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That Little Animal

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Posts posted by That Little Animal

    Jim Beam Welcome home sessions

    in Gigs

    Posted

    17 hours ago, Claudia O said:

    I read that lots of corporate execs where there, so it had to be more „classic“ 🤷‍♀️ 
     

    roll on 11th for the next intimate show, and todays festival? Maybe same setlist..

    Festival setlist looks great, so this was indeed a one-off. Phew.

    Better than Euro festival set. (Pressure’s gone!) When’s the last time they played both New Born and SS at a festival? 

    • Like 1

    Best Muse Album For Ages

    in Songs & Releases

    Posted

    I'm not sure what you're seeing in Muse's first albums thematically that is countercultural. It's their later albums that are explicitly communicating an anti-establishment message. 

    Showbiz is partly teenage musings about topics like love, enjoying alcohol and Matt's parents' divorce and mostly a big middle finger to the small town-sentiment that they would never make it as rock stars. They've always been quite open about their ambitions to become big and famous, which is why they never sold out, becoming huge was part of the plan. 

    Origin of Symmetry and Absolution are, in my opinion, indeed their best work. If you ask me, the quality of those albums doesn't really stem from a countercultural sense or ambition, but rather from the "we don't give a fuck what anyone thinks" attitude to songwriting that many emerging artists have that allows complete creative freedom. That, and the help of some magic mushrooms and youthful naiveté. 

    Musically and most definitely lyrically things started going downhill when they started to become explicit (and simultaneously vague) with their anti-establishment messages, and when Matt started droning on in my ears because he wanted to tell me something, rather than because he found some words to fit the song they wrote. 

    So while I think we're on the same page when it comes to our experience of which Muse albums speak to us, I think your designation of the band as potential Kings of Countercultural who lost their way is more projection than anything to do with the band's actual development. 

    I also wrote a poem. It's one of those short Japanese ones. What are they called again?

    I greet Scottish beasts
    Hello Sheep. Good morning grouse
    Hey otter. Hi coo

    LP9: WOTP Discussion/Speculation Thread

    in Songs & Releases

    Posted

    16 minutes ago, Claudia O said:

    I resisted al the temptations, I only heard snippets of the new songs in an interview here and there, and finally got my album today and listened to it in one go. Ok. 

     

    Will of the people. Great opener, I loved it! Btw, I loved „The beautiful people“ before (I don‘t say I’m a fan of MM, but I always loved this song and his version of „Sweet dreams“). Need to listen closer next time when Matt sings sheeple 🤣

    Compliance, no sorry, this is not my thing. Will be cool live I believe, but on record.. nope. Great singing, it‘s just the whole song is .. 

    Liberation. Phew! Idk, does nothing to me, may grow on me, who knows.

    Won‘t stand down - I love it! Sounds great, massive, will be great live.

    Ghosts. Beautiful! Yes, I had tears in my eyes.. thank god I haven‘t lost somebody close to me lately… comparing it to the songs on Matts solo album, it it much better recorded, produced, sung … I hope to hear it live one day, but I can totally understand if Matt decides not to, as he said in a recent interview. 

    You make me feel like it‘s Halloween. Haha yes! Funny, the Panic Station on the album 🤣 watching the video it distracts a lot from the song. I listened the CD here and to hear it after Ghosts was a but pffff… on the vinyl it‘ll be better.


    Kill or be killed, I have to say I prefer the live version! Maybe cause we first heard it live? Idk, something‘s missing on the recorded version, maybe cause it‘s not so „in your face“. 

    Verona. I like it. The words are a bit cheesy, it will grow on me I think. 
     

    Euphoria. You know, I heard a little snipped before I heard the full song, and I thought „Muse will go to Eurovision Song Contest next year 🙄“  the chorus sounds a lot like many other popsongs. But then you get guitars and drums, great singing, needs more listen abd will be exciting live 😬😁

     

    We are fucking fucked. I expected a lot, and I got a lot! I love it !  There was a moment when I thought „Oh!!!! Yesss!!“ what a surprise! I need to listen again and then tell you what it was. Next single?  Great album closer, and I think gig closer 😊 KOC is a great song, but play it before the first encore, it‘ll do fine there. 

     

    After more listens and finally watching the live-versions of the new songs, I‘m sure I‘ll change my mind here and there

    Wait, had you not listened to WOTP, Compliance and WSD all this time either? 

    • Haha 1

    LP9: WOTP Discussion/Speculation Thread

    in Songs & Releases

    Posted

    13 hours ago, Timbo59 said:

    Now that it's had a few days to sink in, here's my best to worst.

