New Releases 9/15/09

Moving on to this week’s releases…

There were actually a lot of new releases this week. Were there a lot that I’ll be adding to my library? No…just one really, but we’ll get to that one. Some older, well-known acts released new albums, and this seems to be a big week for metal fans, too, with four bands in the genre releasing albums.

I said yesterday that this week had me super-stoked. Why? Well, you might have heard me mention a little band called Muse before. They are my all-time favorite band by far. I won’t really go into why that is right now. I’ll save that for a future blog. Anyway, they released their fifth studio album, The Resistance, on September 15th.

I’ve been waiting for this one for a LONG time. I absolutely LOVE their first four albums, and lead singer/guitarist/keyboardist Matt Bellamy said that they really wanted this album to be their best ever. So naturally, I got pretty stoked about this release. Then when they finally released the new single “Uprising,” I was…a little disappointed. It wasn’t love at first listen like I really hoped it would be. But I listened to it a few more times, and it started to grow on me. Then I listened to another song they released, “United States of Eurasia,” and my disappointment deepened. It’s not that their bad songs. Not at all. It’s just…when a band has become the epitome of everything you could want from a band, and you set your expectations sooo high for that next album, it stings a little when it doesn’t quite deliver. I was hoping that maybe they just weren’t releasing the best stuff, ya know? But now that I have the album, and after listening to it a few times, I like it. Don’t get me wrong, it’s good, and it still sounds like Muse. But it’s hard to admit that I just like this one, after LOVING the last four. I was talking with someone about it tonight, and they really summed it up perfectly. It’s like Muse is now TRYING to sound like Muse. Does that make sense? It made sense to me, and I agreed wholeheartedly.

Again, it’s not a bad album. I like it. Was it everything I hoped it would be? No. But here are a few highlights for you, if you’re interested. The Exogenesis symphony is by far the best sound on the album. Matt said he’d been writing this one for years, and it really shows that a lot of work went into it. So far, the third part, Redemption, is my favorite, but I really love the whole thing (it’s only three parts). “Uprising” is a good tune too, though I could just be saying that because it’s had the chance to really grow on me. Both “Resistance” and “Undisclosed Desires” are off to a good start. I liked them from the get-go, and I’m sure they’ll grow further, as I listen to the album more. So far, I’m just lukewarm on the rest of The Resistance, though I think I can say right now that I’m not too sure if “Guiding Light” is ever going to truly rub me the right way. Here's the brand spanking new video for "Uprising," so see what you think for yourself. Oh, and for the record, Matt Bellamy is definitely the sexiest man alive. ;)

Before I run off for today, I would like to say that I made a couple of discoveries this week. Grinspoon and The Big Pink were other bands to have releases this week, and I had never heard of either of them. I kinda liked what I listened to though, so I think I might check them out a little more thoroughly. In case you're interested, check out "Comeback" by Grinspoon and "Dominos" by The Big Pink.