Introducing THE 2ND LAW by Muse. Unlike Flash Gordon I've not yet decided whether I love it or not. One thing for sure it is the most camp (intentionally?) silly and ambitious and album of the year.
Muse have never a band known for their subtlety. I'm not knocking that. Live these three little lads rule the universe and are capable of crushing our puny human stadiums with their musical might. There is no one that touches them. They're also not known for their sincerity. It's hard to take a band that constant invoke the armageddon and sci-fi dystopian futures for dramatic effect as anything more than theatrical cranks.
Yet despite these "failings" Muse are totally unafraid of the new. Experimentation and boundary pushing is key to their success. They never go over the same ground twice. THE 2ND LAW proves that again and again.
As you expect from a Muse record there's plenty of bluster. 'Supremacy' is their desperate attempt at a Bond theme. Backed by a huge philharmonic orchestra, marching drums, strings and mexican horns it's Muse on a new epic scale. Adele is really gonna have to go some to top this.
And then there are the ever-so-bonkers tracks that are just as likely to annoy as entertain. 'Madness' is appropriately enough, the maddest track that M-m-m-Muse gave released yet for m-m-m- multiple reasons. Once you get past the stuttering it's the closest Muse have come yet to Queen. Freddie's vocals, close harmonies and when Brian May finally hears it he's going to wonder if its not actually him playing guitar. It also channels 'Faith' by George Michael. Things get really crazy with 'Panic Station' which sound like a hybrid of early Chilli Peppers with some outrageous vocal histrionics from Bellamy and 80s synthesised pop trombone action.
'Survival' which seemed so out of place as the Olympics official song makes a slightly more sense now but it's impossible to categorise other than to say its "very Muse". A strangly disconcerting mix of Gilbert and Sullivan Light Opera and with pompous heavy rock. The lyrics still don't seem terribly sportsmanlike either. Very strange.
Bassist Chris Wolstenholm sings on 'Save Me' and 'Liquid State' both also written by him about his alcohol addiction. 'Liquid State' is the most conventional rock track and most likely to please fans of '...Symmetry' or 'Absolution' era Muse. Alas he's not a great singer and you really miss Bellamy.
Influence of dance music is huge thought it the record. Electronic duo Nero produced the space age lullaby 'Follow Me' which samples the heartbeats of Bellamy's then unborn child. It builds into a gigantic dubstep, hands-in-the-air club track.
They save the best till the end though. The much trailered Muse go Skrillex track 'Unsustainable' is just brilliant. Loud, thumping rock, fused with Dubstep beats, urgent strings, operatic choirs and and a wailing Bellamy. This really should have opened the album and should be longer, it's over in a flash. Its following house instrumental 'Isolated System'.
THE 2ND LAW is massively ambitious. It's strives so hard to be exciting, new and relevant. Which is not something you could say about a Foo Fighters record is it? The downside of this is it's a record without a real narrative. It excitedly bounds all over the place, dabbling in everything. So brimming with ideas that its hard to follow. It's also this willingness to noodle and play that's going to annoy old fans who just want rock tunes with loud crunchy guitars. There's not many of those. This is pop as much as it is rock or electronica.
There are many flourishes that are so silly and preposterous that they will make you laugh out loud. Muse are getting dangerously close to self-parody. All this ambition is good but there is a fine line between ambitious and Rick Wakeman. Fingers crossed Muse keep it tightly reigned and the next album isn't some kind of Space Opera On Ice. Those you wouldn't be surprised.
And yes for all it's messy weirdness, I think I do quite like it.
UNSUSTAINABLE
MADNESS
ISOLATED SYSTEM
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