Official Muse Thread.

I have to say, I actually really like all three of the songs. I'm really coming to appreciate the effort they're making to try something different. "Madness" was a very pleasant surprise, and honestly "Survival" has grown on me a lot (I love the way the song builds and closes). "Unsustainable" is interesting - and I think its structure is weird (wondering how it's going to fit in on the album). I've gotta say, Muse is grabbing me pretty good on this one - I want to listen to the album.

A band that lives on its calling cards doesn't progress. I'm sorry, but Muse needed to change. Perhaps this is an album of transition but I think it's a very necessary change for Muse to evolve. I'm actually really digging what they're trying to do because it has a lot of elements of what they're known for but creates the aura of, "Hmm, this isn't the Muse I know." I wouldn't call any of it nonsense because I actually think the inner concepts of what they're trying to convey with the album are very deep - we just might not be able to appreciate them now out of their context. And "Exogenesis" was hardly experimental. Honestly, it was different only in the sense that it was a cohesive three song symphony that was well put together - but it honestly wasn't anything more creative than, say, "Butterflies and Hurricanes." That was a song that really harkened back to "Absolution," and as such I can't see it as change.

But these three songs are change and I think I'll appreciate them even more as time passes and as their context unfolds. I'm very excited for the album.

 

I don't understand the need for such a drastic change. They're arguably one of the biggest, most successful rock bands in the world. Linkin Park changed because the genre they had pigeon-holed themselves into was crumbling at their feet. I don't see the need for such a huge overhaul of something that was amazing.

Perhaps the word I should have used instead of "experimental" was "different", as "Exogenesis Symphony" as a whole was a departure for the band. Yes they had used strings before, but ES was way more ambitious than what they had done before. It was different but familiar. This 2nd Law stuff doesn't strike the same chord with me.

There's going to be some growing pains for me for this album, I can tell. Each song has had small parts that I really enjoyed but as overall songs I don't feel they're up to Muse's usual standard, in my books.

"Survival" > "Madness"* > "Unsustainable"

* I should note that "Madness" has grown on me slightly. It was a bit of a shock at first, obviously.

 

That is understandable. But I think a lot of bands would really hate to do the same thing over and over like Muse was (Origin of Symmetry, Absolution, and Black Holes and Revelations were all a part of a very similar style). I mean, it's like you said and I think your revision was more accurate (although you were referring to only "Exogenesis," but The Resistance was a relatively small departure for the band. There was a noticeable difference. Now, I think they're really trying to depart from that and go elsewhere, and I have to say that I really like that. It's kind of cool listening to these songs and knowing that it's Muse because it just doesn't sound like them at all (especially "Madness").

Now, my concern is how cohesive this album is going to be. Clearly, it's looking to be a conceptual record in some way or form (looking through the album and track titles). The three full songs that we've been given are all completely different from each other. "Unsustainable" is the second to last track on the record. I have to wonder what they're doing and where they're going with this. But, at the same time, the nature of this difference actually makes me very excited to see what happens. The 2nd Law will be very interesting.

 

Agree with all of this. I really like Madness!

 

If anything, I'd say "Madness" sounds more like U2 than it does Queen.