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Your reviews of Drones


Jimmyneutron

What is your favourite track on Drones?  

503 members have voted

  1. 1. What is your favourite track on Drones?

    • Dead Inside
      14
    • Drill Sergeant
      1
    • Psycho
      10
    • Mercy
      3
    • Reapers
      119
    • The Handler
      266
    • JFK
      1
    • Defector
      36
    • Revolt
      4
    • Aftermath
      11
    • The Globalist
      34
    • Drones
      4


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Bought the CD/DVD edition in HMV earlier today, and on both in playing the CD and hearing tracks imported to my iTunes, it sounded much better than it did when the tracks first emerged onto YouTube. That Psycho riff sounded much more weighty and clearer. Even if I still preferred it slowed down.

 

Will play it in full on a stereo at some point this week and report back my findings.

 

As for the DVD, tried to get it to work, couldn't get my Blu-Ray player to work or find the remote for it, so gave up for the moment.

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I still don't have mine. If the CD/DVD is out there I should've probably just gone to a store.

 

Was £1 more expensive in the physical shop (plus obviously parking fees, and the fact I bought the recent Brandon Flowers album at the same time). But I has it now.

 

I don't buy enough albums, and what I do buy is usually from iTunes, so I fancied something different for this one. Maybe I'll do it more often. Even if I still don't get the resurgence in vinyl... anyone wanna enlighten me on what I'm missing?

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The album starts a bit messy. The first 3 songs aren't worse than the rest of the album, but they don't set a very good pace in that order and don't give the right impression.

 

That and the on-the-face, excessively skewed (DRONES!), lyrics are probably the only flaws in the album. The mastering doesn't help either (but the mixing seems fine this time...). Definitely better than T2L, which was the least cohesive Muse album, and I think when the dust settles it will continue to seem better than The Resistance. This is not on the OoS and Absolution league, though.

 

Currently, it seems I've liked Dead Inside and The Handler mostly. Mercy is surprisingly a grower, despite how bland it seemed at for some weeks (Dead Inside only needed about 5 listens to become one of my Muse favourites, iirc...), but the music video might've helped.

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I don't consider them bad songs on the whole, just weaker than the rest.

 

Out of curiosity what do you think the weakest tracks on the album are?

 

Well, to be honest, initially I really consumed the first three tracks (four, if you count Drill Sergeant in) by listening to them, when they were released as separated singles.

Since I've gotten the occasion to listen to the whole album, though, I feel they pale a little bit in comparison to the rest of the tracks, even to Revolt. Maybe it could be just because I've listened to them too much, thus baring them a bit of their initial charm.

But I think the real weakest track among all of the Drones ones, as I've already stated, it's just Mercy. I find it a little dull inside the whole album flow.

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Update time.

 

Dead Inside - 9/10

is real gud music

 

Psycho - 7/10

I often find myself skipping half way through

 

Mercy - 6/10

Decent track, nothing more

 

Reapers - 10/10

Among their greatest works

 

The Handler - 8/10

Loses points for repetition

 

Defector - 9/10

Has grown on me immensely

 

Revolt - 8/10

Way more enjoyable than it should be

 

Aftermath - 6/10

Starts strong, ends weak

 

The Globalist - 10/10

Fucking beautiful track, instant classic

 

Drones - 4/10

Forgettable and again, too long/repetitive

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After a few days off, I've decided to listen to Drones again to prove if my appreciation would increase and...

Boy, it seems a lot more brilliant than ever, now!

 

Here's my update:

 

Dead Inside - 8/10

Psycho - 7,7/10

Mercy - 7,2/10

Reapers - 9/10

The Handler - 9,3/10

Defector - 8,8/10

Revolt - 7/10

Aftermath - 8/10

The Globalist - 9,5/10

Drones - 9,1/10

 

Overall vote: 8,6/10!

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1) The album is an improvement over T2L, which only has two really good songs (Animals and Isolated System). I am glad Muse changed their direction more towards what they actually are good at.

 

2) The album is a slight improvement over TR, because it does not have a "Guiding light" and it has a longer sequence of songs, that I actually enjoy listening to. Dead Inside -> The Handler. (Mercy is not good, but I can handle it between Psycho and Reapers)

 

3) OOS, Absolution, BH&R and Showbiz are better.

 

4) Dead Inside is the biggest grower for me. I was shocked at first, now I really adore the song. I had a similar effect with MOTP, which needed around 50 listens to suddenly turn into my third favorite Muse song ever. The vocals on DI are some of the finest and most emotional Matt has done - especially at the end.

 

5) The Handler is the best Muse song since MOTP. It has everything I hope for from Muse. Reapers comes close.

