British rock trio Muse just released their 9th studio album, entitled Will of the People. Now, I've gotta start this review by admitting to all my readers I'm a die-hard Muse fan. They are, without question, my favorite band - have been for roughly 14-15 years. Having said that, while I've enjoyed their past three albums (2012's The 2nd Law, 2015's Drones, and 2018's Simulation Theory), I've also felt they were three of the band's four weakest releases to this point (their 1999 debut Showbiz being the other). The 2nd Law felt like the band's most experimental record, where they marked all the genres they wanted to try off their bucket list. Not only did they dabble in dub-step, but bassist Chris Wolstenholme wrote and sang two songs. On a 12-song album, singer Matt Bellamy was the lead vocalist on only eight of them. While I'm all about Muse experimenting, and loved the variety, it felt a little more mixed on the execution than I would have liked. On Drones, the band went with a more consistently rock-centric concept album. Great front-half, but the back-half was severely lacking (minus 10-minute rock-opera "The Globalist"). Simulation Theory kind of combined the lighter, fun aspect of The 2nd Law and a fairly consistent theme like with Drones, yet it still felt as though something was missing. While, in my mind, the band has never released a bad, nor even an average album, my top 4 have long been: 1) Black Holes and Revelations (2006), 2) The Resistance (2009), 3) Absolution (2003), and 4) Origin of Symmetry (2001). Would any of this change? Here now is my track-by-track overview of Muse's 9th, and most recent album, Will of the People.
1. "Will of the People" (9/10): The title track sounds like if Green Day from the mid-2000s wrote a hybrid of Blue Cheer's "Summertime Blues" and Marilyn Manson's "The Beautiful People," and added a pinch of T. Rex to the mix. In other words, it's catchy AF. I've read some Musers say they hate the chants ("The will of the people, the will of the people, the will of the, the will of the"). My guess is that's because the song is so catchy, they've had said chants stuck inside their heads for at least 48 hours. They're stuck inside your head now too, aren't they? I'm sorry, but you're welcome.
2. "Compliance" (7/10): Following the title track is this catchy '80s-synth-powered number. I probably would have graded this a 5 or 5.5 when I first heard it, but I quickly learned the reason for that was the shock factor. This was the band's second release off the album, after the metal track "Won't Stand Down." The first time I heard "Won't Stand Down," I was pumped. It was the most hard-rocking Muse song I had heard in years, perhaps ever. Not long after its release, critics were contending that the band's upcoming album was going to be nothing but metal. This naively, perhaps even ignorantly set my expectations for said genre. So, when I first heard "Compliance," my initial reaction was, "WTF is this?!?" Once I mentally adjusted my expectations for the album, though, and listened to the song a few more times, it began to grow on me (no, not literally). The chorus may be a bit underwhelming, but it's still catchy; the bassline is superb throughout; and the solo, falsetto, and close are all strong. This song has gone from forgettable to non-skippable. I'd say I've evolved. Be proud, mom.
3. "Liberation" (9/10): Here's a Queen-ish-sounding track which seems to combine elements from The Resistance and Origin of Symmetry - the vocals with the former and instrumentals with the latter. Lead singer Matt Bellamy has said the song was largely inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement and protests, which to me makes the song even more goosebump-inducing than it already was. While I hear many comparing it to the Queen-influenced "United States of Eurasia" track off the band's 2009 album, The Resistance, I think it's more subdued, and with that more replayable, and more emotionally-affecting. It'd be the most beautiful song off the album if not for... Dun dun dun!
4. "Won't Stand Down" (9.5/10): Nope, not this one. You're going to have to wait a little bit longer for the answer. I suppose you could just skim the rest of these write-ups to scratch that mental itch you're having at this very moment, but would you then lose your place and have to start all over again? Okay, so I guess I've made it fairly obvious where you left off, haven't I? Okay, well, speaking of which, where in the hell was I?!? Ah, yes, "Won't Stand Down." This was the first release off Will of the People, and the reason many Musers (myself included) got unrealistically excited for a metal Muse album. Regardless, this song bangs harder than your mom. Seriously. The intro comes across like an Imagine Dragons-beat, before the massive bass kicks in, and you go from, "Imagine Dragons?!? WTF?!? I didn't know I had an Imagine Dragons album! How drunk was I that night?!?" to "Ah, yes, Muse-gasm!" The chorus is top-notch, and then the two breakdowns? My neck gets sore just thinking about them. Yes, you can take that to mean several different things. I'm all about the ambiguity, whatever that means; I suppose it could mean lots of things. Moving on...
