TheMuseSmurf Posted July 6, 2011 Share Posted July 6, 2011 Not spotted a thread for this yet, don't shoot me down if there is BH+R is 5 years old this week, having been released on the 3rd July 2006 Still sounding as fresh as ever Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JaHawk2009 Posted July 6, 2011 Share Posted July 6, 2011 Still an amazing album. But then so is every Muse album... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clunge Posted July 7, 2011 Share Posted July 7, 2011 It spawned some of Muse's finest work (Take A Bow, Map Of The Problematique and City Of Delusion) as well as some of their worst (Starlight, Invincible and Exo-Politics). For the good'uns above, I love it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Henz Posted July 7, 2011 Share Posted July 7, 2011 5 years on and I finally dug up the pieces needed to try and improve the mix on Exo-Politics. I gave it a bass boost, stripped back some guitar and tried to make it more closely resemble the original live performances. Man I loved Burning Bandits. The album is great, although Invincible only comes alive in live performances, and CoD got old. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
futurellama Posted July 7, 2011 Share Posted July 7, 2011 Their only album other than OoS that isn't an appalling piece of shit Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Banksy. Posted July 7, 2011 Share Posted July 7, 2011 Their only album other than OoS that isn't an appalling piece of shit Wow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Minimal Posted July 7, 2011 Share Posted July 7, 2011 Their only album other than OoS that isn't an appalling piece of shit Ohhh snap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dominic. Posted July 7, 2011 Share Posted July 7, 2011 It spawned some of Muse's finest work (Take A Bow, Map Of The Problematique and City Of Delusion) as well as some of their worst (Starlight, Invincible and Exo-Politics). For the good'uns above, I love it. I remember around 2008 reading all the hate for Starlight Although it seems a lot more popular now, or maybe that's because people have transferred their hate to UD Well five years on this is my verdict on it... Take a Bow Really love it. It's not one of their tracks that I often put on out of choice, but when I do end up listening to it I really like it (kind of like Megalomania). Only thing is I'm not sure whether I'd have liked a piano version of it kinda like they did after CE at Glastonbury 04 Starlight One of the first songs I got into by Muse. Obviously over the years there's been a bit of hate for it, but I do really like it's catchiness and simplicity. Live it's a great clap and singalong, and the part over the first chorus on The Resistance tour has proven really atmospheric Supermassive Black Hole Catchy, awesome riffs, goes down awesome live. I've just never liked the solo on it though, for some reason it always reminds me of an aquarium Map Of The Problematique Was one of my favourites from first listen, is brilliant Soldier's Poem One of my least favourites...I occasionally find it enjoyable to listen to but I think it should've been a b-side. Also I definitely don't think it fits straight after Map Invincible Depends what mood I'm in as to how much I enjoy it, sometimes I find it can drag a bit, but I always love the solo and final chorus, wouldn't mind it coming back for a couple of shows either (prefer it to Resistance) Assassin I never listen to the studio version so much. For me is a massive let down compared to the 2005 live version which was one of Muse's best Exo-Politics Same as Assassin...2005 version was fantastic. However it is kinda catchy and has a massive play count on my iTunes since I always play guitar along to it City of Delusion One of Muse's most underrated songs in my opinion. Took me a while to really get it, would love to see it come back some time Hoodoo This took me the longest to get into. I personally wish it had been recorded the way they played it live in 2007 with just the piano (one of my favourite songs) but then I guess it wouldn't fit in so much with the Spaghetti Western theme of the album Knights of Cydonia I remember my first listen to it and thinking "Wtf is this shit", but that riff at the end pulled me in. Great closer and a stormer live I personally would've liked to have seen Soldier's Poem as a b-side and replaced by Glorious (preferably the version they played in 2005 as I prefer that ever so slightly to the studio version), but not necessarily in the same tracklisting Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ed_ Posted July 7, 2011 Share Posted July 7, 2011 Still listen to this album in its entirety on a pretty regular basis - more often than any other Muse album. I'd probably say it's my equal favourite, along with OOS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drawakangaroo Posted July 7, 2011 Share Posted July 7, 2011 I've only heard it first about a year or so ago, but I still think it's brilliant. My favorite Muse album. It's the only one that I haven't gotten a little tired of, ever. Take a Bow: One of those songs that I never specifically feel like listening to, but I love when I actually do. The buildup when the drums kick in is amazing. Starlight: I really like this song, can't really understand