A week ago, the British rock band Muse released their sixth studio album - this by the title of "The 2nd Law," as in the second law of thermodynamics.
As is quoted from a song on the album - "The 2nd Law: Unsustainable":
"All natural and technological processes proceed in such a way that the availability of the remaining energy decreases. In all energy exchanges, if no energy enters or leaves an isolated system, the entropy of that system increases. Energy continuously flows from being concentrated, to becoming dispersed, spread out, wasted, and useless. New energy cannot be created and high-grade energy is being destroyed."
Like all other Muse albums, this one takes a different turn in terms of sound. As a matter of fact, it takes several different turns, as I will describe below with a track-by-track breakdown:
1) "Supremacy": What's Led Zeppelin's "Kashmir" + a dark James Bond theme song + Matthew Bellamy's falsetto? Muse's "Supremacy," which starts their new album off with a bang of massive proportions. This is the perfect opening song for "The 2nd Law," as it provides a grand reflection of the band throughout their history, yet with an expansion of that said history and with a hint of possibly what's to come.
Grade: 10.00/10.00 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CfZRdrYbO8c)
2) "Madness": The first single off the album provides for quite the change-up, as it directly follows the hard-rocking "Supremacy" with a slow, '80s pop/dance feel to it initially, before Bellamy breaks into a solid guitar solo and the building instrumentation builds up into a great climax, where Bellamy yet again shows off his one-of-a-kind vocals.
Grade: 7.75/10.00 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1J8W6x4q9NQ)
3) "Panic Station": If there's going to be a #1 smash-hit off this album, this will be that song. The bassline would make Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers realize he no longer needed Viagra. It feels and sounds like an '80s dance song with a Muse tinge to it. When first hearing this song, I had to check the album information again to make certain it wasn't released in 1983. This is definitely a change of pace for the band, but as is typical with Muse, the experimentation paid off and I have a hunch this is going to be a radio hit in the States.
Grade: 9.75/10.00 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vk24UKKI4yY)
4/5) "Prelude + Survivor": This was to be the theme song for the Olympics in London this past summer. For such an epic event, the song matched it on that front and then-some. Bellamy's piano prelude perfectly introduces the song and as is common with Muse songs, the song gradually builds until we reach an epic climax. The lyrics are a bit on the cheesy side, but lyrics aside, the song and all its components, sounds great. From the piano prelude to Bellamy's spot-on vocals to his guitar solos and beyond, it's yet another great epic rock song conducted by the band.
Grade: 8.00/10.00 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jt__jKWoYH8)
6) "Follow Me": Like with "Madness" and "Panic Station," this has an '80s feel to it as well. Believe it or not, but one can hear a Gloria Gaynor influence ("I Will Survive") just prior to the onset of the chorus. While there was worry amongst fans that the band was going full dub-step with this album, that certainly wasn't the case. It is included in this song, however, and to great effect. Like with "Panic Station," it may be difficult for people to not start dancing when hearing this song, especially if they've been introduced to the three wise men that night (Johnny Walker, Jim Beam and Jack Daniels).
Grade: 7.50/10.00 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pEDhwIa1-Jo)
7) "Animals": This has a very classic rock, almost bluesy feel to it. The song gradually builds into a catchy, grand climax, where we can hear clamoring Wall Street stockbrokers. The lyrics are some of the best and most topical on the album, I feel.
Toward the tail-end of the song, Bellamy belts out:
"Out of control,
We're out of control,
Crush those who beg at your feet,
Analyze,
Franchise,
Spread out,
Kill the competition, and buy yourself an ocean
Amortize,
Downsize,
Lay off,
Kill yourself,
Come on and do us all a favor."
Grade: 9.50/10.00 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xolAUHh5uvk)
8) "Explorers": This is one of the slowest songs off the album, but one which continues to grow with me. Supposedly, lead singer Matthew Bellamy wrote this for his child - a lullaby of sorts. This may very well be the song most influenced by Queen on this album, yet as Muse seems to always do regardless of the influence, they make the sound all theirs.
Grade: 7.75/10.00 (http://www.jukebo.com/muse/music-clip,explorers,xsss5x.html)
9) "Big Freeze": U2 appears to be the main influence for this song, especially with regard to the guitars. The song starts off as an '80s tune one may want to forget, yet a catchy chorus and strong second half of the song make up for it. I feel this is one of the band's weaker efforts on the album, but is still a decent song truth be told.
Grade: 7.25/10.00 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gl6Q00phe4k)
10) "Save Me": This is the first of two songs written and sung by bassist Chris Wolstenholme - the first two he's written and sung for the band. Both songs deal with his personal struggles pertaining to alcoholism.
