Muse album verdict!

Yo yo,

I was looking to pass comment today on the new Muse album, which I recieved rather gratefully from Play.com a few days early of the release date. However, as I feel that just a short comment cannot sum up the genius of this album, I need to write a track-by-track analysis of it. Enjoy!

1. Take A Bow
When songs sound like they're building up to something and don't it's usually an anti-climax. However this one swells up without really going anyway and still sounds complete. 'You will burn in hell for your sins!' style lyrics also add to this beast. You'd say it's the best opening track to a Muse album ever, if they hadn't put New Born at the start of Origin of Symmetry.

2. Starlight
Pop perfection. Catchy piano riff, big chorus, jaunty tune. A Muse tune the milkman can whistle. Future no.1.

3. Supermassive Black Hole
Probably their coolest song ever?! Danceable, catchy, sexy, dangerous, amazing.

4. Map of the Problematique
Another hip-shaker, but more Muse-sounding than SBH. That means big synths, big guitars, themes of love and death. Rocks my world, great drumming!

5. Soldier's Poem
First lull in quality really. Acoustic, doesn't go anywhere but features delightfully Mercury-esque backing vocals. However you'd skip it if it was longer than 2 minutes.

6. Invincible
They popped a couple of tunes in the vein of this weird 'self motivational' type on the last album. They were the poorer songs (i'm thinking mainly Blackout and Butterflies And Hurricanes). This one's good though, 'TOGETHER WE'RE INVINCIBLE!'. OK, maybe it's a little cheesy.

7. Assassin
System of a Down with riffing combined with another big groove! It rocks my socks, it will rock your socks. It's fucking cool.

8. Exo-Politics
Could be a single I think. When the chorus comes in you think oh that's good, but then it steps up another gear into 'anthem' territory! People might not think of highly of this as me but who cares, it's about alien invasions and politics! PARTY!

9. City of Delusion
A bit of flamenco here, a little bit of trumpet there. This is Queen's 'Innuendo' turned up to 11 with less campness. The chorus is really emotive, which is amazing considering I have no idea what it's about. Also features a wonderful bit where the vocal melody doubles up with the orchestra and guitar line. EPIC!

10. Hoodoo
Like Soldier's Poem, it's quiet song. This means it's a bit dull. Gets loud in the middle but still not won me over yet. Features a nice tremelo 'wobble' on the guitar. Unfortunately, no one normal cares about that.

11. Knights of Cydonia
The best song title of the year by far. It's also ironic to note that while the band have produced their coolest, sexiest song ever on this LP, they've also recorded their most ludicrous, unashamedly geeky song too. It even features horse noises at the start simply because, as Matt told Edith Bowman on C4, "they thought it would be funny". It's an amazing Morricone-inflected tune which riffs out from start to finish. It also hits new highs in OTT-ness with a multitracked Matt Bellamy screaming "No one's going to take me alive!!!!!!!". BRILLIANT.

So yeah, it's not a 10/10 cos there's a couple of stinkers. However, when it rocks, it fucking rocks like Hell. It's unbelievably brilliant and probably up their with Origin of Symmetry as an example of their class as a band.

I love it.