Needless to say, I’ve been down-trodden by the prospect of The 2nd Law. Survival was initially a slap in the face and a slightly rockier version of Neutron Star Collision that wasn’t what the band needed and the constant quotes of a radical change could either be dismissed as banter (as the band have said this for every album since Origin of Symmetry) or fore-warning for the horrors unfolding.
So, it’s here, it’s certainly different but different doesn’t necessarily mean good.
Thankfully, The 2nd Law is, more-so than what was to be expected.
Another being Big Freeze which is the obvious spawn of Muse’s support slot of U2. The good news being it sticks firmly with U2’s earlier material and, although it has some of the album’s best guitar work, it’s largely forgettable.
Obviously, the biggest change to Muse’s aesthetic and the elephant in the room lies with the bands steeping into the murky realms of Dubstep. For me, it does work and pretty well too. In fact, I’d go as far to say that Follow Me is the best track on the album. Yes, the lyrics are cheesy (even for Muse) and yes it’s been done to death in the genre before. But for something that has all the ingredients for a colossal failure; it’s just less than four minutes of sheer brilliance and a hopeful live favourite.
Add to that The 2nd Law: Unsustainable as a great prelude and final, rocky hurrah before Isolated System and the bands brief foray into this often unbearably generic and looked upon genre is successful.
So, you’re surely thinking that, not only is The 2nd Law one of the best Muse albums, but one, if not the, best albums of the year? Well, not quite. The biggest problem surprisingly isn’t the mishmash of different genres (…mostly), length or even influence making the music too distracting.
Instead, the biggest problem is the track listing and the way the album flows. It opens up with the Bond-inspired Supremacy which, although good, doesn’t really showcase the album at all. Another is the inclusion of Prelude and Survival, which, although growers (albeit the slowest growers in the band’s entire back-catalogue), sound completely out of place on the album and stick out like sore thumbs.
Then, to top it all off, Chris Wolestenholme’s two tracks written and sung by him (a first for Muse) are paired off together as a mere afterthought near the end. Whilst lyrically a little heavy-handed in terms of subject matter (it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to work out both deal with his career-spanning battle against alcoholism), Save Me still has, not only has the best lyrics but, it’s easily the most heartfelt and sombre track on the record and it’s a shame it’s put near the end and paired off with Liquid State to seemingly separate it from everything else.
But still, despite this; The 2nd Law is a thankful return to form and far more interesting and captivating album than The Resistance. Whilst certainly not the best Muse album (by a long shot), it's not their worst either.
Whilst the cheese factor is slavered over the album to the point that it could explode in an engulfing wave of Philadelphia (that’s the cream cheese, not the city…or the Tom Hanks movie), it never reaches the absurd, Queen-esq levels The Resistance delved into.
There are, surprisingly, moments of clarity, composure and even minimalism…for Muse anyway. The best example of this being lead single Madness; built on a slow, thick electro bass, addictively sampled vocals and a simple but enjoyable beat, there’s a standard finger-picking guitar solo thrown in and big vocal numbers, but for something that’s Muse’s popiest song ever, it’s one of their best.
Keeping things simple is the krautrock inspired Animals. Featuring some of the darkest lyrics from the band ever, it’s simple but effective piano and guitar chords build and build, repetitively until a conclusion that sounds like a riot.
There are, surprisingly, moments of clarity, composure and even minimalism…for Muse anyway. The best example of this being lead single Madness; built on a slow, thick electro bass, addictively sampled vocals and a simple but enjoyable beat, there’s a standard finger-picking guitar solo thrown in and big vocal numbers, but for something that’s Muse’s popiest song ever, it’s one of their best.
Keeping things simple is the krautrock inspired Animals. Featuring some of the darkest lyrics from the band ever, it’s simple but effective piano and guitar chords build and build, repetitively until a conclusion that sounds like a riot.
Even the closing track The 2nd Law: Isolated System never overdoses to create something absurd and off-pointing. Utilising sampled fragments of news reports, piano chords that sound like a rearranged Tubular Bells and a strange club anthem beat; it’s one of Muse’s darkest concluding tracks, possibly second to Ruled by Secrecy.
On the opposite side of things with no subtly whatsoever is Panic Station; a part Scissor Sisters, part Franz Ferdinand, part Red Hot Chili Peppers (it's ok, that's the last one) pop-rock number that’s Supermassive Black Hole with the funk upped to eleven and it’s truly superb.
Another being Big Freeze which is the obvious spawn of Muse’s support slot of U2. The good news being it sticks firmly with U2’s earlier material and, although it has some of the album’s best guitar work, it’s largely forgettable.
Obviously, the biggest change to Muse’s aesthetic and the elephant in the room lies with the bands steeping into the murky realms of Dubstep. For me, it does work and pretty well too. In fact, I’d go as far to say that Follow Me is the best track on the album. Yes, the lyrics are cheesy (even for Muse) and yes it’s been done to death in the genre before. But for something that has all the ingredients for a colossal failure; it’s just less than four minutes of sheer brilliance and a hopeful live favourite.
Add to that The 2nd Law: Unsustainable as a great prelude and final, rocky hurrah before Isolated System and the bands brief foray into this often unbearably generic and looked upon genre is successful.
So, you’re surely thinking that, not only is The 2nd Law one of the best Muse albums, but one, if not the, best albums of the year? Well, not quite. The biggest problem surprisingly isn’t the mishmash of different genres (…mostly), length or even influence making the music too distracting.
Instead, the biggest problem is the track listing and the way the album flows. It opens up with the Bond-inspired Supremacy which, although good, doesn’t really showcase the album at all. Another is the inclusion of Prelude and Survival, which, although growers (albeit the slowest growers in the band’s entire back-catalogue), sound completely out of place on the album and stick out like sore thumbs.
Even ignoring how displaced Survival is, it’s nothing compared to Explorers; a long, tedious lullaby that is slow and monotonous, it might well be the worst Muse track to make it to the final cut of an album (yes, more than Screenager).
Then, to top it all off, Chris Wolestenholme’s two tracks written and sung by him (a first for Muse) are paired off together as a mere afterthought near the end. Whilst lyrically a little heavy-handed in terms of subject matter (it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to work out both deal with his career-spanning battle against alcoholism), Save Me still has, not only has the best lyrics but, it’s easily the most heartfelt and sombre track on the record and it’s a shame it’s put near the end and paired off with Liquid State to seemingly separate it from everything else.
But still, despite this; The 2nd Law is a thankful return to form and far more interesting and captivating album than The Resistance. Whilst certainly not the best Muse album (by a long shot), it's not their worst either.
Instead; it’s a surprisingly well-crafted, endearing and ultimately, likable piece that still proves the band have plenty to show which, at least for me, is more than enough.
8/10
8/10
H
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