    1. Verona

    2. Kill or Be Killed

    3. We Are Fucking Fucked

    4. Euphoria

    5. Won't Stand Down

    6. Ghosts

    7. Compliance

    8. Liberation

    9. Halloween

    10. Will of the People

    I love just about every song. The last three less so, but enjoy them for the most part. Solid album, an 8 or 8.5 / 10 for me.

    1. Verona

    2. WAFF

    3. Halloween

    4. KOBK

    5. compliance

    6. Ghosts

    7. Liberation

    8. Euphoria

    9. WSD

    10. WOTP

     

    The one thing that stands out as weak to me on this album are some of the verses, which are either too simple, don’t fit with the song, are 1 on 1 copies of previous songs, or all of the above. That’s why my bottom three is the way it is. 

    • Like 1

    LP9: WOTP Discussion/Speculation Thread

    in Songs & Releases

    Posted

    8 hours ago, MartianSpaghettiRider said:

    Y’know what? Since I’m having trouble to sleep tonight (it’s still quite hot here where I live and there’s also a couple of personal issues looping in my thoughts, but nothing really serious), I’ll engage. 
     

    For example, I noticed that WOTP songs seem to be put in pairs in order to represent the opposites, or the lights and shadows, of a given theme.

    WOTP / Compliance —> The angry populist mob is trying to overthrow the government they hate / The said government and other social structures like gangs and religious cults try to get a hold of the mob by instilling a false sense of belonging and security against a difficult world

    Liberation / WSD —> The bravery and determination to let your voice be heard and go against your oppressors with a commonly shared sense of mocking sarcasm / The same bravery and determination but displayed from the single individual’s POV in an irate, ferocious light, to the point of aiming to the destructive annihilation of their oppressor

    Ghosts / Halloween —> A sincere, heart-wrenching longing for an authentically pure love lost to the pandemic / A grotesque exposition of an abusive relationship behind closed doors during lockdowns

    KOBK / Verona —> The worst survivalist instincts emerging from humans during hard times to the point of eliminating “love and compassion” / A love story born from pure passion and protection despite the world falling apart around it, as a demonstration that people can get through that without losing their humanity

    Euphoria / WAFF —> A wishful, hopeful, energic (but maybe also a little desperate?) call for a positive shock in order to soothe the pain for the current situation / A nihilist statement on human condition in relation to the global disasters happening around us… but with a good healthy dose of rebellious rage in order to carry on and ride through the storm, whatever happens.

    That’s pretty cool! Not sure they intended it, but it works out nicely that way. Seeing some of the harder to digest songs as part of a pair gives them a little extra appeal as well. 

    LP9: WOTP Discussion/Speculation Thread

    in Songs & Releases

    Posted

    Please. Discuss. There’s a new album out and I’m counting tumbleweeds here to avoid the barrage of “am I the only one who thinks Will of the People sounds like the Beautiful People?” threads posted every five minutes on Reddit. 

    Reddit is shit. Discord is shit. Kids these days don’t know how to internet. 

    • Like 3

    LP9: WOTP Discussion/Speculation Thread

    in Songs & Releases

    Posted

    3 hours ago, Dysfunco said:

    To me alot of songs on this album is a bit overwhelming and fatiguing to listen to slightly cranked up... 

    Interesting… I listened to it on repeat with my fancy headphones cranked all the way up and have not been bothered by the sound (apart from the odd and jarring volume changes in WSD).

    But when I was finally home alone and laid down to listen to it from the speakers, I couldn’t finish it because it made me very restless. 

    LP9: WOTP Discussion/Speculation Thread

    in Songs & Releases

    Posted

    16 minutes ago, Silentgod86 said:

    Interesting interview this:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AMvtyphl9rA

    Nice to see Zane ask the questions we've been discussing in this thread (raising these issues does not mean you hate the band). Matt comes off a bit naïve and optimistic perhaps, hoping for both sides to come together without outrightly denouncing them.  It's a balancing act, not quite sure if Muse is the band to bridge the political divide.

    The "common ground" thing is a bit silly when he envisions two extremes getting inspired by the same songs about essentially rising up and taking out the other side. That's like an arms dealer supplying weapons to both sides and hoping it will bring peace. 

    • Like 1

    LP9: WOTP Discussion/Speculation Thread

    in Songs & Releases

    Posted · Edited by That Little Animal

    22 minutes ago, AC46 said:

    Yeah, I would say so. Each time they do the same thing, it demonstrates their lack of creativity and takes away from it that little bit more.  So yeah, even worse.  The melodies are god awful in my opinion, and sound like Matt trying to prove he's the best vocalist on the planet or something.  

