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116 of 123 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
British Ingenuity, July 20, 2006
If you are wondering if Muse's fourth studio album - Black Holes and Revelations is good, let me assure you, it is not only good, it's bloody well GREAT.
I thank my son for turning me on to Muse. Honestly, they are about the only thing musically that we have agreed upon recently. We used to have some common likes in the nineties but both traveled different roads in Y2K, he going the Hip Hop route and I heading to Europe for a dose of Femme and Symphonic Metal.
Muse of course, is neither, although they are European (UK). In the case of Black Holes and Revelations, their music is so wildly varied it defies labeling. From the angelic, harpy sounding, bombastic lead song - "Take a Bow," to the catchy rock song with piano and a strong beat - "Starlight," to the funky bass driven sound and high pitched falsetto vocal of Matt Bellamy - "Supermassive Black Hole," one might suspect they were listening to three separate bands.
Following songs like the complex, involved - "Map of the Problematique," the short but sweet slow ballad - "Soldier's Poem," the spacey Floydish slow paced, building toward a crescendo - "Invincible," to the speedy guitar driven - "Assassin," would only reinforce the feeling of different bands playing different music but sharing the same lead singer.
"Exo-Politics," a medium speed, percussion led rock number, is followed by the wonderfully complex flamenco sounding, "City of Delusion." The flamenco influence continues in, "Hoodoo," but is interrupted by a strong classical and operatic intrusion of piano and vocals. The last song, "Knights of Cydonia," is a kaleidoscope of interesting sounds and Queenesque vocal harmonies, set to a galloping beat. It is close, but this gets my vote for best song.
Song Track List
1. Take A Bow (4:35)
2. Starlight (3:59)
3. Supermassive Black Hole (3:29)
4. Map of the Problematique (4:18)
5. Soldier's Poem (2:08)
6. Invincible (5:00)
7. Assassin (3:31)
8. Exo-Politics (3:53)
9. City Of Delusion (4:48)
10. Hoodoo (3:43)
11. Knights Of Cydonia (6:06)
Band Members
* Matthew Bellamy - guitar/vocals
* Chris Wolstenholme - bass
* Dominic Howard - drums
Conclusion
It took four long years for the band to come up with a follow-up to there hit album, Absolution, but the wait was worth it. In my estimation, they not only equaled Absolution with Black Holes and Revelations but eclipsed it.
When listening to Muse I cannot help but make comparisons to the mega band of the eighties and nineties - Queen. Yes, there are definite similarities to that wondrous band: diverse, eclectic song writing, ranging from the simplistic to the grandiose; style and delivery are in many cases similar to Queen; composition and arrangements also resemble Queen and lastly their vocals and harmonizing again, remind me of Queen. Yet, with all the similarities they are so different. Yes they remind me of Queen but I didn't say the sound like Queen. Maybe a little here and there but overall, they're Muse.
Until now my favorite Muse album was Origin of Symmetry. I doubt whether I will get Black Holes and Revelations out of my Cd player for awhile. It's not the kind of album that gets old very fast - five stars.
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25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Is it change, or evolution?, December 19, 2006
It's always a troubling issue when your "new favorite band" changes their sound. However, this issue is much less troubling than the potential release of carbon copy work based on the tunes that initially endeared them to you. Whether a band can navigate this delicate issue is a testament to their talent and vision. For example, Oasis was never able to recover from the sonic delicatessen that was "What's the Story, Morning Glory?" and despite the greatness of that album, their fame ended up being of the infamous "fifteen-minute" variety. On "Black Holes and Revelations," Muse's made a decisive yet subtle sonic shift, and one that is not as pervasive as some critics would have you think.
Thanks to reviews, I had mentally prepared myself for this possible shift in Muse's sound long before I bought the album. I expected the worst, but in the end, "Black Holes and Revelations" hardly turned out to be the major change of direction that some critics have made it out to be. Admittedly, there is a little more use of the "studio as an instrument," which challenges the "liveness" of the album. "Black Holes" prominently features trumpets, orchestras, and drum machines that confront my visualization of Muse's ability to reproduce these songs in a "power trio" format.
