stereosaint

muse - the resistance

muse want it all and they want it now. more often than not, though, more of everything doesn't necessarily make it better.

it's been three years since muse released their latest studio album, 'black holes and revelations', which saw them exploring new sonic territories compared to what the fans were used to from the band. they triumphantly and extensively toured in support of the album and celebrated the success of their tour by releasing the impressive live-album 'haarp'.

'the resistance', their brand new album coming out today, finds the band further exploring the sounds of the album preceding it. the album kicks things off with 'uprising', a track that in some ways reminds me of 'supermassive black hole', but incorporates some of the keys from the mellower/more operatic tracks on 'black holes...'. not a bad start, albeit an usual one for muse.

the album continues with 'resistance' which has a strong melody, a very new wave verse and a pretty decent muse trademark chorus that pretty much rocks. next track up is 'undisclosed desires' and here things starts to slide...a funky rnb beat over pizzicato strings (!) culminating in slapping (!?) on the bass. i'm thinking - are they kidding me...but unfortunately they're not.

on the remainder of the album, the three members of muse are really pushing their queen-like, operatic/orchestral thing to the max. the level of fireworks and faux explosions in the dense production of tracks like 'united states of eurasia' is tiring and leaves the listener missing the (near) excellent songwriting of 'absolution' and to some degree 'black holes...'. 'unnatural selection' finds muse revisiting heavier sounds reminiscent of 'absolution' to great success, but the french of 'i belong to you', not to mention the maroon 5-esque vibe to the sound, is subpar and the three-track symphony that closes the album feels a bit forced.

matt bellamy and muse have still got some great music in them and their performances are near flawless. 'the resistance' really showcases their abilities as diverse musicians and both the production and the sound of the album is a huge improvement over 'black holes...' but - without great songs, an album can never be anything but mediocre. after all - it's the great songs that gives a band longevity.

verdict: 5/10

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Filed under // muse music production review

watchmen - a review of sorts.

ok. so i'm not all that familiar with 'watchmen'. i haven't read the comics which are commonly regarded as pure pop art. i didn't know the characters. i do know a little about the plot but not enough to be able to explain it if asked. sometimes, though, it's great to get your hands on the directors cut of a movie and just let it roll. which is what i did in this case. and the verdict? not too bad.

the movie definitely bites off more than it can chew, but let's not get ahead of ourselves. it's set in the era of the cold war and there's a new act, put forth by president nixon preventing 'superheroes' from doing their thing. there's no such thing as superheroes (except the blue dude who's got god-like skills acquired in a nuclear accident) in 'watchmen', they are just masked/caped crusaders doing what seems or feels right in the heat of the fight. things get out of hand and ultimately people don't want them. fair enough (see the movie - you'll understand).

without giving away too much, i can tell you that the comedian has been killed. rorschach thinks his death smells fishy, while there's trouble in paradise for blue-man and miss silk spectre II. in comes nite owl II, romantic side-kick, and the genius ozymandias. the game is set and the pieces are moving. the world, of course, is at stake and our heroes-slash-villains are sick of it all...not to mention each other.

the movie is directed by zack snyder (300) and is shot beautifully. technically there is practically nothing to criticize. the action sequences are stunning and very well choreographed. i loved the lighting in the movie. the sound was flawless as well.

as far as the acting goes, the comedian and rorschach do a great job. the rest of the cast underperforms, methinks.

all in all worth the time it took to get through, but probably won't watch it again. it lacks enough emotion to really pull you in, but occasionally it rises to the challenge and delivers a few hooks that hit where it hurts.

verdict: 6/10

where things are not what they seem...

muse - the resistance

watchmen - a review of sorts.

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