     

    I feel like they may have beaten me into submission when it comes to the cringe factor. Either this album is way less cringey than the last two (apart from the title track), or I’ve finally become immune/deaf to it. 

    • Like 1

    LP9: WOTP Discussion/Speculation Thread

    in Songs & Releases

    Posted

    42 minutes ago, Timbo59 said:

    Yeah hard to say so soon, but I think I can safely say it's above ST and Drones at least.

    ST is so hard for me to rank since the three songs I like have more staying power than anything on Drones or even TR. But the bad on that album is just so terribly bad. 

    I think WOTP has a much higher keeper/skipper ratio, but indeed, time will tell, it hasn't even been released yet :) 

    • Like 1

    LP9: WOTP Discussion/Speculation Thread

    in Songs & Releases

    Posted

    43 minutes ago, Silentgod86 said:

    What I like about the album is that there seems to be a genuine sincerity to lyrics. There's usually a filter where they seem to moulded into what Muse should sound like, a bit abstract. The song writing on WOTP is a bit more streamlined and a bit clearer what Matt is intending with the lyrics. Still cringey though but that's been there from the start and it wouldn't be a muse without a fair bit of cringe. 

    Not sure where I would rank the album, recentcy bias, maybe 5th or 6th after the first 4 or 5 albums respectively.


    The vocal delivery and diction contributes a lot to the cringe factor post-Resistance for me as well, and it's a lot better on this album. It makes it sound more sincere despite the lyrics. It's not as constipated, faux-urgent or broadway-esque. For example, musically, the verses in Euphoria are pretty much identical to Thought Contagion, but the delivery is so much less embarrassing. (This may be a bad example since TC has the absolute worst lyrics so anything is less cringey than that one.)
     

    LP9: WOTP Discussion/Speculation Thread

    in Songs & Releases

    Posted · Edited by That Little Animal

    Alright. This is some great stuff.

    For some reason it feels like they’ve been taking risks on the last few albums that didn’t quite pay off. This time they’re still taking risks and most of the time it lands perfectly. 

    Verona is an absolute highlight. Like RBS and Glorious having a synth baby. 

    Halloween nails what more recent songs in the ‘bonkers’ category failed to do: the verses, choruses solos and bridges form one cohesive song, you don’t have to cringe in between the good bits. Best groove in their catalog. 

    Euphoria is Thought Contagion, TIRO and Revolt having a baby. Not sure we needed that. 

    Ghosts sound like it would have been the best song on Cryosleep. Great piano ballad. The lyrics lack the awkwardness that gets in the way of enjoying some of their other recent ballads (‘The great reset’ line is a bit odd though). I just feel like the vocals could be better. Matt sounds impeccable on Verona, Ghosts feels like it could have used a couple more takes. 

    I feel Liberation is the weakest of the previously unheard songs. It’s ‘Muse doing queen’, and nailing that same sound, but the song is no USoE. Also, if this is a song about BLM I either don’t get the lyrics or Matt doesn’t get the movement. 

    WAFF is taking a risk and sticking the landing. The sound of the intro and verses really nail a sound they haven’t mastered before, and it really suits Matt’s voice. The choruses are a brilliant invitation for what should be one of the best stadium chants out there. The bridge is like a modern snippet from ‘we didn’t start the fire’, but luckily not too long. The outro sounds like they were trying write a new set closer to finally replace KoC, but instead they just ended up with KoC again. That’s a good thing, I think. 

    EDIT: Updated what songs Euphoria reminds me of. 

    LP9: WOTP Discussion/Speculation Thread

    in Songs & Releases

    Posted

     

    47 minutes ago, Clunge said:

    Would love to see the piano make a real comeback on this tour.

    I hope so too. Perhaps the brief comeback of Space Dementia was a bit of a warmup exercise. 

    Then again, Ghosts will be the most piano-heavy track and I believe Matt already mentioned they might not attempt to play it during this tour. 

    LP9: WOTP Discussion/Speculation Thread

    in Songs & Releases

    Posted

    31 minutes ago, Silentgod86 said:

    Looks like the press tour is starting, Guardian Interview here which effectively confirms that Ghosts was mostly like retitled from the Great Reset. Interesting interview though, nice to see some reconciliation between what Matt used to say and what he believes in these days.

    I wonder if Matt is volunteering all this info about his evolving viewpoints because he wants to clear the record, or if he’s asked about it because of the album’s political themes. 
     

    ‘The Great Reset’ sounds like it was an attempt at bait and switch trolling, since it’s a song about losing loved ones to Covid. Good thing he changed it though, it would have never landed. 

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