Drones Album Discussion Thread

[MancMuse]

Not ever. Just since the wall duuuude.

 

Couldn't agree more, that is pretty much unbeatable, ever. Saw Floyd do it twice.

[colonizedmind]

I love those last lines of The Handler from "I won't let you control my feelings any more"

 

Yep! Of course as mentioned before, but love that call back and juxtaposition with "Showbiz"!

I love all the throwbacks to older work, it's got old muse, recent muse and NEW muse all in this album! In a day and age when nobody really seems to care (artists) about albums these days, there's still a few out there that care to make something that should be listen to as a whole! Thank you muse !

[Citizen_Eraser]

I love those last lines of The Handler from "I won't let you control my feelings any more"

 

The soft light falsetto on some of the lines in that bridge are so Abso-era Matt its breathtaking. Particularly the "escaping from you grip" line.

 

I feel like I'm surely forgetting a few songs but when was the last time he sang with that soft delicate falsetto? He has done plenty of shouting/screaming falsettos the past few albums but I haven't heard something like this in a long time. I probably just haven't listened to TR or T2L in a while.

Edited June 7, 2015 by Citizen_Eraser

[Jobby]

I feel like I'm surely forgetting a few songs but when was the last time he sang with that soft beautiful falsetto? He has done plenty of shouting/screaming falsettos the past few albums but I haven't heard something like this in a long time. I probably just haven't listened to TR or T2L in a while.

 

Exo Part 1?

[OriginOfAbso]

Exo Part 1?

 

I think that has to be my favorite singing style of Matt's.

[Citizen_Eraser]

Exo Part 1?

 

It's not a full on shout falsetto but its not as soft or delicate as the stuff in the bridge of The Handler. Exo 1 is kind of a middle ground "regular falsetto" but still decent example.

 

Think of the "escaping from your grip" line in TH

[TheLionSlicer]

Nah Drones is clearly the best concept album ever.

 

Not just that but the greatest album of all time

Fuck Sgt. Peppers

[Destroya]

Nooooo! My Autorip from Amazon isn't working, don't want to use Spotify to stream it tomorrow (even though I have Premium atm).

[alibros]

has the album been on Spotify? I see a "muse_official" account has added the whole album as a playlist and globalist is titled "The Globalist - Premium only". What's that all about?

[jonisdead]

has the album been on Spotify? I see a "muse_official" account has added the whole album as a playlist and globalist is titled "The Globalist - Premium only". What's that all about?

 

Limited to premium members probably because of the song's length.

[Mattestro]

Basically Spotify being shit.... As always

[Nimbus]

Does anyone know if/when theneedledrop will review Drones?

[jonisdead]

Does anyone know if/when theneedledrop will review Drones?

Soon. He said he'll review it on Twitter. My guess is after the release date, he's probably already heard it by now though since someone told him it leaked. Hope it gets over the 3/10 he gave to T2L lol

[ninsp]

Personally I'd save this title for Frances the Mute.

 

All three of NIN's concept albums blow Drones out of the water, too. There are countless better concept albums. The lyrics are mostly garbage and the story is pretty weak. Album is a solid 7 but still.

Edited June 8, 2015 by ninsp

[jonisdead]

All three of NIN's concept albums blow Drones out of the water, too. There are countless better concept albums. The lyrics are mostly garbage and the story is pretty weak. Album is a solid 7 but still.

 

I can't stand Reznor's voice, it's so vanilla it hurts ruins the actual music as well imo

 

-hides from Jessica-

[ninsp]

I can't stand Reznor's voice, it's so vanilla it hurts ruins the actual music as well imo

 

-hides from Jessica-

 

Okay, well that's your opinion, but a comment suggesting Drones is better than TDS or Year Zero is like saying 50 Shades of Grey is better than The Lord of the Rings. Despite what your opinion may or may not be of industrial music or Reznor's music, TDS is an important and THE concept album. Not even just musically, the fact that the album reflects the lyrics so well and the story connects with so many. And the lyrics at their worst are as bad as this album's best.

[Redwingsrock]

All three of NIN's concept albums blow Drones out of the water, too. There are countless better concept albums. The lyrics are mostly garbage and the story is pretty weak. Album is a solid 7 but still.

