Muse - Black Holes & Revelations
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Free Music Notes for Black Holes & Revelations
Free Music Review: a Revelation!
Hit: 5 Stars
In "Butterflies and Hurricanes," on the Absolution album, Matt Bellamy sings, "Best... you've got to be the best... you've got to change the world and you use this chance to be heard." He certainly heeds his own advice, as is evidenced in the politically charged lyrics of "Take a Bow," opening song on the new Black Holes and Revelations album. He tells our current leaders that they will "burn in hell for their sins." The question is whether he is speaking to Bush or Blair. Probably both. As harsh as this message might sound, it pales in comparison to the call to arms in "Assassin," where "the time has come for you to shoot your leaders down." Ouch. At any rate, Muse has become a worldwide phenomenon, selling out three consecutive nights of shows at Wembley Stadium, and they are utilizing their popularity to inspire their fans to do something.
"Supermassive Black Hole," has been both praised and criticized. Its inspiring of opposite reactions is likely due to the atypical sound. Synthesizers boom in a low register while Bellamy's voice floats above in falsetto. The cliché is tongue in cheek, "I thought I was a fool for noone, but ooh baby, I'm a fool for you." I dare you not to groove along with this song. Opposites are a strong theme in "Starlight" as well. Wolstenholme `s base line is just delicious, and as in "Supermassive," its depth is set off by the higher keys of Matt's voice and piano. "I just wanted to hold you in my arms" shows a yearning for closeness, but there is a great sense of desolation: "this ship is taking me far away, far away from the memories of the people who care if I live or die." The music and the lyrics are so bittersweet, as in "Map of the Problematique," which opens with "fear and panic in the air." While the apocalypse is present throughout the album, it is most pronounced here. These lyrics echo those in great apocalyptic literature, where the final survivors struggle with their finality in isolation.
The voice of the hero is never so pure as in "Soldier's Poem." It sounds like an Elvis Presley ballad, but beneath the sweet harmonies lies an acerbic depiction of someone serving their country yet challenging those defended to question the rationality of war and the actuality that there is no justice. It is so angry, yet wrapped in pretty paper, that it makes you giggle at the absurdity of it all. Don't doubt that this is the intent.
"Knights of Cydonia" runs on the pace of a horse's gallop, calling attention to the four horsemen in the cover art. It is such a phenomenal way to end the album (as well as live concerts), with octave-spanning accapellas and heavily rocking guitar riffs. It also ends the apocalyptic theme with a statement of fortitude, not at all going quietly into the great night.
The genius of Muse is head spinning, especially for a three piece band. If Matt Bellamy were only the lyricist he is, the vocalist, guitarist, or keyboardist, he would be a major talent, but the quadruple threat amplifies his genius to an unheard of level. Was this boy genetically engineered (as the puppies in "Plug in Baby" on Origin of Symmetry), bred and raised by a Mensa society, or spat here by God himself as a gift to music lovers? He is his own four horsemen, isn't he? If he is heralding the end of the world, then, yeah, that sucks, but at least now I have that one album I'd like to take with me.
Free Music Review: Needles worries about the "new sound" of Muse...
Hit: 5 Stars
Needles worries about the "new sound" of Muse...
So here it is - a new album from the band which continues to boldly go where no band has gone before - space opera rock. Upon hearing the first single "Supermassive Black Hole" I was a bit skeptical since it really sounded different than anything they had done - and hearing it out of context (without listening to the album's opening two tracks) - I was really worried what happened to one of my favorite bands.
Needlessly, as it turns out - this is the sound of a progressive band who knows what needs to be trimmed and what enhances their unique sound.
So, let's do it by the numbers (since everyone can connect to that)...
1. Take A Bow 10/10 - opening track sounds a bit like "Butterflies and Hurricanes" and serves its purpose of introducing the album.
2. Starlight 10/10 - driving guitar riffs with strong piano chords that sound very familiar. On par with "Space Dementia"...
3. Supermassive Black Hole 9/10 - a bit weird track, but in context of the album it does exactly what "Time is Running Out" did for "Absolution". It changes and breaks up the tempo, so that you don't forget they like to experiment and surprise you a bit. Odd fallseto from Matt, but it's the only track on the album where he sings like that (and all the more surprising choice for the first single - probably because of the phenonmenal title and a joke they played on their fans)...
4. Map Of The Problematique 10/10 - another driving song with disco rhythms in Muse fashion. Really good!!!
5. Soldier's Poem 8/10 - a slow song which (probably) deals with the war in Iraq. Fits in nicely
6. Invincible 9/10 - mid-tempo track that starts slowly but picks up the tempo as it goes along with crazy guitar solos and brooding bass lines.
7. Assassin 10/10 - "over the top" (if that is possible) track that's this albums "Hysteria". Unusual, but nice vocal harmonies.
8. Exo Politics 10/10 - this track would get 10 out of 10 just for the title! Extra-terrestrial politics. It's Asimov's collected works in one song! Actual goose-bumps flow over me on the guitar riffs and refrains...