In the song, he sings:
"Hold me cause I'm sure I hated
Promises they are overrated
Wait just a while
While I'm drowning in denial"
It's a very slow, almost '60 or perhaps '70s rock song, that eventually picks up toward the song's mid-portion. While I don't think it's a bad song by any stretch and I can completely understand Wolstenholme wanting to express his personal battle and accomplishment with overcoming alcoholism, I do feel this is probably the weakest song on the album. He does have a decent voice - James Maynard-esque perhaps - and there is a genuineness to his words, yet even taking those two components into consideration, I feel this is the weakest song on "The 2nd Law."
Grade: 6.00/10.00 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VH42Q6qRqcM)
11) "Liquid State": This is the second of the two Wolstenholme-led songs and provides a stark contrast to the first. It's arguably the heaviest song on the album and carries with it an '80s heavy metal feel - Metallica perhaps. Like with "Save Me," it delves into the bassist's battle with alcoholism, as he sings:
"Warm my heart to remind
And hold my head up high
And help me to survive
Kick me when I'm down
Feed me poison, for me till I drown
Wake me up before I get punched out and fall into the night"
In the end, I feel this is a much stronger effort from Wolstenholme and should provide for a good live tune as well.
Grade: 8.50/10.00 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=klSiJkEjBmg)
12) "The 2nd Law: Unsustainable": It was due to this song rumors circulated the internet that Muse had gone dub-step. The dub-step doesn't kick in until a little before the midway point. The song starts in a tense, dramatic fashion, as the listener can feel, like in a movie, something bad is about to occur. The instrumental then hits a certain point of tension, where it can't go any further and breaks into dub-step. This is quite symbolic I feel, as the dub-step is representative of total and utter chaos - all the while a robotic voice utters the word unsustainable. While I love the opening to the song and appreciate the symbolism behind the dub-step, I still can't seem to completely warm up to that and due to that, feel it's probably one of the weaker tracks on the album.
Grade: 7.00/10.00 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Js4nCplsrbc)
13) "The 2nd Law: Isolated System": Here's the second of the two instrumentals and in my opinion, provides a perfect close to the album. The sound is slower than the preceding instrumental, and slightly haunting. It provides the sound of a dark, dramatic film and the feel that chaos has struck and we're suddenly at a loss on where to turn next. In the second-half of the song, however, things begin to pick up and a sound of hope and optimism can be heard, signifying that while chaos has struck, we can still pull through it.
Grade: 8.25/10.00 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AdIDxFTgBJM)
Overall: While some may not like the fact that so many different musical genres have been presented by Muse on this disc and that it may disrupt the flow on the album, I think it's refreshing and more times than not, the band is able to pull off these experimentations in sound with seeming ease. One can't help but admire a band willing to continually alter their sound, expand their musical horizons in an attempt to take them above and beyond where they had ever been previously as musicians. From one album to the next, that is what Muse does - not showcasing any fear of losing long-time fans or of critical backlash. Every album, every song is a new journey with the band and while I and others may on occasion not like a particular sound experimented by the band, I have far more respect for musicians like Muse who continually push themselves than those like Nickelback who have seemed to master the art of legally ripping off themselves and for some strange reason, found success in doing so.
Grade Scale: 50.0 - 59.9% = Very average - Siskel and Ebert would have given it one thumb up and even then, the thumb wouldn't be raised very high.
60.0 - 69.9% = Above average - Siskel and Ebert would have given this one very enthusiastic thumb up. I don't believe they ever rated a movie in such a manner, but I'll do that for them now. You're welcome.
70.0% - 74.9% = Good - It may not be a masterpiece, but is better than most. On the KA (Kick A**) scale, it'd cover one cheek and perhaps lightly graze the other.
75.0 - 79.9% = Very good - About 4/5 of both cheeks would be kicked with this kind of score.
80.0 - 84.9% = Great - Both cheeks would be fully kicked and while Siskel and Ebert may not have given it two very enthusiastic thumbs, the two thumbs would raise and with perhaps at least a skosh of enthusiasm.
85.0 - 89.9% = Excellent - On the edge of being a masterpiece, but one key component is missing from it being called as such. This score would be deserving of both cheeks being kicked via the KA scale, with the kicker throwing in a "Hi-yah!" for good measure.
90.0 - 100.0% = Masterpiece - This place is reserved for the best of the best. It's where the likes of Nickelback, Limp Bizkit, N'Sync, Kriss Kross, Vanilla Ice and "American Idol" winners will never see their names.