 

To be fair to both NIN and Muse, NIN's music definitely suits the "concept album" a whole lot better than Muse's. As evident by Trent's success in film scoring.

 

Not that I think Drones is a great concept album. I do think it is a great "Muse" concept album in that it is over the top and has a distinct lack of subtlety. Seriously, I don't know what else people were expecting from a Muse concept album, but Drones pretty much met my expectations.

 

Edit for clarification: I think NIN concept albums live and breath on their ambiguity and openness for interpretation. It's pretty clear that Muse weren't even attempting something like that. Two completely different types of concept albums. Don't really think you can compare them to each other.

Edited June 8, 2015 by Redwingsrock

[ninsp]

To be fair to both NIN and Muse, NIN's music definitely suits the "concept album" a whole lot better than Muse's. As evident by Trent's success in film scoring.

 

Not that I think Drones is a great concept album. I do think it is a great "Muse" concept album in that it is over the top and has a distinct lack of subtlety. Seriously, I don't know what else people were expecting from a Muse concept album, but Drones pretty much met my expectations.

 

I agree. But I'm referring to the comment that Drones is the best since The Wall. I think I misquoted. That statement is just asinine fanboyism. Hell, I even think The Black Parade is a better concept album, but I know that's debatable.

[kueller]

I don't rate Drones very highly as a concept album.

[ninsp]

I don't rate Drones very highly as a concept album.

 

Exactly. The album is a pleasant surprise and a solid 7 but the story is pretty immature and doesn't come to a solid end. It's literally missing the necessary pieces of a fiction tale. It has no apex or ending. It's all vague build up.

 

Making it a musical would be a very bad idea because the story's lack of depth would be glaring.

[Redwingsrock]

I agree. But I'm referring to the comment that Drones is the best since The Wall. I think I misquoted. That statement is just asinine fanboyism. Hell, I even think The Black Parade is a better concept album, but I know that's debatable.

 

Ahh, ok. I didn't see that comment. Yeah, I don't agree with that, but I know some people who can't stand The Wall. And as concept albums go, Drones is definitely one of the more "easier listening" ones.

[ninsp]

Ahh, ok. I didn't see that comment. Yeah, I don't agree with that, but I know some people who can't stand The Wall. And as concept albums go, Drones is definitely one of the more "easier listening" ones.

 

Except for Drill Sergeant. The most cringey concept album story track since Bowie's Outside album.

 

EDIT: Check that. Lulu.

Edited June 8, 2015 by ninsp

[Redwingsrock]

Except for Drill Sergeant. The most cringey concept album story track since Bowie's Outside album.

 

Ugh, tell me about it.

[Cosmo57]

A personal summary.

 

Dead Inside - absolutely electric, it's like Undisclosed Desires got into bed with Madness. Definitely my favourite on the album. The guitar chords before the bridge, the bridge itself, and how it descends into a dramatic and emotional final chorus just tears at my heart. Fucking 11/10.

 

Psycho - lyrics are a bit "vulgar", for want of a better word, compared to Muse's previous works. Like, if a few years ago you told me I'd hear a Muse song with "your ass belongs to me now" in the chorus, I wouldn't have believed you. Still, it's great seeing that old classic jam riff made into a full song, and I honestly can't think of how it could have been done better.

 

Mercy - a bit "light" and "bright", but I like it. I dig the deep guitar tone. Neat bassline, and I also like the Bliss-style arpeggios. Sounds very BHaR-inspired.

 

Reapers - fucking monstrous on all fronts from start to finish. That's all I really need to say. Tapping is usually looked upon as ostentatious and belonging to the 80's, but it genuinely fits well as an intro here. Great verses, leading into heavy breakdown sections tighter than a nun's devotion to God. First time I heard that solo my penis left my body and ascended to another plane of existence, and I went straight to eBay to scrounge up a Digitech Whammy. I'm not lying. The outro is mental, they pretty much just forgot they were recording in the studio and launched into riffery as if ending the song live.

 

The Handler - another favourite. Dark, desolate, and stripped back. The solo echoes of Stockholm Syndrome mixed with In Your World, and feels like Absolution revisited.