 

6) I cannot make up my mind on Defector and Revolt. They are fun songs, but I feel like betraying my taste of music when singing along, so I don't. But then I wake up in the morning and feel like singing: "you can revooooooooolt" :-) These songs are too positive and simple and therefore not warmly welcomed in my dark and epic Muse world :D

 

7) Aftermath is probably my least favorite song of the album. I cannot erased Rod Stewart from my mind. I'll keep on trying.

 

8) The Globalist is a disappointment unfortunately :stunned: I cannot see a musical reference in any way to CE. It feels like two ballads have been forced together by a killer riff. The song has a lyrical theme, but no musical theme. They should have built the song entirely around that riff. The beginning is nice and so are the first vocals ("you were never truly loved"). However, at 3:30 the song reminds me so much of "Unnatural selection" ("They'll laugh as they watch us fall"), that it really confuses me. Similar at the end with USoE. I really do not understand Matt when he says that writing a sequel in the style of CE has worked.

 

9) Despite the criticism: I enjoy the album and I am happy about the direction of the band. I have almost given up on them after T2L.

 

10) Therefore, my ranking:

 

1. The Handler

2. Dead Inside

3. Reapers

 

gap.. :$

 

4. The Globalist

5. Psycho

6. Revolt or Defector

7. Revolt or Defector

8. Mercy

9. Aftermath

10. Drones

Edited by Muse24/7
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A lot of other people feel similarly to me. I think it's s fantastic album with some real growers (namely Revolt)

 

For the review:

 

Dead Inside: 9/10

Couldn't stop smiling like an idiot the first time I heard this. The vocal delivery is some of the most emotional since SfA. The great thing about it is that the delivery is very believable while not being overdone like Darkshines or DS (just imo of course). Very catchy song

 

Psycho: 5.5/10

Technically I like more than I dislike in this track but I really can't stand the drill sergeant or the lyrics. The instrumental is great, especially Chris's bass part. Matt's vocals are great but the drum part is pretty boring.

 

Mercy: 7.5/10

I actually really like this track. It's a little uninspired but it's quite pretty. Multiple listens have worn it out for me however. Not much staying power.

 

Reapers: 8/10

Fantastic track! Guitar is really cool but the solo is odd though. It sounds like a clichè 80's solo juxtaposed with a Muse one. I still like it. Vocals, drums and bass are awesome as well. Killed by DRONES! I actually like the lyrics lol

 

The Handler: 9.5/10

Another great song. I like the lyrics once again. Matt's falsetto is so awesome. The solo section is too long which stops it from being a 10 but I love the Showbiz reprise and the vocals near the end. Christopher Wolstenholme is a boss.

 

Defector: 8.5/10

I love the Queen vocals. I always have. USoE all the way haha. The solo is truly very good and the song is just a really fun listen, which is what I've learned to expect from modern Muse. Not too serious, but fun.

 

Revolt: 6/10

Quite the grower. I wasn't sure I liked it at first and it still strikes me as rather weak. It's got a great chorus though and it's interesting to hear Muse do happy instead of sad and bleak. Very anti-Absolution if you will.

 

Aftermath: 9/10

Love it. Always loved it. It's so pretty. Once again, good lyrics. Not much more to say.

 

The Globalist: 10/10

Perfect song. Awesome lyrics. Awesome vocals, guitar, bass and drums. It builds up so well and I don't think the heavy part into the piano part is jarring in the least bit. I also love USoE and Explorers so I'm a bit biased.

 

Drones: 7.5/10

Good track. Very different but I'm a fan of a Capella style vocals so this had immediate appeal. I also think it's a good closer. Only real gripe is that it's a little long but fine other than that.

 

Overall this album will sit comfortably at 3rd and may even move up to 2nd. Current rankings:

 

1. Absolution

2. BH&R

3. Drones

4. TR

5. OoS

6. T2L

7. Showbiz

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This is an album made up of two things: either great ideas they (typically) fail to reach their potential, or retreads of songs and ideas Muse have used before.

 

The only songs in my opinion that live up to their potential are Reapers and The Handler. On the other hand, songs like Psycho, Defector, Globalist and even Aftermath are great ideas that ultimately leave me feeling disappointed because I can't help but this that they could have been much better. Then there are the "retread" songs like Dead Inside and Mercy which make me fear Muse have run out of ideas altogether. Oh and then there is Revolt. That song is just f'in garbage.

 

Whole Review:

 

Dead Inside: 4/10

Hated it at first, and while it has grown on me a bit I just can't escape the fact that it's just a mashup of Undisclosed Desires and Madness. Good production and great vocals are slightly redeeming, but I just can't get past how unoriginal this is.

 

Drill Seargant > Psycho: 4/10

I absolutely HATE spoken overdubs in songs. Drill Sergeant is completely unnecessary and Psycho would have been much better without those stupid spoken overdubs. Beyond that, it was awesome to get the 030503 riff made into a song, and I like the development of it in the verses, but the song is just too long and doesn't really go anywhere the latter half. Muse could've taken out 1.5 - 2 minutes and it would have made the song better. To touch on my main takeaway - the 030503 riff is a great idea, but it just didn't live up to what it could have been.