the hate. It's fun to sing along to, and to just listen to in general. Supermassive Black Hole: I hated this song the first time I heard it, but now I absolutely love it. It's the weirdness that I'd come to expect from Muse, but in a very different form, and it worked really well. Map of the Problematique: I still don't know how to pronounce the song name. Anyway, I loved this song, but now I'm beginning to get tired of it. Still great, though. Soldier's Poem: I don't hate it like some people, and I actually think it deserves its place on the album (though Glorious is better). It's really a nice song. Invincible: Kinda like Take a Bow in that it's good, but I'm never in the mood to listen to it specifically. It starts off slow, but the buildup is worth it. Assassin: Honestly, I like the album version almost as much as the GOB version. Exo-Politics: Weakest song on the album. Sometimes I like it, sometimes I think it's just dull. City of Delusion: Hands down best song on the album. It's just amazing. Hoodoo: Took me a little while to get into, but now it's one of my favorites on the album. Knights of Cydonia: It's a great song for running. And it was my favorite Muse song for a long time, though I think it's been overtaken now. I just absolutely love it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spectrum IV Posted July 8, 2011 Share Posted July 8, 2011 Whoa, 5 years? Time flies when you're listening to Muse, I guess. It's still a brilliant album. I love how it progresses: long rocking intro section, then a cool-down-and-warm-up section, an experimental section, and a rock-out ending. Reposting with a track-by-track. Take a Bow -- Dirty, epic synthy goodness, with some of the cheekiest lyrics I've ever heard. That final chord never ceases to blow my mind. Starlight -- The chorus is clunky, and there's nothing particularly great about it. Supermassive Black Hole -- Matt's vocal style is golden. It takes a true musical genius to make a song like this and get away with it. Map of the Problematique -- Irresistibly crunchy. Plus Muse with a pulsing dance beat is always epic. One criticism: It needs a proper ending, because... Soldier's Poem -- Completely kills the momentum built up by the above songs, especially MotP. It's a jarring transition that casts the song in a negative light. Invincible -- Beautiful song, but it takes way too long to get going. It also doesn't transpose well live. Assassin -- Strong and speedy headbanger, which is how it should be. The interlude in the GOB version just kills momentum. It should just be played live, after the song. Pfft, maybe in another 5 years time. Exo-Politics -- Probably the most unexpected track on the album. Exceptionally groovy, with some brilliant vocals, and it's seriously underrated to boot. On the downside, it's a bit weak live. City of Delusion -- Reminds me of B&H. More amazing, passionate vocals from Matt. The bassline is a stroke of genius, and those string solos are exceptional. So many great ideas packed into one song. Hoodoo -- Also a bit of a momentum killer, but it's forgivable since it's so good. The lyrics are hauntingly dark, reminiscent of OoS days. It's also amazing live. Knights of Cydonia -- Way too cheesy for its own good, and that's why I love it. My initial impression was quite negative though. The ending is also one of their best moments. Overall, my main problem with the album is a lack of mid-tempo songs to soften the transition from fast, blazing songs (MotP, CoD) to slow burners (Hoodoo, SP). Also, there are a couple of tracks (Starlight, SP) that don't match the rest in terms of quality, but there are no bad songs on the album. 9/10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curlyxz Posted July 8, 2011 Share Posted July 8, 2011 Certainly a great album. Has some of their best tracks and some average tracks, but none that are terrible. Take a Bow: A bit too experimental for me at first, but I came around and now it's one of my favorite Muse tracks by far, and 2nd favorite on the album. And it's amazing live as well. Starlight: Really don't like how Take a Bow is followed by this, as they're both completely different. But other than that it's an average song, I don't love it but I don't hate it either. It's great to sing along with live though. Supermassive Black Hole: Great song, the solo kind of kills the mood for me, it doesn't fit in well with the rest of the song. Map of the Problematique: Amazing song, my favorite Muse track by a long shot. Soldiers Poem: Another average song, don't really like it nor dislike it. Invincible: Didn't really like it at first, but it has grown on me. Really takes a long time to build up, but after that it's pretty great. Assassin: The album version isn't that great, I highly prefer the Grand Omega Bosses edit over the album version. Nonetheless, it's a good track. Shame they don't play it live anymore since the riff is fucking mind blowing. Exo-Politics: Great song. The chorus is really catchy. Same as Assassin, sucks they didn't really play it much live. City of Delusion:One of the best tracks on the album. Really love the guitar work. Hoodoo:Has some of the best lyrics Matt has come up with. I like how the track builds up to chaos and then slows back down for the ending. Knights of Cydonia: One of the first tracks I heard from