Jump to content
Muse

Album Eight: Simulation Theory

Claudia O

By Claudia O
in Songs & Releases

 Share

Recommended Posts

FabriPav Escapee

FabriPav

Posted
Posted
Nah, sorry. They already burn themselves out by retreading the same "Muse have sold out because of Twilight and they're not making music I like1!!1" tomfolery of many. Also, to say they've been unwilling of re-liting the spark or not even trying on this album is just proposterous.

They may not have a bone to pick with Muse, but nonetheless I feel it's the usual lament behind nostalgia goggles.

 

:ashkoney:

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Bumpypotato Dead Star

Bumpypotato

Posted
Posted

I’m conflicted. I’m guessing that this is a pretty common opinion, but when the album is wacky and weird it’s pretty strong. There are a few songs that I think are genuinely fun and interesting (Propaganda, Break It To Me, etc) that I find myself going back to, and others that I’ll be skipping. The problem is that for all these interesting moments and songs, too many either feel like uninspired pastiches or retreads. Once again Muse aren’t great at writing straight pop songs, so why do they keep filling so much of the album with them?

 

Acoustic Dig Down is surprisingly good tho.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
JimmyP117 New Born

JimmyP117

Posted
Posted

Thought I’d throw my thoughts out there after a good few listens and now that the initial hype has simmered down:

 

Algorithm: favourite song on the album, absolute god-tier Muse for me. It takes that 80s feel and puts the Muse spin of things so well; those piano flourishes, dramatic lyrics and soaring vocals all come together so well. It’s pretty much everything I could have hoped for. 10/10

 

The Dark Side: still love this, mostly for Matt’s brilliantly sincere vocal delivery. For me it’s the perfect blend the ‘old Muse’ (for lack of a better word) and their electronic style. That chorus is really strong. 9/10

 

Pressure: A good, fun track. Suffers from going on too long like Psycho did, I’m not sure the final chorus is necessary but ah well. Looking forward to seeing it live. 7/10

 

Propaganda: the robot is a little on the nose but I’ve certainly warmed to it. The rest of the song is absolute pop perfection. Love the way it progresses post-solo and builds to Matt’s belting, which I wasn’t expecting at all on the first listen. 9/10

 

Break It To Me: Jobby, you weren’t kidding when you mentioned the falsetto on this. It definitely took a while to click but whole song is just…the most interesting thing they’ve done in years. The descending arabian melody (with that awesome vocal effect), the almost spoken word verses and ethereal chorus make it a real highlight. Plus, the riff and Morello solo is absolute filth. 9/10

 

Something Human: I like this much more in the context of the album, as others have said it’s a nice breather. It’s a sweet little song and it's nice seeing them doing something so simple. 6.5/10

 

Thought Contagion: still find this just…bland and uninspired. I LOVE the pre-chorus but those chorus vocals have always really grated for some reason. It really drags too, despite being not all that long of a song. 4.5/10

 

Get Up And Fight: sticks out a bit but I’m okay with it, I enjoy them going all out with the pop-punk chorus as I’ve always been a sucker for them. I can see why some aren’t a fan of the Tove Lo vocals but I think they compliment the song pretty nicely. The deep personal meaning for Matt really shows as well, he sounds amazing. It’s never going to happen live in its current incarnation which is a shame. 7/10

 

Blockades: pretty by the numbers which might sound like a negative but I don’t intend it to be. Not much to say other than I love Dom’s drumming (there’s one seriously good fill that gets me everytime) and the thick bass tone but so far it isn’t one I’ve been desperate to listen to. Still like it though and should be good live. 6/10

 

Dig Down: hi, my name is James and I’m a fan of Dig Down. Sure it’s a lesser Madness but like Something Human I prefer it in the context of the album. Any kind of extended belt from Matt is a win for me and that long G4 still brings a smile to my face, the U2 fan in me is probably the reason why I enjoy the final ‘woahs’ so much. 6.5/10 The alternate version is absolute gold and an easy for me 8/10.

 

The Void: great end to the album, echoing my personal fav RBS with those moody, atmospheric vibes. I actually like how it ends with more of a whimper than a bang. Once again Matt sounds fantastic, he’s really outdone himself on this one. 8.5/10

Link to comment
Share on other sites
MartianSpaghettiRider Escapee

MartianSpaghettiRider

Posted
Posted (edited)

Brief review without commentary.

 

Algorithm - 9 (AR version - 9,5)

The Dark Side - 9 (AR version - 9,5)

Pressure - 8 (MB version - 8+)

Propaganda - 9 (acoustic - 9,5)

Break It To Me - 9,5 (remix - 8)

Something Human - 8,5 (acoustic - 9+)

Thought Contagion - 6 (live - 8)

Get Up And Fight - 6

Blockades - 8

Dig Down - 8 (gospel version - 8-)

The Void - 9 (acoustic - 9,5)

 

I don't give 10s because that means perfection, which basically doesn't exist.

