Muse Take II

I guess I can respect a band for taking their success (can you say "phenomenal"?) seriously. Many groups just write unintentional crap while very rarely promoting an agenda, when in reality the history of music is bathed in political opinions and counter-culture. So from that point of view, I can commend Muse for at least trying.

But when you're a Brit-rock sensation, you could be a little more...substantial, don't you think? Muse is in a position to overwhelm the majority of musicdom with real, personal opinions on how government should be run. But instead, we get cliche notions like "love is our resistance". I feel like they missed the hippie beat by way too long, because these ideas are no longer new! I'll admit, the concept isn't impractical and is in general a positive direction, but it's like some teenager wrote the lyrics during puberty. Angry at his parents and in love with his own emotions.

To be fair, there are some cool lyrics. I still like the chorus of "Unnatural Selection" where Matt sings "we're not droplets in the ocean". And the french in "I Belong to You", while not being entirely original, is a beautiful and poetic addition to the album. Otherwise, songs like "United States of Eurasia" sound awesome, but when you listen to the lyrics you realize there's little reason to care. Even though it even ends with a cool little Chopin piano bit at the end.

So we come to the music. It's Muse, ladies and gentlemen. You won't be surprised by many of the piano interludes, nor the chord patterns. But it's all orchestrated to provoke an epic feeling, because the songs are long and winded. It's intelligent, very intentional music, but at the core most of it is still what Muse has been doing for the past 3 albums. With the exception of Exogenesis, which has such beautiful symphonic elements that only disappoint when you realize they're turning the orchestral music into another Muse song.

What I find most compelling in The Resistance is Matt Bellamy's voice. I love it in songs like "Resistance" and especially "Unnatural Selection". He has a range that is being pushed to its limits, he's hitting lower notes and having much more fun. As much of a Queen rip-off as "United States of Eurasia" is, it's obviously a very fun song.

"Undisclosed Desires" and "Guiding Light" are boring, and "I Belong to You" is really only interesting to me because of the French part. Love songs are cool, but Muse used to write songs like "Unintended" (Go look it up, it's off of Showbiz, and is one of my favorite Muse tracks of all time).

I feel like I'm just whining by this point. Muse are excellent musicians, but their older stuff just sounds more...solid. Listen to Showbiz or Absolution, and I think you'll hear what I'm saying. I could have lived without The Resistance, especially after all the times I've listened to it. I won't be going back often.

Muse - The Resistance

Here's my review (edit: not for the Echo, just i guess in conciseness) for Muse's The Resistance

There was a point while listening to The Resistance's first track "Uprising" that I understood what being brainwashed was like. Here I was, bouncing my head to a sexy bass-line and few well-placed shouts of "Come On!", while missing forceful politically-charged lines like "They will not force us" and "We will be victorious". I was entirely missing the point while getting lost in the music, which sadly is how I ended up relating to the album as a whole.

Fans of Muse may recognize my qualms here, because Matt Bellamy and crew's previous album Black Holes and Revelations was ripe with beauty but admittedly a little cheesy on the lyrical end. The Resistance is no different, and therein lies my problem. There's very little content on the whole, mostly vague whining about governments having too much power and some unsupported notion of love being able to simply overcome all these options. If you consider yourself a hopeless romantic, you'll adore tracks like "I Belong to You," and "Undisclosed Desires". But if you're looking for something to really believe in, I suggest you try something else.

Musically however, I am astounded by this album. It feels like a hybrid of rock anthems with operatic symphonies, and when they're not channeling Queen like in "United States of Eurasia," they're improving on their previous efforts with songs like "MK Ultra" which reminds me of Origin of Symmetry's track "Plug In Baby". Personally, I think their best effort is the anthemic "Unnatural Selection", a sensational counter-cultural ride. And the finalé "Exogenesis" is a literal symphony of breathtaking stature, showing Muse has matured into a realm of their own.

So The Resistance has two very unique sides to it. Muse have shown themselves to be musical geniuses in their time, but still produce forgettable, uninspired attempts at revolutionary lyrics. You'd be a fool not to listen, but you don't have to pay attention.

Review: 3/5

Daisy Part II

I could probably talk forever about this band, only less than forever on this specific album. Daisy is beautiful. It incorporates some of the most tested and emotional screaming with Brand New's perfected reflective lyrics and a musical talent that far surpasses what I expected. And it's about as draining as that sentence was. Jesse and Vinnie have crafted a dynamic experience, as rich in musicianship as Devil and God was, but unfortunately without all the content.

Don't get me wrong, I still believe that the album fits objectively into a 4-star out of 5 review, but it just wasn't what I expected. It's a maturity in many ways, but is so quick and easy to understand from the very beginning that I'm scared I'll forget about it in six months. With Devil and God it took me time and many listens to really experience songs like "Limousine" "Degausser" and "You Won't Know" (The latter of which I really still know maybe half the lyrics to). They were ripe with analogies, stories, and genuine emotions depicting the experiences each song delivered. With the exception of songs like "Sink" and the semi-industrial finisher "Noro", I feel like I grasped a lot of what each song portrayed so quickly in Daisy, that I was really left wanting more.

