Album of the Week #20: "Black Holes and Revelations" by Muse

John

I've only heard the first single from this one and although I like it, I still think Muse peaked with their first two albums. Not much after has interested me. What do you lot think?

Pighead

Have to disagree. Pighead would put the albums in order of brilliance like so.
Origin Of Symmetry
Showbiz
Black Holes and Revelations
Absolution.

So basically what I'm saying is I reckon the last two albums have been their strongest with their 2nd album being their worst(still good though). Would go into it more but the 3 o clock stoppage is fast approaching.
PRESS SUBMIT REPLY QUICKLY PIGHEAD!

Attractive Nun

I don't like Black Holes and Revelations. I like Origin of Symmetry and Absolution. I think Showbiz is OK.

That is all.

DonkeyStyle \o/

I like BHaR... I found Absolution a bit too whiney.

bluto63

I thought Absolution was their best album. BHaR is a good album too, but not as good

dimerocks

BHAR is an amazing piece IMO. Map of the Problematique and Knights of Cydonia are two of the best songs the band have written. Its also nice to hear Dom improving on the drums as he was always the weak link in the band. He has come on a whole lot though I think. Great album, one of my favorite this summer

Doomspell

Black Holes and Revelations is a brilliant album, one of my favourites from this year imo. Only things is, alot of their songs sound the same, but other than that it's a great listen, would deffinately recomend it,
Matty

Xavi6

I think it's an excellent album. 'Starlight' is pushing 'Plug in Baby', 'In Your World' and 'Citizen Erased' for my favourite Muse song. Supermassive Blackhole is a catchy and funky single that appeals to the mainstream in the same way 'Time Is Running Out' did.

As with all Muse albums for me there are one or two songs that aren't the best. In this case the opening track, 'Take A Bow', is pretty weak. At the opposite end of the album though is 'Knights of Cydonia' with it's killer riffs that just sum up Muse as an amazing band.

<snip - please read the stickies before posting>

MrJoeSoap

Liked Showbiz,
Loved OoS,
Liked Absolution,
Like Black Holes...

Love Muse.

Jonny Arson

Absolution > Black Holes and Revelations > Origin of Symmetry > Showbiz

^ still all funking great albums though!

I took a bit longer for me to get into Black Holes than say Absolution, but once Black Holes is flowing through your head you can't get it out, it's yet another stunning album from Muse, 4 classics out of 4 IMO. The album is next to near perfect aside from Supermassive Black Hole and Hoodoo, Map of The Problematique, City of Delusion and the utterly monsterous Knights of Cydonia are probably the best tracks Muse have ever recorded. No one can dispute that Muse are the best British band at the moment and I still think they can make better albums than the first four

Tied with Arctic Monkeys for album of the year for me.... can't wait for November 3rd!!!

e.doobie

aw no doubt muse are the best of british music theese days... black holes is, i think, very differant to what im used to hearing from them.

absolution for me though

<snip>

hullaballoo

I would place BHaR at the top of the pile, followed by Origin of Symmetry and then Showbiz. Absolution had a few good tracks, but overall, wasn't the best.

I have to say, I think they pulled it out of the bag for their latest album.

Slutmonkey57b

Hmm difficult one. It took longer for me to get into Black Holes, but overall I enjoy it more than Absolution. First (and second and third) listen of Supermassive had me almost banging my head off the wall that they'd lost it, but it's ended up being a killer track. The change on BHaR is not so much a stylistic change as the fact that it's not as immediately "grabby" as the previous two. Both the last albums had you enthralled in seconds, this is a little bit more of a wait and see merchant, but BOY has it got legs. OoS is still their best album though. Or maybe Showbiz. But then, there's Hysteria and Stockholm from Absolution.

Balls.

Bottom line, the worst song on a Muse album is still more brilliantly crafted than most of the dreck you'll hear on any other "album of the year" candidate.

BleakestH

I am really liking BHAR at the moment, it has really hit home with me. I recently bought Absolution, and I find it has less depth and is not quite as good (although it has some stellar material of course). BHAR is second only to Origin of Symmetry imo.

MrJoeSoap

I think Showbiz has quite a good raw rock sound, OoS definitely has a more "spacey" vibe off it. Black Holes and Revelations has a certain Spanish feel to it, but I don't think Absolution has any particular musical theme to it, other than the obvious "End of the World" aspect the lyrics take on.