Muse. First time I listened to it I wasn't really into it, but once the riff came in for the last half I was hooked. Overall very excellent album that displays the varieties of sounds that Muse can accomplish well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bruce57 Posted July 8, 2011 Share Posted July 8, 2011 Take a Bow: Nice and experimental. Love it, even better live. Wish it had been used as an opener more. 9/10 Starlight: *sigh* was this really necessary? After the crazy scream to end TaB......this? 3/10 Supermassive Black Hole: "Glaciers melting in the dead of night, and the" SHUT THE F*CK UP. way way way overplayed, and slightly mediocre to begin with. 5/10 Map of the Problematique: Good stuff. One of my favorite guitar riffs/chord progressions Muse have done. Also one of their best choruses. 9/10 Soldier's Poem: Sort of depends on my mood but I generally like it. Lyrics are nice 6.5/10 Invincible: Too long. But the solo is excellent, and it's great live. 7/10 Assassin: The Assassin I have on my iPod is a combination of the GOB edit and the studio edit. I only wish they had recorded it that way originally cause it kicks ass. 9.5/10 (but if I were to judge the real studio version...7.5/10) Exo-Politics: Better that people made it out to be. Chorus is good. 7/10 City of Delusion: Took me a long time to come around, but now one of my favorites on the album. Strings and trumpet are fantastic, bassline is orgasmic, overall fantastic. 9/10 Hoodoo: same story with this one. took a while but now I like it. Although the 2007 live version is better. 8/10 Knights of Cydonia: epic. 9.5/10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Indyjones445 Posted July 8, 2011 Share Posted July 8, 2011 It's still one of my all time favourite albums. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MUSESTL Posted July 8, 2011 Share Posted July 8, 2011 Take a Bow- Great song, love the build up into the guitar. The ending vocals are great too and from the videos I've seen it's amazing live. A very good way to start the album Starlight- One of my favorite Muse songs. It gets way too much hate. The bass is pretty awesome and I love the beautiful simplicity of the song. It's also pretty emotional and of course is fun live Supermassive Black Hole- Used to love it, but now I've grown a bit tired off it. Still, I love the intro and Matt's bit during the chorus. An example of good pop music Map of the Problematique- I love this song to death. The guitar, the emotional lyrics, the drumming, they are all great. Probably one of the best songs they have ever made and in my opinion better than anything on OoS. I love it live with the Maggie's Farm riff Soldier's Poem- I like the lyrics, but I don't like the style of the song and it's place on the album is just awful Invincible- Takes awhile to get going, but the chorus and guitar solo are really good. The solo I think is one of Muse's best. Also the intensity on the last chorus is brilliant and it reminds me of the raw emotion from OoS Assassin- Not a terrible song, but it gets rather boring after a pretty good intro. It feels like the same thing over and over. As everyone else has said, the other edits are a lot better Exo-Politics- The lyrics are pretty weak and the riff is nothing special. Again though the solo is pretty good. Overall it just feels a little flat City of Delusion- A really good song, I love the bass and the power on the vocals. Also pretty good lyrics and the style is great Hoodoo- Arguably the best song Muse have ever written. The lyrics are hauntingly brilliant. The vocals are great too and are very powerful. The drums, which are often overlooked, are some of my favorite Knights of Cydonia- A great way to end the album. I love the build up and the start of the chorus is one of my favorite moments of the album. And of course the riff is incredible Overall, a 9.5/10. There are some weaker songs but MotP, Hoodoo and KoC make up for it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sebby aka pup Posted July 8, 2011 Share Posted July 8, 2011 Probably the third best album behind Absolution and OOS. Things I Like: Song like Map of the Problematique, Hoodoo and City of Delusion are some of my favouite songs ever. Most songs on the album are fantastic live. Starlight is one of the best singles by any band in the last decade IMO. Take a Bow is a phenominal way to start the album and has turned into a stormer live. Things I Dislike: Supermassive Black Hole should have been beefier such as at Shepards Bush, Knights of Cydonia also sounds weak compared to the live version. As has been mentioned Assassin and Exo Politics are bad versions of the original songs. Also, I think the album starts off strong but kinda stalls in the middle, then comes home strong with the last 3 tracks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