However, this initially unfounded criticism quickly gave way to the indisputable fact of the raw talent and vision of Muse as a whole. The songs on "Black Holes and Revelations" exude the same raw intensity and passion that "Absolution" exhibited. While there is a little more "studio" window dressing, the voices of the musicians in the group are strong and confident. The compelling mix of Jeff Buckley, Radiohead, and Rush that I perceived on "Absolution" is still perceptible, sometimes additionally tempered by a little Prince, Beck, and maybe even more recent work by Adrian Belew.
Admittedly, I get a personal kick out of comparing Rush to Muse, since there really aren't many bands that I can in indulge in doing so. In all honesty, "Rush-ness" is just a small component of their sound, but one that is an old friend of mine. In the case of "Black Holes and Revelations," this element of their sound brings to mind "Power Windows," when Rush began to fully integrate the synthetic nature of the studio in their sound. This perception is undoubtedly influenced by Muse's use of subjectively inspirational text and orchestral sounds on my personal fav "City of Delusion," a tune that reminds me strongly (and nostalgically) of Rush's "Marathon." However, I would stop short of saying that this influence is direct.
The Lowdown: I can't seem to take "Black Holes and Revelations" out of my CD player, no matter how many times I spin it. While it may be a little more overtly political in its lyric approach than its predecessor, it is still a musically strong and relevant statement. It may not quite beat out "Absolution" as my favorite Muse album, but I somehow would feel wrong if I gave it any less than five stars. In fact, it may be my personal "album of the year," a title that is only contested by Mew's "And the Glass Handed Kites," an album that Muse's fans will most likely dig.
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50 of 57 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
You will burn, July 19, 2006
Muse broke out internationally with their stellar third album "Absolution," after two albums of just-as-good-but-not-well-known work.
Now they've returned with "Black Holes and Revelations," a simmering symphonic rock tapestry that expands their sound into darker territory. It's also more electronic in nature, but the core of the band still lies in their magnificent, haunting rock'n'roll and classical arrangements.
It opens with a rippling keyboard melody, which blooms out into a soaring guitar melody and lots of blippy electronica. That feeling only grows as Matthew Bellamy starts to sing of death, damnation, and corruption. "You behold/And beholden for all that you've done/And spin/Cast a spell/Cast a spell on the country you run/And risk/You will risk/You will risk all their lives and their souls..." Political? Sounds like it.
Muse heads towards more pleasant territory in the bittersweet, yearning "Starlight," as well as soft mournful balladry, and wistful pop that blossoms out into spare, sizzling electro-rock. Bellamy shows the beauty in the bleakness when he sings, "During the struggle/They will pull us down... Let's use this chance/To turn things around/And tonight/We can truly say/Together we're invincible."
But the heart of Muse is still in rock'n'roll, like Led Zeppelin fronted by Beethoven. They still specialize in walls of embroidered sound, like elaborate rock tapestries. They play symphonic rock that sweeps all over the board, explosive bass-laden rockers, and fast-paced violin rock that ends with a whisper.
Muse hasn't abandoned their sound in order to go mainstream, even after making it big on this side of the pond. Their music is still dark, lacking in hope, and meditates on wastelands, glaciers and how "There's no justice in the world/And there never was." In case you were wondering, this is not fun music.
Don't be worried about the electronica. Muse only really goes dancy on one song: the twisted love song "Supermassive," which has a hypnotic dark beat. The rest of the time, it's just another instrument in the mix. Alongside the typical rock instruments, Muse adds in cascading piano and violins, as well as a glorious trumpet and some gypsyish acoustic guitar.
Matt Bellamy has that soaring, angsty voice that would sound emo if it weren't so powerful. As it is, his pipes are strong enough to soar over the complex hard-rock, but can also drop down to a soft ballad. "You'll have to set us free/Watch our souls fade away/Let our bodies crumble away/Don't be afraid/I will take the cold for you..."
Muse score another win in their dark, powerful fourth album, full of spacey electronica and sweeping hard rock. A must-listen for 2006.
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