 

Mercy: 3/10

Liked it at first because I really do like Starlight, but as time has worn on this song just gets more and more boring. We didn't need Starlight II.

 

Reapers: 8.5/10

My favorite song on the album. Loved it when it debuted but tried to keep my expectations low because I didn't think they'd be able to pul off a studio recording with as much power as the liver version. When I heard the studio version I was utterly blown away. This song kicks all sorts of ass and the outro is just massive.

 

The Handler: 8/10

Second favorite on the album - could've been first if it wasn't so repetitive, but they happen to repeat some really great parts. As I said before, this and Reapers are the only songs that I think live up to both their musical potential, but also the conceptual idea of Drones.

 

JFK > Defector: 6.5/10

I really like this song, it's fun and I happen to enjoy the Queen-esqe vocals. My main problem with this song is that the best parts, imo, are not given teased out enough. Case in point, the solos are excellent, and my favorite part of the song is the part of the solo from 3:15-3:25 that almost sounds like bagpipes. I just love it, but then it's very abruptly cut off to go back into the chorus. I really wish they would have expanded that section. Another missed opportunity on an album full of them.

 

Revolt: 1/10

Just awful. I was doing my first listen with my wife who is also a Muse fan and she thought I had changed the player and was surprised when Matt's vocals came in. Just an awful song with nothing redeeming to it.

 

Aftermath: 2/10

Liked it at first, and still love the first 1:50 which sounds a lot like U2's One...but then the "From this moment" comes in and it just becomes an awful Justin Beiber emo fest. What a shame. Again, the first part of the song shows it had great potential and it just became the worst of psuedo emotional garbage.

 

The Globalist: 6/10

Taken separately each part is really good. Collectively this song is a mess. Part I is awesome. Even though it's a knock off of L'Arena I still love it. Part II is a great riff, but as nearly everyone has said, it's just too short and not developed - yet another missed opportunity. Part III is pretty weak instrumentally - sounds very similar to USoE just far less interesting.

 

Drones: 7.5/10

Love love love this one. I can't believe Muse tried something like this and I think Matt pulled it off wonderfully. The reason I can't rate this song higher is because, as many people have said, the lyrics are pretty weak. Still, when I listen to this it's more about the emotive atmosphere and not the literal words for me.

 

 

Average: 5/10

Decent album, not anywhere near great in my opinion. Much better than 2nd Law (that's not saying anything though) and roughly even to Resistance. Most songs are completely forgettable with the rare exceptions of Reapers, Handler and (at least for me) Drones.

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Dead Inside: 4/10

Hated it at first, and while it has grown on me a bit I just can't escape the fact that it's just a mashup of Undisclosed Desires and Madness. Good production and great vocals are slightly redeeming, but I just can't get past how unoriginal this is.

 

Revolt: 1/10

Just awful. I was doing my first listen with my wife who is also a Muse fan and she thought I had changed the player and was surprised when Matt's vocals came in. Just an awful song with nothing redeeming to it.

 

:(

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I'm a little late to the party but I must say I absolutely love this album. I can't remember the last time I went into a store to buy a physical copy of any album (rather than pre-ordering online) and as I walked out the store I couldn't wait to tear open the plastic and start listening to it in my car immediately.

 

I absolutely love the first 2/3 of the album. The last third, not as much. Not that there's anything technically wrong with those songs but I'm just not much for slower songs that take a while to get going. ;)

 

After T2L I was hoping their next album would be something like this so I'm really happy with this album (LOVE Reapers and The Handler!)

 

Also! I may be the only person to think this but did anyone else get a little Cherry Pie vibe from the riff in Reapers around 0:47? :p:D

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  • 4 weeks later...

Dead inside

from the first listen it was OK but it started growing on me and now I consider it one of the best on the album, awesome vocals and guitar.

 

 

Psycho

The only good thing about it in my opinion is the guitar riff. Needless to say the lyrics are terrible; I will never get over the “your ass belongs to me” part.

 

Mercy

Meh, it's not that bad but nothing is original about it.

 

Reapers

There’s a problem with me when I listen to this song although I think it’s an amazing track and I really admire the guitar work but I get bored of it easily.

 

The handler

A fucking masterpiece. Everything about it is amazing. Literally, Everything.

 

Defector

It's good. Just good.

 

Revolt

It's alright. I'm sure I would enjoy it more if it wasn't from Muse.

 

]Aftermath

Great music and vocals. I definitely love it.

 

The globalist

I really like how it begins and the heavy part is insane I just think it shouldn't take that long to it. The last part is awesome as well, Muse's classical music is always welcome!

