Drones

(Band Binge: Muse Part Seven of Seven...ish)

...Fuck it. This album isn't THAT bad.

Look, this album is corny, flawed, goofy, stupid, a little messy and very flat in some areas that Muse usually stride in. And yeah, the album cover is pretty...trash. But...at lest when compared The 2nd Law, this is NOT their worst album. It just isn't. It's a grey and kinda bland album, but it's not their worst.

I think what quantifies this album as being at lest a little better then the previous 2 albums that came out before this is this: focus. Muse here aren't trying to make you force feed into their pop-aganda radio friendly blend of arena anthems (although full blown Propaganda shows up QUITE a lot here) and are even trying to go a little more darker and ominous then previous releases. This isn't Muse shooting off all cylinders trying to make shit stick to walls, it's just trying to be a foot on the floor 'i'm not taking this shit anymore' rock record, which Muse at some point lost the idea of: being a rock band. The instrumentation here is heavier, from the edgier and sharper 'fuck you' rock of tracks like 'Reapers', 'Psycho' and 'Defector', or even metal inspired numbers like 'The Handler' or 'The Globalist' that truly are a little more exciting then some of the U2 worship that was on The 2nd Law. And while the band are still on their Fuck The Government anarchy cosplay, it seems to be a little more forward thinking and concept heavy records in ages. It's hard for me not to get caught up in the story of Mary and her struggle against the oppressors, and her disillusionment into becoming 'Dead Inside', and as a concept, it's clear Muse have thought this out fully, even when looking at the stage show at the time.

But...Jesus fucking Christ, the novelty of this record wears thin QUICK. What starts off as 'Oh thank god, Muse are heavy again!' quickly turns into 'Jesus Christ, were Muse always this uninteresting?'. Ironically enough, Muse went from having too much color to not having enough! This might be the most boring album the band has ever made, and while I still prefer moments like 'The Handler' and 'The Globalist' to a majority of what Muse were doing during The 2nd Law, it's still a goddamn chore to get through the entire 50+ minute record, especially with the pointless interludes and just bland songwriting that seems like the only adventure it was taking was into how sterile they could make rock music seem. Hell, 'Dead Inside' somehow makes the album a murky mess in the first goddamn minute with it's bare bones and just yawn-warranting 'boom bap' rythems and tiresome electronic bullshit. And yeah, there are the usual Arena Assatry that was on their last two records, pumped through a more annoying and bland lenses here, like the puke worthy 'Revolt' or the cheese flavored 'Mercy' that will make even Coldplay fans go 'eh?'.

Again, I think this has a little more interest then The 2nd Law, but by god that is not a compliment. It's like me comparing shit to a big plate of white mash. Yes, technically I will choose white mash because shit just ain't my kink, but oh my god i'm not gonna choose the dish over a full blown steak any day. At this point in their careers, this is a band that purely needs to find what made them tick in the first place, and get back on track with making innovative and INTERESTING music.

Favorite Jams: The Handler, The Globalist, Reapers

Lest Favorite: [Drill Sargent]

Next time i'll be looking at the only big side project the band has spawned: Vicky Cryer!

Original Review:

A step in the right direction into a more focused and fluent Muse, however the concept can get in the way of the actual music, and the concept here is probably Muse's most half baked. But the actual playing here is truly something to behold.

Favorite jams: Reapers, The Handler, The Globalist

Lest Favorite: [Drill Sergeant]