Forget the countless Radiohead comparisons that always seem to get tagged onto British alt-rockers Muse (made up of Matthew Bellamy on vocals, guitars and keyboards, bassist Chris Wolstenholme and drummer Dominic Howard). Sure, there\u2019s bit of The Bends <\/i>and OK Computer <\/i>in their third album, but also incorporated into the mix are Queen, ELO, Nirvana, Black Sabbath and even some baroque and Chopin for good measure.<\/p>\n
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That mishmash of influences makes for an interesting end result, to say the least, and Absolution <\/i>continues to build upon the expansive sounds of earlier releases (Showbiz <\/i>in 1999 <\/i>and Origin of Symmetry <\/i>in 2001). This time around, Muse return to some of the themes they explored on Origin Of Symmetry, <\/i>namely theology, conspiracies and the supernatural; the album opens with the band bracing for the world\u2019s end in \u201cApocalypse Please,\u201d with a driving piano and swirling bridge and Bellamy\u2019s pleading lines, \u201cAnd it\u2019s time we saw a miracle \/ Come on, it\u2019s time for something Biblical.\u201d <\/p>\n
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After the slick bass line and catchy chorus of \u201cTime Is Running Out\u201d comes one of Absolution\u2019s <\/i>standout tracks, \u201cSing For Absolution.\u201d Its intro and verses are relatively subdued but soon give way to an uplifting chorus, easily one of the best, most seamless performances on the album. <\/p>\n
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For a glimpse of Muse taking on rock-operatics, just turn to the frenzied \u201cStockholm Syndrome;\u201d with dreamy keyboards, layered guitars and wailing refrain, it\u2019s become one of the band\u2019s definitive tracks. Continuing along in the same heavy, crunching vein is \u201cHysteria,\u201d which expands upon its static base with searing drums and an urgent chorus; looking back, it\u2019s easy to see why it instantly drew me in even when I had absolutely no clue who Muse were in the first place.<\/p>\n
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And, of course, any band knows there\u2019s power in contrast; so, what\u2019s more suitable to come after \u201cHysteria\u201d than the morose \u201cBlackout?\u201d Gorgeous string arrangements and gentle drums coupled with atmospheric harmonies create a fantastic interlude before jumping straight back into heavier material again.<\/p>\n
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Also worthy of a mention is the synth-driven ballad \u201cEndlessly,\u201d which strangely enough also has artificial-sounding, operatic vocals swerving in and out to back Bellamy\u2019s yearning lyrics. And, even though it\u2019s not your typical Muse fare, it does hold its own and has steadily gathered appreciation from the band\u2019s fan base.<\/p>\n
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The most encompassing of the album\u2019s underlying religious tones is \u201cThoughts Of A Dying Atheist\u201d (subtle title, I know). It\u2019s one of the shortest tracks on the album, but its reflective lyrics, most notably the refrain \u201cIt scares the hell out of me \/ And the end is all I can see\u201d and distorted guitar break make it another highlight.<\/p>\n
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Just listening to Absolution <\/i>again after awhile makes me realize just how fantastic it is; from start to finish, it\u2019s one of those albums you can keep coming back to and just discover more facets and nuances. If Muse continue along these lines, there\u2019s no need for them to worry about the world ending, because they just might conquer it first.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":48,"featured_media":28394,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"artist":[7763],"rating":[5646],"class_list":["post-39839","review","type-review","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","artist-muse","rating-rating-a"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review\/39839","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/review"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/48"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=39839"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review\/39839\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/28394"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=39839"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"artist","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/artist?post=39839"},{"taxonomy":"rating","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rating?post=39839"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}