in terms of audio quality. The separate 5.1 dolby digital version of the album sounds relatively clean on a 5.1 system however it does suffer from pop in on the rear satellite speakers during Exogenesis (it could be my setup). The dvd extras span a 44 minute interlude of the making of the album. It’s actually quite enjoyable to watch and is a great edition.

The deluxe edition is not worth the money. The limited edition CD/DVD costs $20. The remaining elements of the deluxe version simply cannot quantify $80. The official released image of this edition doesn’t do justice so below I’ve included some pictures of it in detail.

MP3:

Muse – United States Of Eurasia

Buy at:

Amazon.com / Warner Record Store / iTunes

More info:

Muse.mu / Twitter / Myspace / Facebook

Deluxe Edition Photos:

Flickr

The movie isn’t really all that funny. The premise is simple, the drama program is going to be shutdown after less then stellar reviews and puts on a offensive musical filled with sex etc while the main protagonist struggles with his own personal life.

At best it provided a few chuckles out of me but they were few and far between. For a movie to supposedly be quite offensive it had a lot of unfunny racist jokes and no real character development which felt cheesy at best.

It failed to be offensive or evenly comedically stupid and choose the “middle” ground and ended up as a movie that is quite forgettable and probably wishing that I saw Tropic Thunder again. There just isn’t much to the film that I could talk to you about. The storyline is predictable from the outset with no real shocks or surprises. Involving race and sexuality was minimal or poorly done.

Rating: 1.5 out of 5

Here’s a mini-playlist somewhat related to movie but I’ll keep it short:
Play Your Part (Part 1) by Girl Talk
Let’s Call It Off by Peter, Bjorn and John
Sober by Muse
Stars and Sons by Broken Social Scene
Totem On The Timeline by The Klaxons

Being a sports writer at Sport Chit Chat (shameless plug) I’m glad it’s over as I can begin writing commentary on sports again. Then again, let’s celebrate it with a playlist.

1. Exo-Politics by Muse – the lead up before the games were all about politics
2. The Opening Act by Drive-By Truckers – the opening ceremony was amazing
3. Expecting by The White Stripes -as Canadians we expect to suck, Americans expect nothing else but gold
4. Gold Lion by Yeah Yeah Yeahs
5. Swimming Pools by Thao Nguyen With The Get Down Stay Down
6. The First Five Times by Stars – it was jaw dropping after the first five times
7. You Are A Runner I Am My Father’s Son by Wolf Parade
8. Too Too Too Fast by Ra Ra Riot
9. Missing The Boat by Modest Mouse
10. Late Night Television by The Pomegranates
11. What’s My Age Again by Blink 182 – the age debate is comical
12. I Am History by The Bell

The Dark Knight has been a huge critical and financial success, grossing just under $160 million in an opening weekend, critical praise of 95% and becoming the #1 movie on IMDB. So better late then never with my review and playlist?

My playlist tried to involve some key quotes surrounding the movie. Granted the real soundtrack is great but let’s give the movie a good playlist anyway.

1. The Thieves They Are Everywhere by Bridges and Powerlines
2. Pencil Rot by Stephen Malkmus
3. Only Clowns Are Scary by I Love Math
4. Boy With A Coin by Iron & Wine
5. Smile Like You Mean It by The Killers
6. Knights of Cydonia by Muse
7. I’m Your Villain by Franz Ferdinand
8. The Angry Mob by Kaiser Chiefs
9. Psycho Killer by The Talking Heads
10. No Key, No Plan by Okkervil River
11. Black Heroes by Ratatat

Here’s the movie review below (CONTAINS SPOILERS!!!!!!)
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I’ll prove some mp3s along the way and you can share your own shuffles.
Invasion by Eisley
The Longest House of My Life by Everybody Else
Lousy Reputation by We Are Scientists
Lost At Sea by Eisley
Lions of the Kalahari by Sam Roberts
Who You’d Kill Know? by Frightened Rabbit
100 Degrees by Shout Out Louds
Hysteria by Muse
Burn The Witch by Queens of The Stone Age
Hello, My Treacherous Friends by Ok Go

Wow I dodged some big bullets. Songs that I will keep a secret but I have quite a bit of guilty pleasure. This list is actually a list I could listen to on occasion.