Here's the review I did after a couple of listens in June:

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!

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2054944233

Closing Doors

Incredibly boring album imo. It's hard to believe the same band released Origin Of Symmetry only a few years ago.

Zane from MTV2 wrote:

No one can dispute that Muse are the best British band at the moment and I still think they can make better albums than the first four

*Raises hand timidly*

I can think of better bands... Radiohead for starters. But each to their own etc.

OctavarIan

Zane from MTV2 wrote:

No one can dispute that Muse are the best British band at the moment

Why? Porcupine Tree make much better music imo.

But that being said, I really like BHAR, City of Delusion and Knights of Cydonia are fantastic. I also read that KoC was going to be a 20-minute long epic! Alas, they had to chop it down. But for their next album they've said they're going all-out prog. I'd really love to hear a 20-minute Muse epic! Can't wait for 3rd of November...

For me, the albums go like this:
Absolution > OoS > BHAR > Showbiz

Kold

I love Muse but I hate this album, something about it is just so cheesey.
Imo it's Absolution > Origin of Symmetry > Hullabaloo > Showbiz > BHaR

It's just so... overproduced? It just feels like this album could've been produced by the Darkness. It's too Queen and it's too glam, it's just really corny. There's none of the broodiness that was so excellent in Absolution and Origin.

Mushy

OoS>BHaR>Showbiz>Absolution for me. All great albums all the same, by far the best band from britain, IMO, in many years.

Standout tracks from BHaR have to be Exo-Politics, Assassin and Knights of Cydonia for me. Just something really hit on this album that makes me enjoy it so much. Possibly the bit of variety. Doms drumming has come on loads on this album. Absolution stuff would very impressive live, but I prefer the other albums more

GK¦ Ixion²

I have to say that i was thoroughly unimpressed by BHaR at first. But it grew on me after a few days of listening to pieces of it. In the end im glad that i got into the album slowly as i feel that ill enjoy the music for longer.
Map of the problematique
Knights of cydonia
Two of my favourite tracks:).

BHaR>OoS>Absolution>Showbiz
Thats the order for me, although my choices for the top three are very close together and more than likely to change every now and then.
Best British band for me atm, although i'll acknowledge that others such as radiohead could easily be either.

Kold

I actually find it so hard to understand how people prefer BHaR to Absolution.

GK¦ Ixion²

Kold wrote:

I actually find it so hard to understand how people prefer BHaR to Absolution.

I dont.
Music is ALL about personal preference,end of story.

iFight

Only really liked Starlight and one other, can't remember the name. Didnt thin kit was great at all.

mada999

dont like any of their albums....yuk.

Kold

<snip> this latest album seems to have killed my enthusiasm. They're one of my fave bands but BHaR is just so... cheesy.

Xavi6

Kold wrote:

<snip> this latest album seems to have killed my enthusiasm. They're one of my fave bands but BHaR is just so... cheesy.

In what way do you find the album cheesy? Admittedly the guitar sound isn't as raw as maybe on the likes of Stolkholm Syndrome from the last album but I like it a lot. They seem to have incorporated a lot more types of guitar sound into this album. Starlight is a fantastic song, one of their best and the likes of Map of the Problematique have really grown with more listens. Can't wait to see Knights of Cydonia live on Friday.

Kold

It's just.. not as dark as I like my Muse. There's a very poppy sound to it, as has been said before, it's quite comparable to Queen. I just really don't like this album, Absolution was an absolute cracker but I was sorely disappointed with this one.

pbsuxok1znja4r

GK¦ Ixion&#178 wrote:

Music is ALL about personal preference,end of story.

+1

Anyway...Muse. There was once a time when I could say that while Muse were not my personal cup of tea, they still had a unique sound and a bit of musical integrity. Listening to the BH&R single, I can safely say that time is over. It's radio generic tripe.

MrJoeSoap

scouser.tommy wrote:

It's radio generic tripe.

Muse? Radio generic tripe?

Xavi6

scouser.tommy wrote:

It's radio generic tripe.

Can't remember the last time I heard them on radio if ever.

MrJoeSoap

Xavi6 wrote:

Can't remember the last time I heard them on radio if ever.

That one time "Hysteria" was on some mix thingy on 98fm. I was so shocked I actually rang you!