Muse
Absolution
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There’s something about Muse. If a bat out of hell were to weep and take monstrously deep breaths between stanzas, then he might very well sound like Matt Bellamy, the frontman for this anything but understated trio from the UK. The Radiohead comparisons are apt but overused. Still it’s a starting point for fans of Yorke’s vocal style to pursue this band as attentively as they would Mr. Thom and crew. As much as Bellamy has a tendency to bask in the falsetto of those he admires, the band as a whole still brings something new to the table in a way that is visceral and attention-grabbing. Somewhere between uninhibited recklessness and hushed timidity lies this inferno of a band. They annihilate then breathe new life into rock and roll all within the span of a few minutes and it’s time they get some buzz to back them up. Their latest effort, Absolution, solidifies their strengths as the English band everyone should be listening to instead of Coldplay.

Whereas Starsailor and Travis devolved and fizzled out with lackluster efforts, Muse have managed to evolve without even modifying their sound. For fans of their astonishing debut Showbiz, there is still the sporadic maudlin ballad about chicks (“Endlessly”), only this time there’s a bit of a dance beat for those with happy feet. But the overall ambiance that the band induces remains in tact. Not only do they unexpectedly rock harder than anything they’ve done previously, but the arrangements are also tighter, produced with more dynamic gallantry. Sure it’s excessive at times, but also eccentrically engaging.

Clearly Bellamy has been having post-apocalyptic visions after being inundated with images of war and the infamous burning Bush, and it shows right from the get go. When the album begins, you know which band you are listening to because they are one of the few that combine both Rachmaninoff-style classical pianos along with charcoal grunge riffs and panicky vocals as if his voice box was shaking along with the snare beads. The standout track is “Hysteria” because the guitars manage to capture that frenzy the title track suggests and is followed by one of the prettier ballads of their career, showcasing their dichotomy. They manage to assimilate drop D hardcore with industrial twinkling in such a bombastic manner that you can’t help but cheer them on, even if you’ve heard it all before in a less significant song on alternative radio. “Thoughts of a Dying Atheist” enfolds a gorgeous harmony that sounds like it has been swiped from a 1930s European canzone spaced around with pulse-pounding, fast-paced 1970s punk rock vitality. “It scares the hell out of me/and the end is all I can see” sings Bellamy, and although lyrically, it is still on the high school poetry front, each song resonates deeper with a solid, albeit typical concept about Judgment Day. One of the sexier examples of what Muse is capable of is the startlingly fuzz-bass boogie of “Time Is Running Out” which sounds like the Eurythmics fronted by Jeff Buckley. The track builds to a truly rocking climax that proves only three tracks in that this band is the real thing. “Butterflies And Hurricanes” is also just a jaw-dropping track about self-determination that leaves you gasping in its orchestrated psychosis.

Overall the record seems to be about facing the inevitability of death, as well as forgiving yourself, and yet at the same time, embracing the passion of existence while still you can. Simplistically, I’m sure anyone would label this record anything but vague thematically because Bellamy belts out lines like “It’s the end of the world” like an over-amplified wedding vow. But it seems that they’ve finally reached their pinnacle, making this the must-see live band of the year. I know there are folks out there who find Muse to be completely derivative, desolate and uninteresting. I first wrote them off as a whiny garage band who simply heard The Bends and just decided to do whatever they could to sound just like that, and their first record Showbiz exemplified that in a such a imitative way, but managed to endear itself to me nevertheless, especially when a song like “Unintended” shows up halfway through. I’m a sucker for romantic crooners who also, on the same record, simultaneously pulsate like a rampant bonfire. But this time out with a record as strong as Absolution, Muse have managed to divest their weaknesses, all the while taking their strengths of their last two efforts and build on them in a way that sounds completely unforced. This is an overseas import that is more than worthy of the same success here in the states that they’ve already garnered in the UK.

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