LP9: WOTP Discussion/Speculation Thread

[kueller]

I like it. Like, there's not much else of a feeling other than "I like it". I'm gonna be pedantic cause this is the Muse board and all, but on like a personal level I was pleased with the song.

 

If I have a criticism it's the same one I had with Pressure. I like the parts. The verse is cool, the riff is heavy, the chorus is big and Muse-y even if nothing too mind-blowing. But I do wish there was something "more" to link them together if that makes sense? It just kind of jumps here and there. Not really a bridge or buildup. By the time the last chorus comes in I'm like "alright here's that part again".

 

I don't like saying things like "it should be a minute shorter" or "this part specifically should be changed" cause there's many ways a song can work, but I do wish there was [i]something[/i] for a bit more payoff, especially cause I do legitimately enjoy the song. I think of MK Ultra which is kinda similar in "vibes" as far as being a cool heavier song but maybe not my favorite one. It had the intro verse which glued the verses to the chorus. There was the slow section. And then also a more expanded breakdown to end it.

 

Again, pedantry. It's a cool piece and I like the general aesthetic we're going into for this album.

[svenisms]

Okay FINE! I admit I've listened to this track quite a few more times than I initially expected and gosh darnit if it aint an ear worm. I still don't think it reaches instant classic status and I stand by my presumption that I will gravitate towards other songs as they come. But this will make a great opener live if they decide to go in that direction.

Anyways, let's have that aLBUM ANNOUNCEMENT PLEASEEEEEEEE!! 😩

[Citizen_Eraser]

On 1/15/2022 at 5:00 PM, EternallyPissed said:

After listening to the new song several times, while I enjoyed it initially, I seem to be loving it more by the day. I actually always liked Bellamy's up-and-down vocal delivery in the verses. That and the breakdowns were the initial highlights to me. However, after hearing it more, the chorus has gotten ingrained in my head for the past 24 hours (at least); the drastic change between verse, chorus, and breakdown actually seems to work; and I'm now even digging the loud bass thumps at the start. Between this and the comment the producer made on Instagram about the album only getting heavier from here, this has to be the most pumped I've been for a Muse album in quite some time, maybe ever.

Side-note: Whoever it was that mentioned The Volta Mars, thank you! I've been listening to some of their stuff over the past couple of days and am loving it! Before going to bed last night, I checked out their 32-minute opus, "Cassandra Gemini," with ZERO intent on listening to the entire thing in one sitting. I couldn't stop. Totally mesmerized. I listened to it all the way through. Incredible song/journey! Looking forward to checking out the rest of their catalog. Who knew it was possible for Santana, Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, among others (King Crimson, for one), to have a baby?

Hell yeah, from checking them out to straight to Cassandra Gemini lol - good for you. That one normally isn't for the uninitiated to the Volta.

The payoff at the end of the song when it goes back into the chorus from part 1 is one of my all time favorite things in any piece of music.

[That Little Animal]

18 hours ago, kueller said:

Again, pedantry. It's a cool piece and I like the general aesthetic we're going into for this album.

I don't think it is. It's the main gripe people some seem to have here and on Reddit. The transitions are clunky, so clunky in fact that they may be a feature rather than a bug. And it's a feature that I personally don't like. So it's a matter of taste.

I don't like pineapple on my pizza, I don't like smooth jazz and I don't like clunky transitions in songs. Nothing right or wrong with that, nothing pedantic about it.
 

Edited January 18, 2022 by That Little Animal

[HannahG123]

I'm enjoying noticing more intricate things about the song the more I listen to it, and it not being as basic as I first thought. In particular the rhythm of the synth/violins (can't work out what they are exactly) in the chorus changing from being syncopated to not. 

[Citizen_Eraser]

The more I hear it the more I like it. I don't think its a top Muse song by any means. I think if I had to list my top 50 Muse songs, this probably wouldn't even crack that list.

But I'm still blown away that this was chosen as a radio song. And stand by my opinion that its their best radio single since Knights.

[Buxomflirter Queef]

Considering shit like Dig Down was released as a single, this was a fairly pleasant surprise. The style of verse Vs chorus I find a bit odd, but happy with the heavier bits.

 

[EternallyPissed]

4 hours ago, Citizen_Eraser said:

Hell yeah, from checking them out to straight to Cassandra Gemini lol - good for you. That one normally isn't for the uninitiated to the Volta.

The payoff at the end of the song when it goes back into the chorus from part 1 is one of my all time favorite things in any piece of music.

Ha! Yeah, I bet not! Well, I could immediately tell I liked their style and sound, so when I saw they had a 32-minute track, I thought, "Oh, I HAVE to check this out." lol. The ending is pretty fricking classic. 

Purchased their 6 LPs the other day; have listened to the first three all the way through; and am hoping to listen to #4 tonight. We'll see how early my 3-year-old falls asleep. 😬

[EternallyPissed]

:: looks around for a moderator who would chew me out for this post ::

Random post, but it pertains to "Won't Stand Down," so I'm going to just go with it.

