I'd really rather early 2021 than late. I'm graduating next spring and new Muse before I get out of college would be a fantastic way to go out, lol. But also waiting till the end of 2021 feels like forever away. I will say though, ST still feels very new to me. It's not the kind of record you go back and pick out loads of details you didn't hear the first few times, but it is the kind with plenty of songs I'd be happy to put on repeat. The alternate reality version also holds a lot of water and keeps the material interesting....now if they can just combine the successes of the two discs into one on the next record... Actually now that I think about it, it reminds me of what the Foo Fighter's were doing in the late 00's. In Your Honor was half electric, half acoustic in a gamble to fully explore both sides of the band's sound. It had different songs on either disc but the idea was kind of similar to what Muse did with ST. Release two albums at once which ideally take the band in two different directions. The Foos followed that up with Echoes, Silence, Patience, and Grace, which I haven't listened to but I'm aware was an effort to then combine the acoustic and electric sides into a more dynamic whole. So that would be a nice idea for the next record maybe. Take the spaceyness and often stripped down quality of the second disc and combine it with the studio sheen and pop concision of the first for a more dynamic whole that meets somewhere in the middle. Not like it would be a new idea for Muse to combine disparate styles, lol.

If this was supposed to fool me it definitely hasn't done that.

Eh, 10 people voted. I think T2L might win out with a larger sample size.

I say if you can't hear the difference, then it doesn't matter. Personally I think the idea that colored vinyl can't sound as good as black is a myth. Black is just another color of plastic to melt and press, why should it be any different? But yeah, the plastic sleeves are a little safer long term. I've always appreciated what Radiohead did on the OK Computer vinyl record I bought years ago, where they included plain sleeves with plastic lining, as well as laminated paper sleeves with artwork on both sides. I keep the records in the plain ones and use the decorated ones as posters in my dorm room.

At least I can't miss their American leg because I'm in Europe, then their European leg because I'm in America if they aren't touring at all. How is it I've been a Muser since 2012, I've gone to concerts since 2015, and I still haven't managed to catch my third favorite band, Muse?! Oh this is the optimistic thread...I'm optimistic they will tour again (eventually) and I will try again to find a time to see them.

I've found a ton of brand new records are super static right out of the sleeve. It takes a good while for that to go away mostly.

Also this is definitely not all the pressings as I'm finally playing mine now and it sounds incredible, with just some crackles and pops here and there as one will have with vinyl. The guitar solo in CE was magical!

Do you think you'd ask for a replacement copy?

T2L is easily the worst. It's the least focused, has the most instances of Muse just mimicking other groups, is the least consistent in terms of quality, and has the worst flow of any Muse album. That said I still enjoy it a lot. It was the new record when I first got into Muse and it's grown on me quite a bit over the years. I've even been kinder towards Follow Me. I loved Drones when it came out and I still love it now. Heavy as heck in places with guitar solos galore, some truly excellent songs, and interesting mutations of normal song structures (mainly some sick outros). I've never fancied Matt much of a poet anyway :). ST has a couple tracks I don't care too much about, but most of it is great Muse pop!

I read some Amazon reviews of people having those problems. :( I think my vinyl discs are all fine quality and don't have any glue or anything on them. One of the things I've heard since getting into records is that there are so few operational record factories anymore, that demand often far outweighs supply and corners get cut in the record making process. Either that or the new factories that have started still don't have the process nailed down perfectly yet. I think I heard about this in an interview with someone from Jack White's Third Man Records.

very much

So I got the box for Christmas and I'm super happy with it! Especially since I didn't previously have Showbiz or OoS on vinyl (nor OoS on CD). Anyway I've just finally gotten around to comparing my old CD os Showbiz with the one from the box, and I really didn't notice much sonic difference, though the new one does have Spiral Static (and it's in the middle like on the records rather than tacked on the end) and there was definitely a different vocal in Falling Down. Wondering wether I should bother replacing the Showbiz files on my iPod with new ones ripped off the new CD. I think I'll at least add the new Falling Down with the different vocal take, label it a bonus track or something to differentiate it. Has anyone noticed any sizable improvement in sound with the new CDs? Not that Showbiz (or especially OoS, which I've yet to get to) really needed much remixing/remastering in the first place, but I'd be curious to know if any more attuned or trained ears had picked up any significant differences in sound between the new CDs and any older editions.

It's been a while, but I got a whopping OOM for Christmas and I'm a happy Muser! Gonna enjoy pouring over it all for the next few weeks while I'm home. Anyway that's off topic, figured I'd do an update on this thread since I saw it. Showbiz (2 listens today!): Showbiz Spiral Static Muscle Museum OoS: New Born CE Futurism Abso: TiRO (favore Muse song, bite me) Hysteria FAWY BH&R: MotP Starlight KoC TR (my fav): USoE Exogenesis (all three parts) UD T2L: Madness Prelude/Survival Supremacy Drones: Reapers Revolt DI ST: BITM SH Pwopopopopopaganda

TR OoS Drones BH&R Abso ST T2L Showbiz

Matt should do string arrangements for other projects on the side, and a lot of them.

This song is excellent. Just realized I wasn't paying much attention to it on first listens, but I'll put it on par with City Of Delusion now.

I go back and forth between T2L and Showbiz.

I go back and forth on the unoriginality of DD or the laziness of TC, but those are the only two I really feel any sense of dislike about.

Something Human for me. Just a gorgeously written and arranged little pop tune, but Propaganda, BITM, and Algorithm are hot on its heels.

have the PR transmissions resumed?

That makes sense. I wouldn't know about its live history since I've only been a fan since about 2012 or so.

Never got the hate for Feeling Good. It's a great cover, the definitive version of the song imo.

Algorithm to Something Human is even a smidge better I'd say.

A fun exercise to retry now that ST is out. Showbiz: Muscle Museum Sunburn Showbiz Spiral Static Fillip Falling Down Unintended Cave Uno Hate This And I'll Love You Sober Escape Overdue OoS: New Born Citizen Erased Futurism Bliss Space Dementia Micro Cuts Hyper Music Plug In Baby Dark Shines Feeling Good Megalomania Screenager Abso: Time Is Running Out Hysteria Stockholm Syndrome Falling Away With You Butterflies And Hurricanes Apocalypse Please Ruled By Secrecy Sing For Absolution The Small Print Endlessly Blackout Thoughts Of A Dying Atheist BH&R: Map Of The Problematique Supermassive Black Hole Take A Bow Knights Of Cydonia Starlight City Of Delusion Assassin Soldier's Poem Invincible Hoodoo Exo-Politics TR: United States Of Eurasia / Collateral Damage Undisclosed Desires Exogenesis (3 > 1 > 2) MK Ultra I Belong To You The Resistance Uprising Unnatural Selection Guiding Light T2L: Madness Supremacy Panic Station Isolated System Survival Animals Explorers Unsustainable Big Freeze Follow Me Save Me Liquid State Drones: Reapers Revolt Dead Inside Mercy The Handler Psycho The Globalist / Drones Defector Aftermath ST: Something Human Propoganda Break It To Me Algorithm The Void Blockades Pressure The Dark Side Get Up And Fight Dig Down Thought Contagion

Top 5 last four: USoE Reapers Revolt Madness Exogenesis (part 3 if I have to pick just one) Bottom 5 last four: Follow Me Liquid State DD TC Big Freeze I still love ST and hold it over T2L, but I think now I’m seeing those couple of duds and the shortness of it really weigh it below being one of my all time favs. TR and Drones are still better, and yes I enjoy Aftermath.