So why is Daisy so good then? Because we really haven't heard it before from Brand New, and as a whole the album is a new experience. "Vices" is a cacophony of almost Underoath-esque quality. Strangely audible, decipherable screams are purposefully distorted and layered with several guitar riffs, chord slams, and even slight feedback. It's over before you barely realize it started though, and transitions quickly to "Bed". This song is subtle, and feels like an extension of "Me vs. Maradona vs. Elvis" from Deja Entendu, but I haven't quite grasped its purpose. The repetition of "Laid her on the bed" and "Lie to all your friends" is very purposeful, and the lyrics feel random yet poetical. Almost pertaining to a sense of guilt and resistance to relationship. It's an interesting one, but albeit kind of a snoozer.

This dynamic basically carries on throughout the album, louder more explosive songs mixed in with what I can only call "brooding" tracks. "At the Bottom" is one of the few exceptions, as I almost feel like it just doesn't belong with the rest. It's got a much more produced, single-like feel to it, which I don't despise. It in fact will get a lot of people to listen to Daisy, with its Modest Mouse-ish parts and its sweet exploitation of guitar distortion. Also it reminds me a bit of Deja Entendu, but then again for some reason "Vices" reminds me of Your Favourite Weapon's "The Shower Scene." So take what you can from that, either way it's a fantastic single and will gather fans quicker than "Jesus" or "Sowing Season," even though I believe both of those songs are better than it.

So lets talk on a few of the more intense songs. "Gasoline" is also a quicky, which frustrates me to no end. From the moment it starts I am completely hooked. And when Jesse claims "I feel like I'm trying to hold smoke," you believe him completely. But then it's gone, and we're left with a light outro. "Sink" is a masterpiece of screaming glory, with a destructive chorus and a second half that will demand re-plays. Just when you think they've layered everything else into a song, on "In a Jar" you'll hear some sort of choir singing in the background for just moments. "Bought a Bride" is practically Rock Band ready, and is just a solid song that turns yelling into an anthem in a way I must have never heard. There's so much buried within each song I just listed that I'm sure I'll be going back multiple times just to delight in the intricacies each presents in a different way.

But believe me, if you dislike screaming you still give it a listen. "You Stole" is one of those brooding tracks and well performed at that, and I think my favorite will eventually be "Noro," with its impressive length and change of instrumental pace for the band. Like I said earlier, it has an industrial sense to it, along with the semi-experimental "Daisy". They both draw from heavy drums and cymbal work, while well produced, clean guitars just continually riff in the background. These two songs are the least like Brand New of the past, and I'm sure if a new album comes out sometime in the future any new material will be heavily influenced by these powerful tracks. Even when people talk during "Daisy" I don't mind, because it's all meaningful and intentional.

Lastly I want to address the strange additions to this album. "Be Gone" is amazing by the way, that minute and a half of Jesse screaming into his pickups. It's beautiful and original in my opinion, and reminds me of all the great live shows the band does. The intro and outro I can live without, and "Daisy" has those voices which I can rationalize but which can definitely detract when you just want to listen to the song. Seriously, when your album is about 40 minutes long, why would you add like 3 minutes of basically nothing? It confuses me, especially when I want to listen to "Vices" and I have to cut like 2 minutes in.

Brand New should continue to be my favorite band with Daisy, so we'll see how long that lasts. This album is the definition of maturity in ways that so many bands of this era need to take note of. So I'm basically done digging into it for now, just make sure you check it out.

Brand New - Daisy

Here's my review for Brand New's Daisy, which will appear in our school newspaper on Friday. I'll post more on the album later.

Brand New - Daisy

When it comes to the abundance of morbid scream-o bands these days, Brand New have always been a proverbial light in the darkness. Their 2006 album "The Devil and God are Raging Inside Me" was an emotionally draining effort, focused on the band's recent personal tragedies. And now, three years later, they continue their melancholy stories through "Daisy". Coming in at a little over 40 minutes, "Daisy" is a series of quick hits with a few slower tricks thrown in. And while previous Brand New efforts have been very lyrically focused, "Daisy" is layered with a musical maturity relying on guitar distortion, feedback, and everything else up their sleeves. And expect to be surprised, from an intro and outro based on an old-fashioned hymn to "Be Gone," where lead singer Jesse Lacey screams into his guitar's pickups for a minute and a half. And while these additions definitely can detract from the album as a whole, "Daisy" is still a force to be reckoned with. Songs like "Gasoline" and the excellent first single "At the Bottom" are some of the most well-written energetic tracks I've heard in years. Yet the album is dominated by songs where screaming takes a backseat, like the awkward-but-catchy "Daisy" or powerful closer "Noro". At the end, "Daisy" is a noble attempt and a definite maturity for Brand New, but could stand for a little more substance.

4/5 stars.

What I am Ashamed of

I am ashamed of the fact that I hate the song "Don't Trust Me" by 3OH!3, but I still listen to it every once in a while. When a song comes on and your entire table says "I hate this song," but you all sing every lyric to it, that's when you know something purely evil has taken ahold of you.

Don't listen to this song, you promote poor Helen Keller references and just plain horrible music.

That all being said, it's time for me to listen to it.