My "The 2nd Law" Grade: 97.25/120.00 = 81.04% (Great)
As is quoted from a song on the album - "The 2nd Law: Unsustainable":
"All natural and technological processes proceed in such a way that the availability of the remaining energy decreases. In all energy exchanges, if no energy enters or leaves an isolated system, the entropy of that system increases. Energy continuously flows from being concentrated, to becoming dispersed, spread out, wasted, and useless. New energy cannot be created and high-grade energy is being destroyed."
Like all other Muse albums, this one takes a different turn in terms of sound. As a matter of fact, it takes several different turns, as I will describe below with a track-by-track breakdown:
1) "Supremacy": What's Led Zeppelin's "Kashmir" + a dark James Bond theme song + Matthew Bellamy's falsetto? Muse's "Supremacy," which starts their new album off with a bang of massive proportions. This is the perfect opening song for "The 2nd Law," as it provides a grand reflection of the band throughout their history, yet with an expansion of that said history and with a hint of possibly what's to come.
Grade: 10.00/10.00 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CfZRdrYbO8c)
2) "Madness": The first single off the album provides for quite the change-up, as it directly follows the hard-rocking "Supremacy" with a slow, '80s pop/dance feel to it initially, before Bellamy breaks into a solid guitar solo and the building instrumentation builds up into a great climax, where Bellamy yet again shows off his one-of-a-kind vocals.
Grade: 7.75/10.00 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1J8W6x4q9NQ)
3) "Panic Station": If there's going to be a #1 smash-hit off this album, this will be that song. The bassline would make Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers realize he no longer needed Viagra. It feels and sounds like an '80s dance song with a Muse tinge to it. When first hearing this song, I had to check the album information again to make certain it wasn't released in 1983. This is definitely a change of pace for the band, but as is typical with Muse, the experimentation paid off and I have a hunch this is going to be a radio hit in the States.
Grade: 9.75/10.00 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vk24UKKI4yY)
4/5) "Prelude + Survivor": This was to be the theme song for the Olympics in London this past summer. For such an epic event, the song matched it on that front and then-some. Bellamy's piano prelude perfectly introduces the song and as is common with Muse songs, the song gradually builds until we reach an epic climax. The lyrics are a bit on the cheesy side, but lyrics aside, the song and all its components, sounds great. From the piano prelude to Bellamy's spot-on vocals to his guitar solos and beyond, it's yet another great epic rock song conducted by the band.
Grade: 8.00/10.00 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jt__jKWoYH8)
6) "Follow Me": Like with "Madness" and "Panic Station," this has an '80s feel to it as well. Believe it or not, but one can hear a Gloria Gaynor influence ("I Will Survive") just prior to the onset of the chorus. While there was worry amongst fans that the band was going full dub-step with this album, that certainly wasn't the case. It is included in this song, however, and to great effect. Like with "Panic Station," it may be difficult for people to not start dancing when hearing this song, especially if they've been introduced to the three wise men that night (Johnny Walker, Jim Beam and Jack Daniels).
Grade: 7.50/10.00 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pEDhwIa1-Jo)
7) "Animals": This has a very classic rock, almost bluesy feel to it. The song gradually builds into a catchy, grand climax, where we can hear clamoring Wall Street stockbrokers. The lyrics are some of the best and most topical on the album, I feel.
Toward the tail-end of the song, Bellamy belts out:
"Out of control,
We're out of control,
Crush those who beg at your feet,
Analyze,
Franchise,
Spread out,
Kill the competition, and buy yourself an ocean
Amortize,
Downsize,
Lay off,
Kill yourself,
Come on and do us all a favor."
Grade: 9.50/10.00 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xolAUHh5uvk)
8) "Explorers": This is one of the slowest songs off the album, but one which continues to grow with me. Supposedly, lead singer Matthew Bellamy wrote this for his child - a lullaby of sorts. This may very well be the song most influenced by Queen on this album, yet as Muse seems to always do regardless of the influence, they make the sound all theirs.
Grade: 7.75/10.00 (http://www.jukebo.com/muse/music-clip,explorers,xsss5x.html)
9) "Big Freeze": U2 appears to be the main influence for this song, especially with regard to the guitars. The song starts off as an '80s tune one may want to forget, yet a catchy chorus and strong second half of the song make up for it. I feel this is one of the band's weaker efforts on the album, but is still a decent song truth be told.
Grade: 7.25/10.00 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gl6Q00phe4k)
10) "Save Me": This is the first of two songs written and sung by bassist Chris Wolstenholme - the first two he's written and sung for the band. Both songs deal with his personal struggles pertaining to alcoholism.