5. "Ghosts (How Can I Move On)" (7.5/10): Literally. Get it? I'm on a roll right now, aren't I? Here's a song Bellamy actually wrote for his solo album Cryosleep, but his bandmates - bassist Chris Wolsteholme and drummer Dominic Howard - said, and I'm paraphrasing hypothetically here, "Dude, that's beautiful AF! Put that on the album, bro! No, for real! Do it! Do it! Do it! .... Do it!" So, Matt agreed, and the rest is history. In all seriousness, though, this is a hauntingly beautiful song, which just features Bellamy and a piano. It was inspired by those who lost loved ones during the COVID pandemic. A touching song, one unfortunately millions of people can relate to.
6. "You Make Me Feel Like It's Halloween" (9.75/10): Here's one I was not expecting. It could very well be the band's catchiest song since "Panic Station," if not the catchiest in their entire catalog. If you've ever wondered what it'd be like for Muse to record a soundtrack for a haunted house (and I know you have), here you are. What would that be called anyway? A Muse-tacular? Muse-oween? A Haunted Muse-sion? I'll work on that and get back to you.
7. "Kill or Be Killed" (10/10): I'm going to say it. Get ready. This has become... :: gulps :: my favorite Muse song. No, not just on this album. No, it's now my all-time favorite Muse song. It's got everything for me, perfectly combining Muse sounds from the distant past with Muse sounds from the recent past and present. While "Won't Stand Down" may be the heaviest Muse song in sections (the two breakdowns), this is the heaviest Muse song from start to finish. I honestly can't type any more about this without needing to hear it again. It's become my drug. Take or be taken. No worries, though, as you can't overdose on this.
8. "Verona" (9.25/10): Remember way back, when I said "Liberation" would have been the most beautiful song on this album if not for...? Well, here it is. A spacey, dreamy, yet poppy number, which increases in intensity throughout, net never fully climaxes - much like the Black Holes and Revelations track "Take a Bow." Unlike "Take a Bow," though, which is a powerful track in its own right, "Verona" touches on the heart in a way the other track does not. Here Bellamy writes from the vantage point of those who were prevented from seeing loved ones in the hospital during the pandemic. No matter how we felt about governmental restrictions during the peak of COVID, one cannot deny how heartbreaking it was to not be permitted to see loved ones as they were dying in their hospital bed from this virus. Yes, if you had "Combine Romeo & Juliet with Coronavirus" on your Muse bingo card, you've won. Congratulations.
9. "Euphoria" (7.25/10): This song was a rollercoaster ride for me. When reading Warner's (label) initial write-up of the album, calling this song a "lightning bolt rush," I was on a high. But then when another person compared it to "Revolt" from the band's 2015 record, Drones, that high transitioned to a quick low, and I didn't know where in the hell I was going next! When I think "lightning bolt rush" in relation to Muse songs, my first thought is "Assassin" from the band's 2006 masterpiece, Black Holes and Revelations. The last song I think of is "Revolt." No offense. After reviews started pouring in, referring to this as anything from pop-rock to synth-rock to fun-rock and beyond, I admittedly began getting queasy from all the twists and turns in expectations. Finally, when the album leaked, a fairly large majority of the first listeners said it "slapped," whatever that means. I'm kidding. I may be old, but I'm not dead. Well, upon first listen, no, I didn't hear any semblance of "Assassin," but didn't really hear "Revolt" either. I wasn't sure what I heard, as it felt like an amalgam of several of the band's prior tracks: "Blockades," "Time Is Running Out," "Crying Shame," "Thought Contagion," and perhaps even a little bit of "Get Up and Fight," and yes, "Revolt." You know what, though? Upon each listen, the song improves, and takes on a progressively more unique identity of its own. It's incredibly fast-paced (lightning-bolt rush does seem like an appropriate description now), catchy, fun, and delivers a great solo and falsetto to close things. No, it's not "Assassin 2.0," nor is it "Revolt 2.0;" it's "Euphoria 1.0," and I'm perfectly fine with that.
10. "We Are F*cking F*cked" (10/10): This is like '90s garage-punk mixed with "Knights of Cydonia." It's darkly hilarious, and dare I say f*cking brilliant! Listen to this song and you'll never hear the word "stockpile" the same way again. Trust me; it's f*cking awesome! F*ckin' A, right! F*ck yes!
Conclusion: It's finally happened. After three good, but less-than-fully satisfying albums, Muse has released their best record to date. There isn't a weak track on it. It has essentially tweaked the flaws of the previous three releases and perfected them, while also adding teaspoons of early LPs to the concoction, to make it the best sounding album in the band's catalog. Not only that, it's also the strongest album lyrically since at least Black Holes and Revelations, if not ever. Bellamy isn't speaking in generalities here; he's writing about real-world events, and not from his own perspective, but an empathetic one - which, from my vantage point, is quite refreshing, especially in this day and age. From metal to piano ballads, from space-rock to pop- and glam-rock, from spooktronica to punk, with this album Muse has gone on to master every genre imaginable, en route to creating, in my mind, the best album in going on a quarter of a century.
Score: 10/10
It doesn't get much (any) better than this. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
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