 

Drones

I don't think I mind this kind of music since I sometimes enjoy it during watching movies but nope this song is just ugh

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Dead Inside - Many ppl hated this track when it came out but I thought it was cool. Now, I love it, and hearing it live was immense. Really soulful and dark, and I also think it is a good album opener, not typical of Muse, but that is a good change. 8/10

 

Psycho - I don't know... Hearing it live was incredible, they kick ass with this one, but as everybody knows, it goes on for way too long, and the Drill Sergeant is a little...tiring to listen to. Especially the 'I will break you! Do you understand?' parts which drag on for too long... I don't mind the song but I don't love it either. 5/10

 

Mercy - I like it, but it is very unoriginal. Don't listen to it very often but I don't mind it within the album, I guess. 6/10

 

Reapers - Brilliant. So complex and so well thought and put together. The ending is pure gold. And I just love the verses, so immense. 9/10

 

The Handler - What can I say.. This song, despite having the too long solo (which kinda goes to hypnotize if you allow it so that might have been the point), this song... is brilliant. I can't get over how wonderfully dark it is, it evokes the exact same feeling as Showbiz, and I am so happy that they revisited this sort of emotion and energy here. It is a 'landmark' track much like MotP and I really hope it stays in the setlists for years and years to come. I can say I am proud of the boys that they made this track. P.S. Hearing Matt's last falsetto live at Werchter, couple of weeks ago, I just died. 10/10

 

Defector - Good track. I hated it at first. Thought it was shit. I don't like that the boys are so obsessed with Queen (I love Queen) and so I hated the IN-CITING! and SOCI-ETY! parts but I got used to it and now I find them actually cool. Atrocious lyrics, but then again it's Matt, you can tell he doesn't give a shit, and I just got over it... So, a very fun track, this one. A bit repetitive though. Nice solo. 7/10

 

Aftermath - I like some parts of the song, but I don't like the end. The standout 'FROM THIS MOOMMEEEENT!' yell by the end is absolutely lame. And I can't believe they introduced it. I think the chorus is a very easy solution, and the lyrics... I'd rather not comment. Don't like the singalong vibe. Kinda ruins the song, I wish it was a little bit less theatrical. But I like the guitar work. 6/10

 

Revolt - I don't like that they went full American-rock here. And bad American rock, to me. The Killers. I hate this band. They are an overrated bunch of crap, apart from some songs. Still, even if I did like them, I wouldn't want Muse to sound like them. Ever. I am able to stand the song, but maybe if I am doing something, like cooking, and I just need some background music. But I don't like this track, and I don't want to make myself like it just because 'I got used to it.' You get used to a lot of shit in life, doesn't mean it's good. 3/10

 

The Globalist - The first part is wonderfully haunting... The way I see it - the first part is like a dream to me, and then in comes the nightmare, the riff part... Which I love... I absolutely love the vocals in the first part, so wonderful, and then this riff... I swear, I think it is the best heavy stuff they have ever done. When the tremolo part kicks in my whole body is out of this world... And then comes the piano part. I don't like the 'positive' piano tracks they have been doing recently. I haven't heard a dark piano track ever since Absolution. Until then we had Space Dementia, Megalomania, Apocalypse Please, Ruled by Secrecy, and ever since... There have been none. The piano tracks have recently been a cheese fest for Muse (Explorers, USoE...) and I really wish the end of The Globalist had the dark vibe for the end. Or a little bit more original. The end drags on for too long, and is very repetitive. I wish so much that they hadn't finished this track in this way. But despite that, I love the song. It has some of the most brilliant instrumental work out there. P.S. I think it does sound like a Citizen Erased sequel. What did you expect? The same song? 8/10

 

Drones - I see it as a part of the previous song, it works perfectly together. Wish it was a little shorter (just like the hairs on the arm of 'the handler' on the album cover - don't know why they bother me so much being a hairy bastard myself), but it is nice and a brave choice to end the album. I am happy that they followed their instinct here and they just did this. The lyrics though, should have been better but as I said, I have somehow decided to get over the fact that Matt doesn't give a shit about what he says most of the time. Beautiful, haunting vocals though, and shows another aspect of Matt's talent. 7/10

 

OVERALL: 7/10

 

I think the album is much more cohesive than T2L, but that was their 'let's go apeshit' album, so I hope this one gets them back on track. I think that they were more focused here, and while some songs fail to deliver, all in all I can tell that they have really put the effort here. Not so very original at times, but has some killer tracks and some amazing musicianship.

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My ranking of the tracks from greatest to Muse by numbers:

 

REAPERS

REVOLT

The Handler

Dead Inside

The Globalist

Aftermath

JFK/Defector

Drill Sergeant/Psycho

Drones

Mercy

 

To be fair, Mercy's the only one I don't love to death or have a great deal of affection for, but that being said, even Muse by numbers still equals quality Muse. This whole album is rock solid.

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