'Resistance' is Futile
The current state of rock music may be exemplified in one lonely album this year. The Resistance is Muse’s fifth studio album, released on September 14, 2009. Front man Matt Bellamy is the driving force behind this latest effort, accompanied as always by his trusty rhythm section: Chris Wolstenholme on bass and Dominic Howard playing drums.
The album serves as an aggressive follow-up to Black Holes and Revelations, which despite being an album that fans tend to rally around, was met with mostly tepid reviews. I suspect The Resistance may meet a similar fate. The hardcore fan base Muse has amassed over time will remain loyal, while critics scoff and wonder what the big deal is. Though Muse’s bag of tricks hasn’t seemed to change much, this album is certainly a departure from their hard rock roots. With hypnotizing beats and thunderous guitar riffs, all over a thick, ceremonious layer of synth, Bellamy’s falsetto carries the album to weird, oftentimes genre bending territory.
Beginning with Uprising, a spiteful little number which seems to be more of a call to arms than an opening track, the album establishes a playfully dark tone. The album’s title track, The Resistance The tired comparisons to Queen are all too relevant here, especially with United States of Eurasia. This song starts off beguilingly somber, lulling listeners into a melancholy stupor, after which a series of crescendos mark the ensuing chaos. Upon first listening, I actually thought this song had to be some sort of tongue-in-cheek joke. Guiding Light proves to be one of Muse’s more sappy ballads; however, it provides an impressive melodic display while still maintaining a mysterious yet unreserved ambience. Unnatural Selection will undoubtedly be a fan favorite with its ominous guitar hooks and spitefully crafted lyrics. provides a concise opening statement of sorts, while still maintaining Muse’s alluring charm.
Something must be said of the operatic I Belong to You (Mon Coeur S'Ouvre A Ta Voix). With a middle section sung entirely in French, and a peculiar bass clarinet solo on top of that, the song has a certain merit, despite being borderline silly. One of the more unusual numbers on the album, I Belong to You seems to serve as a dreary transition for what follows.
Perhaps most remarkable of all is the 13 minute symphony which concludes the album. Dubbed Exogenesis: Symphony, this section is separated into three parts: Overture, Cross-Pollination, and Redemption, respectively. Though the symphony is a strong display of Bellamy’s ability to arrange music, it seems rather anticlimactic after the barrage of metallic bubblegum pop and trite Orwellian doublethink.
Bellamy’s lyrics have been bizarre at times; however, they’re always peppered with fairly straight forward cries of rebellion. It seems that in those regards evolution is not particularly high on the creative priority list. The album is saturated with Orwellian themes throughout. Not a big surprise coming from Bellamy, a man whose interest in conspiracy theories has been apparent from day one. With all the towering grandeur Muse can muster, The Resistance has an ambitious scope—perhaps overly ambitious. This may be the very thing that Muse fans admire about the album. With the mundane pressures of everyday life, Muse’s epic grandiosity aptly serves as a utopian escape. Ultimately though, The Resistance offers an idealist sound in a post idealist world. It jealously vies for attention like a screaming child with nothing new to say. While impressive, and at times, even brilliant, The Resistance spreads itself a bit too thin in the long run. Still though, in this time of never ending war and seemingly hopeless economic squalor, the thesis of this album will resonate over time: love is our resistance.
Top 5 Music Meltdowns
Kanye gives two thumbs up for being a D-bag
With the recent media debacle over Kanye's rant at the VMA's, we at the Inferno feel it's especially poignant now to discuss some of the more notorious meltdowns throughout the history of modern music. As surprising as it may seem, the notoriety West has achieved is not uncommon in the music world. Oftentimes hilarious, and sometimes tear-jerkingly tragic, many musicians have an unusually keen knack for creating controversy. Let's discuss:
#5) Radio, Radio
On December 17, 1977, Elvis Costello was invited to play at Saturday Night Live (way back when it was still good). Costello wanted to play the number "Radio, Radio" from his new album, but the record executives wanted him to play an already established hit ("Less Than Zero"). In a move straight out of the punk rock playbook, Costello stopped playing Less Than Zero after a few seconds, famously saying, "I'm sorry, ladies and gentlemen, there's no reason to do this song here." He went on to play Radio, Radio instead. Costello wasn't invited back to SNL again until 12 years later.
#4) James Brown Drunk
Yes, it's exactly like it sounds. The Godfather of Soul himself, singer of inspired hits such as "I Got You (I Feel Good)" and "Get Up (I Feel Like Being a) Sex Machine," James Brown was accused of assaulting his wife with a lead pipe and shooting a gun at her car. A clearly inebriated Brown appeared in a television interview shortly after. When asked about the incident, Brown simply spouted out lyrics from various songs of his, artfully avoiding questions regarding the problems with his (soon to be ex) wife. Brown repeatedly reminded the interviewer, "This is a man's world."
#3) The State of Florida v. James Morrison
Jim Morrison had a theatrical personality to say the least. Once at a Doors concert in 1969, he attempted to incite a riot. Though the effort was unsuccessful, Morrison was later brought up on indecent exposure and obscene language charges. Allegedly, Morrison revealed himself to the crowd and simulated a sex act. Morrison in an interview, an unusually articulate Morrison said, "What we were testing down there is the issue of artistic freedom of expression, and it's a significant issue." Morrison was indeed found guilty, though he remained free on a $50,000 bond, pending an appeal. Sadly, Morrison died before the appeal was heard.
#2) Michael Jackson
Enough said (RIP, Michael).
#1) Bigger than Jesus
On March 4, 1966, John Lennon famously said in an interview, "Christianity will go. It will vanish and shrink. I do not know what will go first, rock 'n' roll or Christianity...We're more popular than Jesus now." It certainly struck a chord with religious fanatics, including terrorist organizations like the KKK. Though Lennon eventually apologized for how it was interpreted, many conservative groups went as far as staging public burnings of Beatles records. Only someone with the larger-than-life ethos of Lennon could have maintained such a prolific career after saying such a thing, and that's why he's number one in my book.
John Lennon, not a D-bag
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