Muse - Black Holes and Revelations

Having heard all the songs from the new Muse album, I think I'll give it a mini review. Not really suited for the reviews forum though, its only my initial thoughts on the tracks, nothing too serious. Oh, and obviously I'm not any music expert! Would like to hear other Muse fans opinions of the album.

Take A Bow - Not a huge fan of this track, the intro sounds like something you could make in a few minutes on some basic PC music software. It's quite 'faux-epic', and very angry. The lyrics are furious, and it's pretty clear who they're aimed at. The song never really gets going, although it threatens to do so quite a bit. Definitely not vintage Muse.

Starlight - Me likee! Very simple, straightforward and feelgood. More pop than usual, but I can see this being a definite single. Just a very good song.

Supermassive Black Hole - It's grown on me, but its still a bit 'meh'. Looking forward to seeing it live though, it could definitely be a great live track.

Map of the Problematique - Quite a good song, I've seen it live and wasn't too impressed though. They have drafted in a keyboardist for playing it live, which is an interesting move. No real memorable riff to capture my imagination though.

Soldiers Poem - Nice, quiet, short, easy to listen to but not exactly ground-breaking stuff. Unsurprisingly its a war-themed song, but nowhere near as furious as Take A Bow.

Invincible - Starts with a slow and steady military-style beat, the lyrics really remind me of Blackout from Absolution (which isn't exactly a good thing). "But please, please let's use this chance to turn things around". Just when you think this one is going to fade out and never be played again, a nice bass riff appears from nowhere, followed by probably the best Matt Bellamy solo (on an album at least) yet! Matt's voice deliberately changes for the last chorus to give it a more real/live sound, which is a nice touch. Decent song, just about saved by a great solo.

Assasain - Quite a QOTSA intro, followed by a nu-Metallica riff. Again, quite a political theme in the lyrics. The 'breakdown' (my best way of describing it!) part at the end reminds me of Butterflies and Hurricanes. Nothing good to say about this one, to be honest.

Exo-Polotics - Have been familiar with this one (in its numerous guises) for quite a while. Probably one of my favourite songs on the album, starts off with a nice riff, and kicks in quite well. Has a good, consistent flow to it and I can see Matt doing something cool with the solo when playing it live. Yet again, there is a definite political edge to this one.

City of Delusion - Acoustic-based, this one has quite a Mexican feel to it, and even has a trumpet towards the end. Don't like the intro but it comes to life a little in the mid-section before ending quite well with the horns. Didn't like it first time round but its growing on me a bit.

Hoodoo - Again, there is a Spanish feel to this track. Some nice chords in there, let down by some slightly lazy and whiney vocals. Sounds great when the light percussion kicks in though. Until the heavy part kicks in, its a great song to fall asleep to I'd say. Piano comes in half way through, and has a slightly Origin of Symmetry (/Rachmaninov) feel to it. Ends quietly and is soon forgotten...

Knights of Cydonia - Galloping hooves, lasers, sirens... Mexican wailing. And thats all in the first thirty seconds! This song really builds itself up! Then comes the buzzing riff with a galloping drum beat, sounds excellent and different, which is always a good thing. Layered vocals fit it perfectly, and the lyrics are the best on the album (in my opinion anyway):

"Come ride with me through the veils of history,
I'll show you a God... falls asleep on the job"

Some Queen-like layered and harmonised vocals follow... And then...

The riff I'd been waiting for! Bout feckin time too! Superb way to close the album.

Overall

Very political lyrics, not nearly as good as any of the past three albums. Showbiz and OoS were packed with great songs, and Absolution was saved by a handful of great songs. This, on the other hand, only has a couple of standout tracks. A bit of a disappointing effort to say the least, I'd give it a 7 out of 10 at the most (and thats only because I'm still on a high after the closing riff in Knights of Cydonia). Still, I always like the songs more after I've seen them live!