Review Summary: Is it alright to enjoy the music you might hear as the apocolypse approaches? Surely one of the most epic, enormous albums of all time, Muse thoroughly deserve the critical acclaim this release brought them.
The British indie revolution is coming to get you: if it’s not already lurking in your CD rack or in ‘My Music’ on your computer, it will hunt you down and find you. It will force you to wear tight jeans and a vest/cardigan combo and Converse shoes and to grow your hair in an unruly, bushy style (“style” being a loosely used term in this instance) that not even the most intrepid jungle explorer will wish to venture near. Before long, generic bands beginning with “The” will consume your iPod and be on the front cover of every issue of NME for the next twenty years. If you have already succumbed to such a horrific fate, never fear! There is still musical salvation in the very attainable form of Muse.
Of course, this is only my viewpoint of the current British music scene. There is no doubt that Muse are appreciated; headline slots at Reading and Leeds last year, Glastonbury in 2004 and the fact that they (all available digits crossed) will be the first band to play at the new Wembley has to prove their status as a terrific live band and a trio of excellent musicians capable of selling out stadium shows in mere minutes. This is, of course speaking from experience: I endured seeing the Arctic Monkeys at Reading Festival in order to see Muse headline the Saturday night. I could go with the clichés of “I was blown away” and “I swear Matt Bellamy looked right at me during New Born” but I won’t. It was the most phenomenal live show ever, and I am still in awe of how they manage to pull off their songs live at all. For me, the songs performed from this album (their strongest yet in my opinion) stood out like a hardcore indie fan at…well, a Muse gig.
So on to the album…
Intro and Apocalypse Please:
An ominous military march fades in and instantly sets the tone of the album. 22 seconds later, Matt Bellamy’s thundering piano enters the musical ‘landscape’, joined swiftly by some minimalist drumming from Dom Howard. The song remains relatively sparse instrumentally (for a Muse song) until layers and layers of backing vocals enter, giving a sound that can only be described as enormous. This track exemplifies Muse’s style of writing great album openers; expertly produced, classically influenced and lyrically provocative. Bellamy’s synth arpeggios in the interludes and short piano solo during the outro are wonderful examples of his unique playing style and song-writing talent. [b]Rating: 4.7/5[B/]
Time is Running Out:
What’s that sound? Clicking and clapping in a Muse song? The most poppy, accessible track on this album may be viewed by some as a low point, but I feel it perfectly demonstrates the band’s capability to compose catchy yet structurally clever songs whilst still retaining the archetypal ‘Muse sound’ that makes them so distinctive. A fantastic fuzz bass riff and a vocal melody that will be stuck in your head for hours after listening make this a great addition to the record.
Rating: 4.5/5
Sing For Absolution:
A simplistic piano riff echoed by strings and a wonderful, rhythmic bassline create an almost science-fiction-like atmosphere to track 4, a theme that was perhaps picked up on by the band in the very imaginative music video. The song gradually builds to the chorus, which features some great guitar work and clever lyrics by Bellamy. The second chorus has a simple yet beautiful vocal harmony that is later mimicked by the lead guitar in the final part of the song. Despite not being very complex in a structural sense, the production on this song is fantastic, once again featuring the massive tonal landscape that is a strong characteristic of this album.
Rating: 5/5
Stockholm Syndrome:
For me, this is a real highlight of Absolution. Right from the outset, you know what this song’s all about; a harsh, rapid-fire guitar riff and some drumming that really showcases Dom Howard’s exceptional talent sets the song in motion, and it doesn’t ever let up. The track develops into a familiar Muse formula of complex chord changes and a huge chorus section with synth arpeggios, layer upon layer of backing vocals, piano hooks, the works. A soaring guitar solo, yet more incredible drumming from Howard and an explosive outro that will set your hair alight if you aren’t careful finish off a song that is a real pleasure to listen to and a real spectacle to see live, believe me!
Rating: 5/5
Falling Away With You and Interlude:
The first ballad-esque song on the album demonstrates some more excellent guitar work from Bellamy, and yet more arpeggio-driven choruses. This song moves seamlessly from a mellow groove in the verses to full-on, up-tempo chorus sections, featuring some very cool bass work from Chris Wolstenholme. The production throughout is flawless, with the band’s huge wall of sound effect once again taking prominence. The perfect transition into a short effect-heavy guitar interlude is the icing on the cake (that cliché’s a given). It’s nothing too over the top; about 40 seconds of sustained ascending and descending notes, but call me crazy, I think it works so, so well. A perfect break between a more mellowed-out tune and the whirlwind that is…
Rating: 4.5/5
Hysteria:
One of the most well-known songs from the album, and a real gem starts out with a fantastic, instantly recognisable bassline from Wolstenholme (that every aspiring bassist will want to learn upon hearing!). The introductory climax between bass, guitar and drums will literally have you on the edge of your seat (another one, apologies) in anticipation, and the rest of the song does not disappoint at all. Very simple structurally and with a sinister, poppy tone, this is definitely the most radio-friendly song (next to TIRO) on the record, and probably why it did quite well upon release as a single. This isn’t a bad thing mind you; the guitar solo alone is a beauty and Bellamy really knows how to carry a song with his guitar. The synthesised chorus vocals really stand out here, as does the rocky outro that you won’t be able to help bobbing your head to and grinning foolishly because of it.
