British modern-prog rockers Muse have released a song from their upcoming album The Resistance to their fanbase in a tedious six-part cycle, executed in the form of a treasure hunt for USB sticks.
The song, called "United States of Eurasia," is the first hint of new Muse since the band made its US commercial breakthrough in the modern rock radio format with Black Holes and Revelations, which featured dance and pop-oriented songs "Starlight" and "Supermassive Black Hole." In style and spirit, though, the new song is a bit more like the first US hit off Black Holes, "Knights of Cydonia." This new track harks back to the grand chorus in "Knights" which was itself a hook borrowed from '70s glam rockers Queen. In the new track, Muse pushes the envelope of borrowing from Queen, by featuring Arabian-styled orchestral interludes, a "We Are the Champions"-style guitar-undermelody leading into the chorus, and finally histrionic chanting at the end of the track with heavily overdubbed choral vocals. And that's before it fades into a recitation of some Chopin, under the title of "+Collateral Damage." The lyrical content follows from Matt Bellamy's known fascination with New World Order and conspiracy theory, but is ultimately rather banal and predictable.
Fan and critic reaction to the song has been mixed, but somewhat critical of the degree to which the band borrows from Queen. Apparently these are reviewers who have never heard "Knights" (or seen its over-the-top video featuring cowboys), listened to their 2nd album Origin of Symmetry, or noticed Matt Bellamy's penchant for channeling Brian May in the solos of songs like "New Born" or "Hysteria." Ultimately, like "Knights," I suspect this is the most outlandish track on the album — a suspicion addressed by drummer Dom Howard in an interview in Q magazine: "Not everyone gets the Monty Python aspect to our music, but it's there...We like to have an over-the-top bit in each album where we will laugh our heads off each time we hear it."
Article comments
1 - Lukeskymac
I would hardly call this a review; more like a negative description of an underrated song.
2 - Anne
a music lovers' delight. it starts with a clap along anthem type crowd pleaser, and ends with a 3 part symphony. muse manages to cover just about everything in between, pop, rock, classical, metal, opera, alternative, accoustic, electronica, cultural. good luck labelling it. the only thing i can't find is country, but i'm still listening. sure, you can compare them to queen, u2, rachmaninoff, acdc, gershwin, and arinelli, but that's the beauty of it for those who are bored with one dimensional music.
3 - annonymous
i agree with Lukeskymac...beauty is in the eyes of the beholder....or in this case quality is in the ears of the beholder.
4 - Pedro
another low life criticizing geniuses. great!!
5 - t.rex
I really don't see what's the problem with Muse sounding like Queen. That is only an issue if a) they do not have the talent to pull of a Queen style song or b) at least ten other well-known bands since Queen have attempted their style, and any other band attempting to follow that overly-trodden route as well is just setting themselves up for trouble. Fortunately, it is neither. So again I ask, what is the problem with Muse channeling Queen? Both bands have a lot in common. For starters, they're massively talented, they're both blessed to have bold, versatile and powerful lead singers with incredible piano skills, virtuoso guitarists, quiet but talented bassists and epic drummers. Second, they're not afraid of putting their epic and quirky ideas to paper, something that is DESPERATELY needed in a time when bland indie bands are constantly showered with what I deem to be at times undeserved attention. Third, the eccentric frontmen for both bands do catch attention for their, well, eccentricities. And sometimes get in trouble for it, but they don't care. Fourth, both bands are sometimes undeservedly savaged or underrated by critics, yet their fans don't care (thank God, it means we're a loyal bunch). And the most important and final point, both bands are legendary for their live shows. Queen has been rated as one of the best live bands of all time (THE absolute best, in my opinion), and Muse carries the same distinction. So should we not thank our lucky stars that we are blessed with another band that even comes close to the brilliant epicness that was Queen, without being carbon copies of them? Or will Muse be another band that we'll only learn to fully appreciate after the lead singer dies as well? I hope not.