MUSE : The Resistance Album Review

I  would  first  like to say this album  was a complete surprise to me     i  never really listened to these  guys  before this album  so for this album i  am grateful  for the  contact with their previous releases..I am unsure as to their  influences a lot  say  Queen  which  to no doubt there is glam rock influence can be heard  and a deliberate incorporation of Chopin , there is also a R&B influence in the track undisclosed desires ,  but they  remind me of  so many  bands   the  thing i like about this band they don't  fit into a category .I think  that the piano playing is exceptional  and from all reports they are a great  band to see live in an arena type atmosphere .Muse hail from Devon in England they were originally a  3  piece band  consisting of Matthew Bellamy (lead vocals, guitars, piano, keyboards, keytar), Christopher Wolstenholme (bass, backing vocals, keyboards, guitars, harmonica) and Dominic Howard (drums, percussion, synthesisers, backing vocals, sampling). After the release of their 2006 album Black Holes and Revelations, keyboarder and percussionist Morgan Nicholls has performed live with the band. .As of the date of this post they currently have  5   studio albums released Showbiz, Origin of Symmetry , Absolution , Black Holes and Revelations  and  The Resistance . Here is the track list  and song durations also a song  by song review i hope you like  it
1         Uprising                                                                      5:03
2         Resistance                                                                  5:47
3         Undisclosed Desires                                                    3:56
4         United States Of Eurasia (+Collateral Damage)              5:48
5         Guiding Light                                                               4:13
6         Unnatural Selection                                                      6:55
7         Mk Ultra                                                                     4:06
8         I Belong To You (+Mon Cœur S'Ouvre A Ta Voix)           5:39
9         Exogenesis: Symphony Part I (Overture)                       4:18
10       Exogenesis: Symphony Part II (Cross-Pollination)          3:56
11       Exogenesis: Symphony Part III (Redemption)                4:37

1 - Uprising : Starts off sounding like a remixed doctor who track with hand clapping being quite prevalent  the  song  is   on a whole a good song it's a anti  suppression song a real  let me be free track i did get a feeling   that  vocally Bellamy sounds bored through some of the track but that is just an inclination , overall  though a highly energetic opening to an album


2- Resistance :Nice ambiance to begin the track  Bellamy delivers a brilliant performance here  i can  hear all members playing  which i like  you  can feel the energy  in the  track  the song  is a tad cheesy though especially the " you could be wrong "repeats  in the chorus not a bad  song though  has  some good electronic sound  in it 

3- Undisclosed Desires : A bold change of  style and  tempo it rather turns into a electronic and R&B  infusion its actually a very good attempt but i  think this is one song  you get the feeling that  it shouldn't be on this album  not that  its  bad on the contrary its  shows the unfolding , adventurous  and creativity that muse has and their boldness to go in new directions

4- United States Of Eurasia (+Collateral Damage) : Love this song its   breathtaking   i cant believe  this wasn't  a single , obviously   they sound like queen here i have two impressions (A) : lyrically is he trying to  meld the continents together to create oneness or (B): A statement that the U.S.A is slowly swallowing  everything  through force ,whatever is the  case the piano work is   fantastic  and the song towards the end has a  beautiful  piano Nocturne In E-Flat Major, Op.9 No.2 by Frederick Chopin how many bands do a  rock ballad with  classical  infusions with  jet engines zooming past '

5- Guiding Light : Slow song  with a Strong drumbeat you actually get to  hear a guitar solo which is rare on this album it  sounds like a 80s power ballad Bellamy drags out every second word overall not a bad song its just lacks something  i can't  put my finger on it

6- Unnatural Selection : Beautiful Pipe organ beginning that starts slowly then  breaks out into a high paced rock track  with a nice  guitar riff  great lyrics also has a few tempo changes  one of the better songs  of the album

7- Mk Ultra : Heavy synth sounding track named after the mk ultra  program in the 50s , 60s and 70s it was eventually brought to light by Kathy O'Brian who was a test guinea pig for the C.I.A mind control experiments not a bad song its  probably one of the weaker songs on the album for me  though

8- I Belong To You (+Mon Cœur S'Ouvre A Ta Voix) :  Very upbeat song gets  you tapping your foot  there is a  great clarinet piece in this  and the piano as usual stands out  its  actually half french  the transformation from english to french is done so  well apparently a portion of this track is from the opera sampson and delilah also the french title means My heart Opens To Your Voice so uplifting  probably a close second as far as favourite track  goes

9- Exogenesis: Symphony Part I (Overture)  . Beautiful. Epic. Sweeping. Built for a soundtrack. ". This song is a masterpiece. It's the first time I've felt chills listening to a song in a while...well, a new song that is. It is very dark, very dramatic, and just plain beautiful.

10-Exogenesis: Symphony Part II (Cross-Pollination)  :Beautiful intro piano-work. Matt is a wonderful pianist who sounds to be classically trained. After the epic first part (Overture), "Cross-Pollination" comes in and slows it down a bit as a slow-burning ballad with Matt and his piano doing most of the work. There are times where the whole band comes in, and then slows it back down to usher in the grand finale...

11-Exogenesis: Symphony Part III (Redemption) :Another beautiful song. Gorgeous piano playing by Matt. The accompanying of the strings in the background make this song almost bring you to tears. It builds you up to just get almost loud enough and then slows you back down...never letting it get out of hand. A beautiful, wonderful way to end the album. .

Conclusion :  The muse  are  gifted they are experimental and best of all they pull off  what they experiment with  there isn't a bad song on this album   not  that  there is many hits either its  just a solid listen  the piano playing is exceptional    i felt there was a couple of below average tracks on here though .But all in all Muse continue to diversify and  go down different paths  and do so without losing their  core  fanbase a real testament , this band shows so much promise and i am eagerly looking forward to their next release for me the best song on here  is United States Of Eurasia (+Collateral Damage) the  Exogenesis symphony was  awesome as well  and  I Belong To You , an interesting addition to their discography 7/10