Edited by MartianSpaghettiRider
Link to comment
Share on other sites
CoolFunkMan Escapee

CoolFunkMan

Posted
Posted (edited)

So I lent my Dad the album the other day (he's also a Muse fan), and he called me to say he'd listened to it, and his response was... "Yes, that was a very funny joke, and can you give me the real Muse album next time you see me." Needless to say, he can't make up his mind about it yet :LOL:

 

As for me, I'm still loving ST! I've actually had to force myself to stop listening to it though, because I'm scared I'll overplay it and get bored. Also, got some final track rankings, maybe, I think...

 

God-tier:

Algorithm

The Void/Blockades (can't make up my mind on which I prefer)

Break It To Me

The Dark Side

 

Great:

Propaganda (although if I'm in the right mood it can be god-tier, and will probably end up there anyway)

Pressure

Something Human

 

OK:

Thought Contagion

Dig Down

Get Up And Fight

 

Tbh, the more I listen to it, the more all the tracks grow on me. I mean, I wouldn't listen to them outside the full album, but I don't find myself wanting to skip them either. I think the real major flaw with the lesser tracks is that they feel too tame/generic compared to the insanity of the others.

Edited by CoolFunkMan
Link to comment
Share on other sites
frozenbanana Escapee

frozenbanana

Posted
Posted
Someone should've told Matt TC was in dire need of a guitar solo

 

What?? Can't you hear that guitar solo right before the final chorus? Y'know, the incredibly simplistic one that just repeats the same riff that we've already heard for what feels like 1000 times already in the song by that point, but with added whammy pedal??

 

(All jokes aside, I totally agree, and would rather have had no solo at all than that pathetic throwaway excuse we ended up getting)

Link to comment
Share on other sites
OriginOfAbso Escapee

OriginOfAbso

Posted
Posted
I’m conflicted. I’m guessing that this is a pretty common opinion, but when the album is wacky and weird it’s pretty strong. There are a few songs that I think are genuinely fun and interesting (Propaganda, Break It To Me, etc) that I find myself going back to, and others that I’ll be skipping. The problem is that for all these interesting moments and songs, too many either feel like uninspired pastiches or retreads. Once again Muse aren’t great at writing straight pop songs, so why do they keep filling so much of the album with them?

 

Acoustic Dig Down is surprisingly good tho.

Pretty much how I feel. I think about half the album is really good, which makes it better than probably the last few albums for me, but still half the album really isn't good at all. So there's an annoying divide, especially when it's apparent Muse COULD still make an album that's really interesting all the way through. I do credit them for doing alternate tracks though, that's definitely a cool aspect.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
BlueEyedFloozy Escapee

BlueEyedFloozy

Posted
Posted

My take, fwiw.

 

Algorithm: 9/10

The Dark Side: 7/10

Pressure: 7/10

Propaganda: oh Matt no/10

Break It To Me: 10/10 I LOVE THIS SONG SO MUCH

Something Human: 3/10

Thought Contagion: 7/10

Get Up And Fight: 0/10 I have (actual, real) personal issues with this song, NOPE

Blockades: 8/10

Dig Down: 4/10

The Void: 9/10

 

Algorithm AR: 10/10 absolute earblasting facemelting god-tier glorious NOISE

The Dark Side AR: 7/10

Propaganda acoustic: oh Matt please no/10

Something Human acoustic: 4/10

Dig Down gospel: 8/10

Link to comment
Share on other sites
MartianSpaghettiRider Escapee

MartianSpaghettiRider

Posted
Posted
Interstingly enough, just from the article itself you'd never imagine it gets a 6.0 :LOL:

 

Let's put it this way: it's like when your hated goody-two-shoes colleague at work does something really good and you're seething because you know that, and he broke the overall image you had of him.

Thus, you have to begrudginly admit his accomplishment but not too much, just to save your face.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
s_rp_w Escapee

s_rp_w

Posted
Posted
Day 7, still love this album

 

 

 

Don’t, I tried so hard to be there :supersad:

 

 

I was there! Only entered once just thought I'd rub it in. Joking aside I'm very limited for plus one options and if my only choice couldn't have made it I was going to offer it up to the board. I've lurked since 2007 and you get about Jobby most likely would've been you I picked. All hypothetical like but in another universe! Special night, now the proud owner of Dom's empty evian bottle.

Also I legit love Get Up and Fight. I see a change on the horizon, reasons to be frightened. Story of my life. :LOL: Don't hate me. :stunned:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share
Go to topic listing
×
×
  • Create New...