Length: 53:49
Label: Helium 3, Warner
Producer: Muse, Nero
The sixth album by British rock group Muse was released just a few days ago. Like most other Muse albums, this record has had some mixed reviews. Some love it, but others say it leans too heavily on Queen, something they've been accused of doing before. But you aren't here to read other people's opinions. If you're reading this, than chances are you want to hear my take on it.
The 2nd Law kicks off with Supremacy, a catchy song that has ridiculous lyrics that at the same time almost expect you to take them seriously. Great bass line, great riffs. Next up we've got Madness, a song about the conflicts in a relationship that has a pop feel similar to "Undisclosed Desires" off their previous CD. Very catchy song. Panic Station, the next track, would fit right in with a Queen album, sounding a lot like "Another One Bites the Dust." The next song is one many of us heard at the Olympics a couple of months ago. "Survival" also has a very Queen-like feel, but unfortunately lacks a catchy chorus to keep people singing along. Follow Me is a decent song that has Muse sounding like U2 back in the early 90's, right around the time of Achtung Baby and Zooropa. Animals changes the feel of the album we've had thus with an acoustic sound that changes back to an electric halfway through the song. Like Survival, this song also lacks a chorus that can listeners can really feel and hear and the last minute sounds like a riot. The 2nd Law slows down in our next song, Explorers. At almost six minutes, this song has a more progressive feel than the previous songs. While one would expect the song to speed up about halfway through, it never does. Big Freeze speeds things up a little again with a catchy guitar melody, especially near the end of the song. Mat Bellamy gives up the microphone to bass player Chris Wolstenholme for the next two songs. His voice is okay, but very different from Bellamy's style we've all grown used to. Liquid State brings back the almost metal feel that Supremacy had, but much harder. Wolstenholme's voice fits in with the song very well, and it has a fairly good chorus that's easy to follow. The next song, The 2nd Law: Unsustainable, mixes techno and dance music with some more classical elements. The only thing I didn't really like about this song is that it didn't have any singing really. A very radical change from their earlier music. Followed up is the last song on this abum, The 2nd Law: Isolated System. This brings out the classical elements briefly seen in Unsustainable, but still doesn't have any singing. The only words in this song are given by different news stations that reference the Second Law of Thermodynamics, which says that an isolated system based on endless growth is unsustainable. Isolated System eventually picks up about two-thirds of the way through with a more poplike beat that's added to the piano melody that's been going on throughout the song. After another minute or so, the song fades out, ending the album.
The Good:
While Muse not-so-subtly combines elements of other popular music groups like Queen, U2, and Radiohead, they do it in a way that makes something relatively new that's also very catchy, no matter how ridiculous the lyrics are. Their songs remind you of other songs, but not in a bad way. They're very catchy, creative songs that act ludicrous while at the same time expect you to take them seriously, and there's a charm to that that I can't quite explain. The 2nd Law isn't as good as some of their previous albums, but it's got a few great songs in here.
The Bad:
A good number of the songs don't have very...identifiable choruses. They can be hard to sing along to. That's a bad thing when you want to have hit songs that get a lot of airplay.
This is a concept album. A very blatantly concept album. Muse takes their 2nd Law idea with the economic collapse and apocalyptic war and shoves it in your face from the first ten seconds of the record. Because of this, The 2nd Law feels like a soundtrack. That's good for those like me that don't mind concept albums, but for a lot of Muse fans that The 2nd Law won't be anything they expected, and they'll hate it. There are times in this record when the Queen influence does show a little too much, but I'm willing to ignore that and consider the songs at face value.
The Rating:
3.5 stars. Had some good songs, but there were also a few songs that were just weak. Still recommended for everyone to try. Not everyone will like it, but it's one of those things you've got to try listening to before you can really decide honestly whether you'll like it or not.
Top Songs:
Supremacy
Liquid State
Madness
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