The New Music

There is nothing subtle about Muse. From the early Radiohead fandom on their debut album to the overnight metamorphosis into the leaders of modern prog rock on the second, the English trio have always been unabashed about indulging. And why not? Look where it’s gotten them (i.e. performing on the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards).

After turning in the rather middling Black Holes and Revelations - which went on to become their best-selling album, go figure – in 2006, Matt Bellamy, Christopher Wolstenholme and Dominic Howard return with arguably their most over the top album yet.

The Resistance kicks off with the discotheque-ready “Uprising,” a sparkling bit of dance floor euphoria that’s equal parts Goldfrapp’s “Strict Machine,” ABBA’s “Lay All Your Love” and the theme from Doctor Who. But it gets even weirder.

“Undisclosed Desires” is an absolute Depeche Mode homage – from the electro pop arrangement to the yearning lyrics in the chorus that you swear you’ve heard Dave Gahan sing a million times.

“United States Of Eurasia/Collateral Damage” is the undisputed corker, however. Sure, it appears to be a gorgeous piano’n’strings concerto, but wait for it! Bellamy summons his inner Brian May and the song transcends into a Queen-sized anthem with an ostentatious Arabian melody as the centrepiece.

If it all sounds a bit, well, arty and flamboyant, have no fear: the guys dig into the riff-roaring alt-rock that made them kings on “Unnatural Selection,” a shred-athon that scratch the headbanger’s itch.

But Muse save their most ambitious and possibly most dividing work ever for last. “Exogenesis” is a three-part classical suite that begins with the lavishly symphonised “Overture,” a swelling piece of orchestral rock that ebbs and flows like a strong, dreamlike current. This crescendos into “Cross-Pollination,” which opens with Bellamy hammering away at a piano like a distinguished composer. It wouldn’t be Muse though without introducing some guitars, as they unload a surge of rock halfway through. “Redemption” then closes out the piece with a rather subdued, yet uplifting lullaby that fades without any surprises.

In a nutshell: resistance to The Resistance is futile.

Artist: Muse
Album: The Resistance
Release Date: September 15, 2009
Label: Warner
Author: Cam Lindsay
First Spin Live Until: September 15, 2009

1. Uprising
2. Resistance
3. Undisclosed Desires
4. United States of Eurasia (+Collateral Damage)
5. Guiding Light
6. Unnatural Selection
7. MK Ultra
8. I Belong to You (+Mon Coeur S’ouvre à ta Voix)
9. Exogenesis: Symphony Part 1 (Overture)
10. Exogenesis: Symphony Part 2 (Cross Pollination)
11. Exogenesis: Symphony Part 3 (Redemption)