forevermusic Posted July 9, 2011 Share Posted July 9, 2011 Take a Bow An absolutely crazy opening track but it expertly spirals from synths to rock out to ending on a powerful scream and feedback. Starlight Poorly placed. Decent pop song, and has a really good crunchy bass/drum rhythm live Supermassive Black Hole First song I listened too. It sounds much more rocky live but on studio its a good dance song. Map of the Problematique There's a reason why its the most played song on my iPod. Slick guitars, smooth dynamic bass, an awesome combo of drum machines and drums, great lyrics - what's not to like? Soldier's Poem Like Starlight, suffers from awful placing. It's not bad (a nice mellow song) - its just in the wrong place. Something like Glorious or A Crying Shame would've worked better here. Invincible A good build up song. Understandable why its hatable but it is a nice song that builds up well from a mix of high-pitched wails and marching drums into a full on rockout by the end (even if that could be longer) Assassin A good album version which would be fine if it wasn't for the fact we got a better version in 2005 and as the GOB edit Exo-Politics Again - decent enough but a better version was played in 2005 City of Delusion The underrated song of the album - the way the subtle acoustic at the start merges with a heavy bass and trumpet solos is a triumph Hoodoo A lovely song again in an odd place. It is a beautiful haunting composition but its placing strikes me as a little odd Knights of Cydonia One of the most basketcase singles I've ever heard, and that's why its brilliant. The ending riff is a masterpiece of guitar playing Overall its a good album but what stops it being great is the wrong versions of Exo-Politics and Assassin, and the placing of a few numbers in odd places. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimmyneutron Posted July 9, 2011 Share Posted July 9, 2011 Not spotted a thread for this yet, don't shoot me down if there is BH+R is 5 years old this week, having been released on the 3rd July 2006 Still sounding as fresh as ever Can not believe this is 5 years old.. wow Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimmyneutron Posted July 9, 2011 Share Posted July 9, 2011 Still listen to this album in its entirety on a pretty regular basis - more often than any other Muse album. I'd probably say it's my equal favourite, along with OOS. Agreed. This is the only album I can easily listen to an entirety after hundreds of plays. With the occasional exception of startlight. Spawned a couple of the best tracks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MartinSM Posted July 9, 2011 Share Posted July 9, 2011 I don't think it's as good as Absolution and Origin of Symmetry, but it is the most listenable of the three, and possibly all five of Muse's albums. Has some great tracks, some of their best work, and it was great that they explored different styles; th eSpaghetti-Western theme running through the end of it is brilliant. Take a Bow-Fantastic opener, really atmospheric and imposing. I love how until the guitar comes in it could easily turn into some insane rave piece, but instead explodes into a great guitar solo. Starlight-The first Muse song I heard, which probably gives me a bit of bias towards it, but it's always been a bit of a guilty pleasure. The clapping and refrain are great and it gets way more hate than it should. Supermassive Black Hole-Fantastic pop song. Really funky and the guitar sounds great. Just wish they played it live the way they used to, much more rocky that way, it was a great contrast with the dico-y studio version. Map of the Problematique-Frankly just awesome. One of their very best. Soldiers Poem-Always liked this, very pretty and emotional, although it probably should have been a b-side. Invincible-Intro is great and the solo is incredible. When I'm in th emood, it's a beautiful and uplifting song. When I'm not it's just really cheesey. Assasin-Shoot me, but I've never really liked it that much. I don't know why, and it's strange because I think the GOB version is one of the best songs they've made. Can't believe it didn't make the album. Exo-Pollitics-The 2005 vesion was so much better. It's funky and catchy, but a bit crap City of Delusion-One minute I love it, next I don't care for it, but on the whole it's really good and needs to come back live. Hoodoo-The best lyrics Matt has ever wrote. Superb song, but I wish the studio version was more stripped back. Knights of Cydonia-At first, I too was a bit "what the fuck is this shit?". Then I saw it live and absolutely got it. the riff is batshit crazy. Build up to it is great, and then it just explodes. Muse at their maddest and greatest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MuseTheMuscleMuseum Posted July 9, 2011 Share Posted July 9, 2011 Still an amazing album. But then so is every Muse album... Not a lot of people would agree with you, I do I think we're the minority it seems Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bILLOO Posted July 9, 2011 Share Posted July 9, 2011 Love it. LOVED the winter 2006 tour with Dom's spaceship thing. Great album, even with Starlight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dominic. Posted July 10, 2011 Share Posted July 10, 2011 Starlight is not that bad Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boz Posted July 15, 2011 Share Posted July 15, 2011 My 2nd favourite album behind Abso Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patchey Posted July 17, 2011 Share Posted July 17, 2011 I freaking LOVE this album, even Soldiers Poem and Starlight. Maps of the Problematique would easily be my favorite song EVER if it wasn't for Citizen Erased Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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