9. City Of Delusion 10/10 - flamenco guitars! Trumpets! Latin rhythms! Mid-eastern melody on keyboards! Matt's vocals in full range! If someone can pull that lunatic mix off - it's Muse!
10. Hoodoo 9/10 - begins with flamenco rhythms (continuing on the City Of Delusion), then drops the tempo to a slow pace with violins and Matt's vocals only, just to pick it up to a crescendo and slows it down again, so we can...
11. Knights Of Cydonia 12/10 - ...introduce the best track on the album and a fitting finale to one of the best albums of the year (if not THE best). Galloping rhythms and keyboards, acoustic and electric guitars, and then the greatest sing-along since Queen's heyday. It's really the way to end the album and is one of the best tracks I've ever heard. Oh, and it's full 6:00 minutes long so you really can enjoy it like the space opera it was meant to be...
Please, please, please DON'T listen to the "traditionalists" and "perfectionists" which will try to tell you that Muse sold "its soul". They just cannot comprehend that the bands evolve - like nature, like people, like Universe - and that's exactly what boys from Muse have done.
Free Music Review: British Ingenuity
Hit: 5 Stars
If you are wondering if Muse's fourth studio album - Black Holes and Revelations is good, let me assure you, it is not only good, it's bloody well GREAT.
I thank my son for turning me on to Muse. Honestly, they are about the only thing musically that we have agreed upon recently. We used to have some common likes in the nineties but both traveled different roads in Y2K, he going the Hip Hop route and I heading to Europe for a dose of Femme and Symphonic Metal.
Muse of course, is neither, although they are European (UK). In the case of Black Holes and Revelations, their music is so wildly varied it defies labeling. From the angelic, harpy sounding, bombastic lead song - "Take a Bow," to the catchy rock song with piano and a strong beat - "Starlight," to the funky bass driven sound and high pitched falsetto vocal of Matt Bellamy - "Supermassive Black Hole," one might suspect they were listening to three separate bands.
Following songs like the complex, involved - "Map of the Problematique," the short but sweet slow ballad - "Soldier's Poem," the spacey Floydish slow paced, building toward a crescendo - "Invincible," to the speedy guitar driven - "Assassin," would only reinforce the feeling of different bands playing different music but sharing the same lead singer.
"Exo-Politics," a medium speed, percussion led rock number, is followed by the wonderfully complex flamenco sounding, "City of Delusion." The flamenco influence continues in, "Hoodoo," but is interrupted by a strong classical and operatic intrusion of piano and vocals. The last song, "Knights of Cydonia," is a kaleidoscope of interesting sounds and Queenesque vocal harmonies, set to a galloping beat. It is close, but this gets my vote for best song.
Song Track List
1. Take A Bow (4:35)
2. Starlight (3:59)
3. Supermassive Black Hole (3:29)
4. Map of the Problematique (4:18)
5. Soldier's Poem (2:08)
6. Invincible (5:00)
7. Assassin (3:31)
8. Exo-Politics (3:53)
9. City Of Delusion (4:48)
10. Hoodoo (3:43)
11. Knights Of Cydonia (6:06)
Band Members
* Matthew Bellamy - guitar/vocals
* Chris Wolstenholme - bass
* Dominic Howard - drums
Conclusion
It took four long years for the band to come up with a follow-up to there hit album, Absolution, but the wait was worth it. In my estimation, they not only equaled Absolution with Black Holes and Revelations but eclipsed it.
When listening to Muse I cannot help but make comparisons to the mega band of the eighties and nineties - Queen. Yes, there are definite similarities to that wondrous band: diverse, eclectic song writing, ranging from the simplistic to the grandiose; style and delivery are in many cases similar to Queen; composition and arrangements also resemble Queen and lastly their vocals and harmonizing again, remind me of Queen. Yet, with all the similarities they are so different. Yes they remind me of Queen but I didn't say the sound like Queen. Maybe a little here and there but overall, they're Muse.
Until now my favorite Muse album was Origin of Symmetry. I doubt whether I will get Black Holes and Revelations out of my Cd player for awhile. It's not the kind of album that gets old very fast - five stars.
Free Music Review: Our hopes and expectations...
