Muse - Black Holes and Revelations
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19 August, 2006 07:02
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This is the band that has often been compared to Radiohead, owing mostly to Matt Bellamy’s high-pitched vocals. Their latest work, however, probably breaks that comparison as they have gone on to move in different directions musically. We often do that though, whenever we hear of any new material. Who do they sound like? What other artist/band does a certain track remind you of? However, they aren’t exactly new, Black Holes and Revelations is their 4th studio album (not counting their last release, Hullabaloo, a double album featuring a collection of b-sides and recordings of some songs from the 2001 Le Zenith performance) and on first listen, it is quite noticeable how much they have progressed musically. Progression entails change, and this they have done. Don’t expect it to be a continuation of ‘Absolution’.
They have expanded their sound, taken new approaches as they continue to experiment with styles outside of their home genre, clearly heading somewhere - although they might not even know where yet. This takes guts. Few people have truly appreciated this on first listen, many simply dislike their music due to Bellamy’s high-pitched vocal renditions, others were expecting another ‘Absolution’.
But, seriously, if you are well into deep, clever music, listen to this album with an open mind, pay close attention to the lyrics, (which are supplied) both in meaning and poetically and digest the whole infusion of sound, from electro-stomp and pop-synth to blazing guitars and distinctive piano playing. It’s amazing just how stunningly well crafted their music is…And back on the subject of comparisons, some of these new sounds bear a slight resemblance to bands such as Queen and Depeche Mode, maybe not as distinct at first. They have always proved to be experimental, more so on their use of unorthodox instrumentation such as church organs and Mellotron. Thom Yorke’s vocal style probably did inspire Bellamy, so did classical Russian pianists Sergei Rachmaninov and Tchaikovsky and guitar legends such as Jimi Hendrix and Tom Morello. Blend it all, and the distilled product are Muse, and this approach has earned them a true legendary status.
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