 

Defector - Q U E E N A S F U C K. Not a bad thing, it's fuckin' great. I think this one's the Queeniest they've ever been.

 

Revolt - this one's made for the stadiums. Bright, positive and energetic, I was a bit taken aback at first. The change in tempo is a bit jarring. Bit of an oddball, this one, but it's grown on me a little bit.

 

Aftermath - sounds extremely Dire Straits-inspired to begin with, echoes of Brothers In Arms. Overall a very nice and mellow tune

 

The Globalist - that intro dragged on like a motherfucker; we're talking three minutes of Western-type whistling and slide guitar here. It was a little bit much for me, but after that I do see a slight reminiscence to the latter part of Citizen Erased. Then BAM, riffage. Helsinki Jam all up in this bitch. Eyes wide open, nipples erect. Dat tremolo picking. Good lord. Then that's over pretty soon and it becomes United States of Eurasia. Oh well. That middle section could've been something biblical though.

 

Drones - loved it, beautiful. Will be great live. Can't wait for instrumental version.

 

Overall, seven Pringles™ out of ten. It all took a bit of an odd dive at Revolt, but the first six tracks are, in my mind, some of the very best songs they've put out in recent times. Very satisfied even if the final third isn't quite up to snuff.

[PlugInYorkie]

A personal summary.

 

Dead Inside - absolutely electric, it's like Undisclosed Desires got into bed with Madness. Definitely my favourite on the album. The guitar chords before the bridge, the bridge itself, and how it descends into a dramatic and emotional final chorus just tears at my heart. Fucking 11/10.

 

Psycho - lyrics are a bit "vulgar", for want of a better word, compared to Muse's previous works. Like, if a few years ago you told me I'd hear a Muse song with "your ass belongs to me now" in the chorus, I wouldn't have believed you. Still, it's great seeing that old classic jam riff made into a full song, and I honestly can't think of how it could have been done better.

 

Mercy - a bit "light" and "bright", but I like it. I dig the deep guitar tone. Neat bassline, and I also like the Bliss-style arpeggios. Sounds very BHaR-inspired.

 

Reapers - fucking monstrous on all fronts from start to finish. That's all I really need to say. Tapping is usually looked upon as ostentatious and belonging to the 80's, but it genuinely fits well as an intro here. Great verses, leading into heavy breakdown sections tighter than a nun's devotion to God. First time I heard that solo my penis left my body and ascended to another plane of existence, and I went straight to eBay to scrounge up a Digitech Whammy. I'm not lying. The outro is mental, they pretty much just forgot they were recording in the studio and launched into riffery as if ending the song live.

 

The Handler - another favourite. Dark, desolate, and stripped back. The solo echoes of Stockholm Syndrome mixed with In Your World, and feels like Absolution revisited.

 

Defector - Q U E E N A S F U C K. Not a bad thing, it's fuckin' great. I think this one's the Queeniest they've ever been.

 

Revolt - this one's made for the stadiums. Bright, positive and energetic, I was a bit taken aback at first. The change in tempo is a bit jarring. Bit of an oddball, this one, but it's grown on me a little bit.

 

Aftermath - sounds extremely Dire Straits-inspired to begin with, echoes of Brothers In Arms. Overall a very nice and mellow tune

 

The Globalist - that intro dragged on like a motherfucker; we're talking three minutes of Western-type whistling and slide guitar here. It was a little bit much for me, but after that I do see a slight reminiscence to the latter part of Citizen Erased. Then BAM, riffage. Helsinki Jam all up in this bitch. Eyes wide open, nipples erect. Dat tremolo picking. Good lord. Then that's over pretty soon and it becomes United States of Eurasia. Oh well. That middle section could've been something biblical though.

 

Drones - loved it, beautiful. Will be great live. Can't wait for instrumental version.

 

Overall, seven Pringles™ out of ten. It all took a bit of an odd dive at Revolt, but the first six tracks are, in my mind, some of the very best songs they've put out in recent times. Very satisfied even if the final third isn't quite up to snuff.

 

Best review I've seen yet! Agreed sir. Especially about Globalist!