Map of the Problematique is pretty high up there. But if I were to do a proper top 10, it'd mostly be Absolution tracks.
I’m listening to a ton of Muse this weekend because of the new album. Man... Origin of Symmetry is still one of the greatest albums I’ve ever heard. This is probably the only band where I’m one of those “their old stuff was the best” snobs, but very few other albums by any band rival their early albums for me.
I always kind of forget how talented of a piano player Matt Bellamy is until I re-listen to their old albums. The man is just insanely multi-talented musically.
Went to pick up the new album and was surprised to find Target was out of stock. The market for CDs definitely isn’t dead and I wish Best Buy didn’t discontinue carrying them.
The super deluxe really saves the album for me. The album itself is good but the alternate versions are what make this even more special and interesting. Algorithm (Alternate Reality) - just wow on an epic scale, everything I love about Muse. The Dark Side (Alternate Reality) - beautiful, just as good as the original if not better. Pressure (F/ UCLA Marching Band) - not a big fan of the original but live horns do make this better. Propaganda (Acoustic) - not too different from the original, but still cool. Break It To Me (Remix) - really like this one too, especially the violin with the middle eastern vibe. Something Human (Acoustic) - so much better then the original, doesn’t fit with the theme of the album so I see why it wasn’t on there. Thought Contagion (Live) - also enjoy. Dig Down (Acoustic Gospel) - this version is a cool new take on the song, but can’t say I prefer one over the other since I did find myself liking the album version more then I did as a single (making the song the penultimate track helped along with the added changes to the song from its single version) The Void (Acoustic) - also beautiful. Matt Bellamy really shines here in his singing and piano playing. Liking this version more then the original. The Dark Side (Alternate Reality Instrumental) - beautiful, short and a perfect ending paired with the void before it to this whole super deluxe thing. I don’t usually enjoy bonus content as much as I do here. I find having alternate versions of the majority of the tracks to be a really cool concept. Without it I might have found the album to be lacking and missing something more grand and beautiful which is what I love about this band when they do it right.
Personally, I always hate when artists release remixes or "alternate editions". But I did like this album overall. The only two clunkers for me are Break It To Me and The Void. High points for me would be Blockades and Pressure. Overall, a solid B from me and probably in my top 10 for the year, but that's more because I feel like this years releases have been so weak
The only thing I dislike about the super deluxe version of the album is that it's called "Super Deluxe"
GA pit tickets are over $100 face value. Had two in my queue and just couldn't bring myself to justify that cost right now. I usually see them on every tour but I might have to miss this one (unless I change my mind and StubHub them)
Hmm I've never really listened to that much Muse, just causally over the years, but I'm enjoying this new one quite a bit. I like how all over the place it is, and Pressure is such a fun song, one of my favorites I've heard from them. The whole thing is a little corny, as this band has been for years, but it's so much fun that I don't really care. I probably should go back to those early albums one of these days.
Wow this really underperformed first week. Debuting at #13 with only 38k (that's sales plus streaming). To put into context, Drones debuted at #1 with around 90k. This is their first album in over 12 years to not debut in the Top 10.