Muse - The Resistance (2009)

Muse is a band I find myself on the cusp of fandom of. They have a talent for playing a catchy riff and giving it a sense of tension and monumentality. Unfortunately, they also often take it a bit too far into grandiose territory, at which time is becomes quite obvious what they are aiming for. They’ve released four albums, all of which have a few songs I return to semi-regularly, and a handful of throwaways. “The Resistance” is a bit of a let down, even by my standards. Lead single “Uprising” is a very catchy number, with a hell of a riff propelling it but the problems begin after that song. “Resistance” and “Undisclosed Desires” tread into generic pop territory where both vocals and instrumentation are concerned. Despite some promising moments, such as the latter track’s vocal harmonies towards the end of the chorus, these songs are ruined a bit by that. “The United States of Eurasia” is too Queenesque, and blatantly so. At one point during the song they actually sing the lyrics “they go on and on and on,” (heard that before?) without a shred of irony. This is only the first four tracks, but the album continues in this vein as it goes on. The songs all suffer from one of two problems, being too simple-minded (Unnatural Selection, MK Ultra) or else imitating Queen (Guiding Light, I Belong to You), sometimes both within the same song. Then the last three tracks form the “Exogenesis Symphony,” which is just too much in too many ways. I don’t think it’s fair to fault Muse for what they’re trying to do. It just isn’t what I like to hear from them. I can’t say I’m disappointed, since my expectations were not all that high to start with, but I can say this is their worst album yet. I just can’t get past the flaws in order to enjoy this album. I really like a lot of the band’s singles, and some of their earlier album tracks as well, but “The Resistance” doesn’t play to their strengths. LISTEN

1. Uprising – 5:04
2. Resistance – 5:46
3. Undisclosed Desires – 3:55
4. United States of Eurasia (+ Collateral Damage) – 5:47
5. Guiding Light – 4:13
6. Unnatural Selection – 6:54
7. MK Ultra – 4:06
8. I Belong to You (+ Mon coeur s'ouvre a ta voix) – 5:38
9. Exogenesis: Symphony Part 1 (Overture) – 4:18
10. Exogenesis: Symphony Part 2 (Cross-Pollination) – 3:56
11. Exogenesis: Symphony Part 3 (Redemption) – 4:36