In the song, he sings:
"Hold me cause I'm sure I hated
Promises they are overrated
Wait just a while
While I'm drowning in denial"
It's a very slow, almost '60 or perhaps '70s rock song, that eventually picks up toward the song's mid-portion. While I don't think it's a bad song by any stretch and I can completely understand Wolstenholme wanting to express his personal battle and accomplishment with overcoming alcoholism, I do feel this is probably the weakest song on the album. He does have a decent voice - James Maynard-esque perhaps - and there is a genuineness to his words, yet even taking those two components into consideration, I feel this is the weakest song on "The 2nd Law."
Grade: 6.00/10.00 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VH42Q6qRqcM)
11) "Liquid State": This is the second of the two Wolstenholme-led songs and provides a stark contrast to the first. It's arguably the heaviest song on the album and carries with it an '80s heavy metal feel - Metallica perhaps. Like with "Save Me," it delves into the bassist's battle with alcoholism, as he sings:
"Warm my heart to remind
And hold my head up high
And help me to survive
Kick me when I'm down
Feed me poison, for me till I drown
Wake me up before I get punched out and fall into the night"
In the end, I feel this is a much stronger effort from Wolstenholme and should provide for a good live tune as well.
Grade: 8.50/10.00 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=klSiJkEjBmg)
12) "The 2nd Law: Unsustainable": It was due to this song rumors circulated the internet that Muse had gone dub-step. The dub-step doesn't kick in until a little before the midway point. The song starts in a tense, dramatic fashion, as the listener can feel, like in a movie, something bad is about to occur. The instrumental then hits a certain point of tension, where it can't go any further and breaks into dub-step. This is quite symbolic I feel, as the dub-step is representative of total and utter chaos - all the while a robotic voice utters the word unsustainable. While I love the opening to the song and appreciate the symbolism behind the dub-step, I still can't seem to completely warm up to that and due to that, feel it's probably one of the weaker tracks on the album.
Grade: 7.00/10.00 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Js4nCplsrbc)
13) "The 2nd Law: Isolated System": Here's the second of the two instrumentals and in my opinion, provides a perfect close to the album. The sound is slower than the preceding instrumental, and slightly haunting. It provides the sound of a dark, dramatic film and the feel that chaos has struck and we're suddenly at a loss on where to turn next. In the second-half of the song, however, things begin to pick up and a sound of hope and optimism can be heard, signifying that while chaos has struck, we can still pull through it.
Grade: 8.25/10.00 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AdIDxFTgBJM)
Overall: While some may not like the fact that so many different musical genres have been presented by Muse on this disc and that it may disrupt the flow on the album, I think it's refreshing and more times than not, the band is able to pull off these experimentations in sound with seeming ease. One can't help but admire a band willing to continually alter their sound, expand their musical horizons in an attempt to take them above and beyond where they had ever been previously as musicians. From one album to the next, that is what Muse does - not showcasing any fear of losing long-time fans or of critical backlash. Every album, every song is a new journey with the band and while I and others may on occasion not like a particular sound experimented by the band, I have far more respect for musicians like Muse who continually push themselves than those like Nickelback who have seemed to master the art of legally ripping off themselves and for some strange reason, found success in doing so.
Grade Scale: 50.0 - 59.9% = Very average - Siskel and Ebert would have given it one thumb up and even then, the thumb wouldn't be raised very high.
60.0 - 69.9% = Above average - Siskel and Ebert would have given this one very enthusiastic thumb up. I don't believe they ever rated a movie in such a manner, but I'll do that for them now. You're welcome.
70.0% - 74.9% = Good - It may not be a masterpiece, but is better than most. On the KA (Kick A**) scale, it'd cover one cheek and perhaps lightly graze the other.
75.0 - 79.9% = Very good - About 4/5 of both cheeks would be kicked with this kind of score.
80.0 - 84.9% = Great - Both cheeks would be fully kicked and while Siskel and Ebert may not have given it two very enthusiastic thumbs, the two thumbs would raise and with perhaps at least a skosh of enthusiasm.
85.0 - 89.9% = Excellent - On the edge of being a masterpiece, but one key component is missing from it being called as such. This score would be deserving of both cheeks being kicked via the KA scale, with the kicker throwing in a "Hi-yah!" for good measure.
90.0 - 100.0% = Masterpiece - This place is reserved for the best of the best. It's where the likes of Nickelback, Limp Bizkit, N'Sync, Kriss Kross, Vanilla Ice and "American Idol" winners will never see their names.
My "The 2nd Law" Grade: 97.25/120.00 = 81.04% (Great)
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