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Can we formally make this the new Muse thread? Here's my personal ranking: 1. Absolution 2. Black Holes and Revelations 3. Origin of Symmetry (BH&R is just more fun, sorry) 4. Showbiz (TBH I don't really listen to this one much, I just acknowledge that it's higher quality) 5. The Resistance 6. The 2nd Law 7. Simulation Theory 8. Will of the People 9. Drones On Resistance they still sound like themselves, but there's clearly trouble on the horizon. I still really like the last 3 tracks, I liked them going all-in on the pretentious classical operatic stuff, not for a whole album but just a mini-suite. That worked for me. "Uprising" was so lame and obvious though, even at the time, and they keep trying to re-make it on every album now for some reason. 2nd Law is a pretty good album if you totally rearrange the tracklist, but production-wise they definitely no longer sounded like themselves. Among other things, I feel like a telltale sign is you can't hear Matt's trademark intakes of breath. Obviously the bigger issue is the same issue as pretty much every aging rock band, where it sounds like at no point were they ever in the same room playing together, everything's to a click, the drums are pretty obviously overdubbed, etc. All of the above is even worse on Drones because most of the songs are supposed to be pretty heavy, but they sound totally digital. Some of them are fun despite the production, but most of them are pretty lifeless. Some of the songwriting is pretty bad too; Mercy, Defector, Revolt, and Aftermath are all pretty disposable and pale imitations of what they used to do. At least 2nd Law was different. And then "The Globalist" (yikes at that title nowadays) is trying so hard to be epic but just doesn't really stick the landing. And of course, the lyrics make all this a hundred times worse. And then the last 2, they're still in that same zone, treading water. I think they were a little better because they weren't really even trying to sound like they used to. "Pressure" is an extremely solid song, and I also unapolagetically -- well okay, maybe apologetically -- love the Halloween song. But then you also have songs like "Will of the People" which is borderline unlistenable.
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Jan 19, 2024 20:58
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| # ¿ May 8, 2024 11:23 |
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