Hit: 5 Stars
"Black Holes and Revelations" is no "Absolution", but it's a pretty great album nonetheless, and it should finally shake off those pesky Radiohead comparisons. Here's how I'd break down the songs:
1) Take a Bow: A really weak opener drenched in political sentiment (which would be ok, if the lyrics had any wit or cleverness attached to them). 4/10
2) Starlight: Luckily the album gets better. Starlight is a very strong track (a love song!) that sounds a bit like mid-80's U2. Solid lyrics, nice chorus, really sets the overall "electronic" feel of BH&R (synth bass pervades this album). 9/10
3) Supermassive Black Hole: Love it or hate it, the 1st single's an instant classic. Falsetto-laced funk that will stick in your brain like taffy. The rest of the album sounds nothing like this song (except for the bass/drums on occasion). I almost feel guilty giving it a ... 10/10
4) Map of the Problematique: Another track that reminds me of U2. An entertaining electronic-sounding song, similar in feel to Starlight. Evoking loneliness and desolation, this is a really nice track lyrically, but the song kind of meanders in one place. 8.5/10
5) Soldier's Poem
6) Invincible
Pretty average songs overall (the first a quiet piano-driven number, the second just drags on too long), but not bad; Muse has done better, similar songs on previous albums. 6/10
7) Assassin: This song ROCKS. Awesome intro, phenomenal drumming, fantastic use of time signatures (verses have 18 beats instead of 16), great harmony in the chorus, *interesting* subversive lyrics (as opposed to those in "Take a Bow". This is BH&R's "Stockholm Syndrome". Exactly the sort of song that would play well in the US as a single. 10/10
8) Exo-Politics: A strong mid-tempo rocker, again reminding me a bit of U2. I'd like this song a lot more if the lyrics weren't so silly (it's about conspiracies, zetas filling the skies, satellites crunching on our minds, blah blah), but some monster riffs and super catchy chorus (although, pet peeve, sounds exactly like "Citizen Erased" off OoS) make this a solid song. 8/10
9) City of Delusion: My favorite song on the whole album. Influenced by flamenco music, and sounding like something Ennio Morricone would write, this is just a CLASSIC Muse song. Every time the verses come in, the instrumentation changes. The chorus is just phenomenal. And it's got a trumpet solo!! What's not to love? 10/10
10) Hoodoo: A quiet song, again with a Spanish folk / Western feel to it. Not bad, sets a nice pace before rolling into the big finale. 7/10
11) Knights of Cydonia: Like City of Delusion, this one (the 2nd single) is classic Muse, and takes you on a real ride from an army of horses charging into battle, to surf music runs, to what sounds like computer game music for some sci-fi game, to Queen-like a cappella, to, in the end, a great rock climax. 9/10
While lacking the unity of theme that made 2003's "Absolution" really great, BH&R is still a very solid album (despite a couple of weak songs). I give it 4.5/5 overall (5 to combat the Muse haters out there).
Free Music Review: Is it change, or evolution?
Hit: 5 Stars
It's always a troubling issue when your "new favorite band" changes their sound. However, this issue is much less troubling than the potential release of carbon copy work based on the tunes that initially endeared them to you. Whether a band can navigate this delicate issue is a testament to their talent and vision. For example, Oasis was never able to recover from the sonic delicatessen that was "What's the Story, Morning Glory?" and despite the greatness of that album, their fame ended up being of the infamous "fifteen-minute" variety. On "Black Holes and Revelations," Muse's made a decisive yet subtle sonic shift, and one that is not as pervasive as some critics would have you think.
Thanks to reviews, I had mentally prepared myself for this possible shift in Muse's sound long before I bought the album. I expected the worst, but in the end, "Black Holes and Revelations" hardly turned out to be the major change of direction that some critics have made it out to be. Admittedly, there is a little more use of the "studio as an instrument," which challenges the "liveness" of the album. "Black Holes" prominently features trumpets, orchestras, and drum machines that confront my visualization of Muse's ability to reproduce these songs in a "power trio" format.
However, this initially unfounded criticism quickly gave way to the indisputable fact of the raw talent and vision of Muse as a whole. The songs on "Black Holes and Revelations" exude the same raw intensity and passion that "Absolution" exhibited. While there is a little more "studio" window dressing, the voices of the musicians in the group are strong and confident. The compelling mix of Jeff Buckley, Radiohead, and Rush that I perceived on "Absolution" is still perceptible, sometimes additionally tempered by a little Prince, Beck, and maybe even more recent work by Adrian Belew.
Admittedly, I get a personal kick out of comparing Rush to Muse, since there really aren't many bands that I can in indulge in doing so. In all honesty, "Rush-ness" is just a small component of their sound, but one that is an old friend of mine. In the case of "Black Holes and Revelations," this element of their sound brings to mind "Power Windows," when Rush began to fully integrate the synthetic nature of the studio in their sound. This perception is undoubtedly influenced by Muse's use of subjectively inspirational text and orchestral sounds on my personal fav "City of Delusion," a tune that reminds me strongly (and nostalgically) of Rush's "Marathon." However, I would stop short of saying that this influence is direct.
The Lowdown: I can't seem to take "Black Holes and Revelations" out of my CD player, no matter how many times I spin it. While it may be a little more overtly political in its lyric approach than its predecessor, it is still a musically strong and relevant statement. It may not quite beat out "Absolution" as my favorite Muse album, but I somehow would feel wrong if I gave it any less than five stars. In fact, it may be my personal "album of the year," a title that is only contested by Mew's "And the Glass Handed Kites," an album that Muse's fans will most likely dig.