Rating: 4.7/5
Blackout:
Slowing things down (you’ll need it) after a real rock-fest is Blackout, in which the band almost overdo the aforementioned capability to create such gigantic musical landscapes with fairly sparse instrumental work. The string parts in this track are beautiful, if nothing too complex, and the song comes to an almighty head with some more effect-laden guitar work from Bellamy and a full-on, ‘lighters in the air’, ‘stereotypical arena arm-swaying’ chorus. Listen carefully to this song and you’ll hear some great, if very subtle chord changes within the string section…maybe it’s not so simple after all. You can be the judge.
Rating: 4.5/5
Butterflies & Hurricanes:
If you know Muse, you’ll know this song, if only for the ridiculously elaborate piano solo in the middle (it’s hard to feel that Matt Bellamy isn’t just showing off at this point). The rest of the song is rocky, up-tempo and heavily orchestrated, but I can’t help feeling like it lags slightly around the bridge. The use of the orchestra is great, and the backing vocals are wonderfully composed, yet the piano solo feels slightly out of place, and for me this spoils the song slightly. If it had been trying to be less of a rock song and more of an orchestral piece or even (day I say it?) a ballad, it might have been more enjoyable. However, it’s still a great listen, if not a highlight.
Rating: 4.3/5
The Small Print:
Now this is a highlight. The cutting guitar riffs, the harsh bass and the forceful drumming are just plain awesome. This song just rocks; nothing too flashy, just a great tune, with some very insightful lyrics from Bellamy and a mouth-wateringly mammoth final chorus. That’s all I can say about it. It’s a very, very cool song.
Rating: 4.8/5
Endlessly:
Every Muse album has to have a song that kind of sticks out in a slightly strange way. If anything, Endlessly is the filler track of the album, driven by strange keyboard sounds and (you guessed it) more arpeggios (!) that wouldn’t sound out of place in a dance or chillout record. This sort of sound would be more easily placed on the bands latest release, Black Holes and Revelations, and for me it’s just a bit too different for Absolution. This track just seems to lack the same life and energy present in the rest of the album. All credit to the band for keeping the tracks varied throughout, but this is perhaps a bit too misplaced and too much of a space-filler.
Rating: 3.5/5
Thoughts of a Dying Atheist:
A big title for a big theme explored by Bellamy’s lyrics, which remain clever and thoughtful even this late in the album. Whilst not being as strong as TSP (probably its most similar sounding song thus far), this is still a fine song and exhibits Muse’s ability to maintain a good standard of writing throughout their albums.
Rating: 4/5
Ruled by Secrecy:
I mentioned the band’s strength for great album openers previously in this review (so long ago…), but failed to mention the fact they manage to come up with an undeniably epic closer on each outing. Starting off with some mellow, ominous piano work reminiscent of New Born from Origin of Symmetry and brining in some minimalist but perfectly placed rhythmic features, the song climaxes with a grand classical piano ‘solo’ from Bellamy which and an almighty finishing chorus. RBS is a beauty of a song, gradually building, vastly textured and a perfect way to close a tremendous album.
Rating: 4.5/5
So there you have it. In the year that gave us Permission to Land and A Rush of Blood to the Head, Muse gave us hope that there was still talent left somewhere in the British music scene. An almost flawless album, Absolution features some phenomenal production and songwriting, and an enormous deal of work was obviously put into making it. Luckily, the band was under no time restrictions with the making of this album and it really shows. There is barely a weak track on here (I think Endlessly just manages to squeeze into the ‘filler’ category) and the quality of songwriting is brilliantly kept up throughout the record.
There is no band like Muse and this album perfectly exemplifies and encompasses their musical themes and extraordinary talents. If my copy was stolen, I would buy it again. Actually, I would buy ten, and give the other nine to random strangers, just so I wouldn’t feel guilty that they were missing out.
Recommended tracks:
Stockholm Syndrome
Sing for Absolution
The Small Print