I've been writing/recording parodies over the past year or so. After releasing the anti-vaxxxer-inspired "On the Wrong Side" (based off "Mr. Brightside"), I got dared by a Twitter follower of mine to write a parody to the tune of Muse's new song, so I did that. I haven't recorded it yet, but here is the conspiracist-inspired parody, in case anyone might be curious:

 

“World Ain’t Round” (parody based off the Muse song, “Won’t Stand Down”)

I went on the web, to find some depth, to my tinfoil-hat conspiracies

I know that I’m right, so let me try, to fit this square peg in a circle

Your science is wrong, I heard in a song, written by a voice in my head

So back to YouTube, with some scary dude, calls himself GeniuserThenAll

 

I went on the web, to find some depth, on what I always want to be true

I know that I’m right, so let me try, to go and prove that which can’t be proved

Your science is wrong, I heard in a song, sung by voices in my head

So back to YouTube, with some scary dude, who appears to be on something

 

World ain’t round

It’s just way longer

World ain’t round

A hoax is Armstrong

World ain’t round

Greeks photoshopped five-thousand years ago

 

The moon is fake, so the landing was staged, just close your eyes at night to see

Illuminati, to rule all that is free, of course led by Lady G

In Roswell there were probes, green men said, “Disrobe!,” just watch all of those movies

COVID was made up, vaccines control us, all robots since we were babies

 

The moon is fake, so the landing was staged, astronaut suits are costumes

Illuminati, rulers of all that is free, of course led by Jay-Z

In Roswell there were probes, green men said, “Disrobe!,” just watch all of those movies

COVID was made up, vaccines control us, all robots since we were babies

World ain’t round

It’s just way longer

World ain’t round

A hoax is Armstrong

World ain’t round

Greeks photoshopped five-thousand years ago

 

World ain’t round

Can’t fall down

World ain’t round

 

 

World ain’t round

It’s just way longer

World ain’t round

A hoax is Armstrong

World ain’t round

Greeks photoshopped five-thousand years ago

 

 

World ain’t round

World ain’t round

 

 

...to be continued...

 

 

 

P.S. I've also been concocting some playlists, including a few for Muse, in case anyone is interested. -

https://music.youtube.com/search?q=craig+rozniecki

 

 

 

 

 

[Clunge]

Just saw this pop up in my FB feed. Looking at it, might it hint at stage design for the inevitable massive arena tour? The 45-degree square stage, the entire floor being lights/screen (Tool have done something similar in the past, iirc) and then some wires/etc to dress the backdrop. Crowd out front of shot, ofc.

Edited January 19, 2022 by Clunge

[HannahG123]

2 hours ago, Clunge said:

Just saw this pop up in my FB feed. Looking at it, might it hint at stage design for the inevitable massive arena tour? The 45-degree square stage, the entire floor being lights/screen (Tool have done something similar in the past, iirc) and then some wires/etc to dress the backdrop. Crowd out front of shot, ofc.

I didn't think of that actually you're probably right

What I noticed was the background shadows (wondered if they were a hint to the album art) but they mainly reminded me of Muse's 2012 imperial Japan Panic station incident 😆

[svenisms]

One of the more unexpected results of this track is me dabbling a bit in the world of metal. I don't foresee myself becoming an out and out metalhead but I'm digging some Mastodon, Baroness, and Deftones which is quite a divergence for a guy who would list Arcade Fire, The National, etc as some of my favorite bands.

[Clunge]

All three are utterly superb bands. Mastodon really deserve to be one of the biggest bands on the planet, the journey their music has undergone over the past 20 years is remarkable. Leviathan through Emperor of Sands are all 8 or 9/10 albums, I particularly like Once More Round The Sun for that Motherload/High Road combo. Emperor of Sand has so many high points too. I'm a little disappointed by their latest effort Hushed and Grim, if only because it feels a little bloated. Fun fact though; H&G was produced by Dave Botterill, who produced Origin of Symmetry.

Deftones are consistently brilliant and have been for two decades too. And I regularly go back to Red by Baroness. Few other suggestions for you if not already on your radar, really 'metal' so to speak, but all beefy:

Amplifier – Amplifier (self-titled); Arcane Roots – Melancholia Hymns; Black Peaks – Statues; Cave In – Antenna; Kyuss – Sky Valley; Monster Magnet – Spine of God; Oceansize – Frames; Porcupine Tree – Deadwing (although In Absentia, Lightbulb Sun and Stupid Dream are all 10/10); and Turbowolf – The Free Life

And I recommend everyone giving Opeth a go at some stage. You'll love them or hate them, but Blackwater Park is truly one of the best metal albums of all time.

[EternallyPissed]

2 hours ago, Clunge said:

All three are utterly superb bands. Mastodon really deserve to be one of the biggest bands on the planet, the journey their music has undergone over the past 20 years is remarkable. Leviathan through Emperor of Sands are all 8 or 9/10 albums, I particularly like Once More Round The Sun for that Motherload/High Road combo. Emperor of Sand has so many high points too. I'm a little disappointed by their latest effort Hushed and Grim, if only because it feels a little bloated. Fun fact though; H&G was produced by Dave Botterill, who produced Origin of Symmetry.

Deftones are consistently brilliant and have been for two decades too. And I regularly go back to Red by Baroness. Few other suggestions for you if not already on your radar, really 'metal' so to speak, but all beefy:

Amplifier – Amplifier (self-titled); Arcane Roots – Melancholia Hymns; Black Peaks – Statues; Cave In – Antenna; Kyuss – Sky Valley; Monster Magnet – Spine of God; Oceansize – Frames; Porcupine Tree – Deadwing (although In Absentia, Lightbulb Sun and Stupid Dream are all 10/10); and Turbowolf – The Free Life

And I recommend everyone giving Opeth a go at some stage. You'll love them or hate them, but Blackwater Park is truly one of the best metal albums of all time.

I second the Monster Magnet recommendation. I just started getting into them a few months ago. They've got some great tracks on all their albums, so I'd recommend giving them all a gander. My two personal faves, though, are "Last Patrol" and "Dopes to Infinity."

[Timbo59]

21 hours ago, Clunge said:

Just saw this pop up in my FB feed. Looking at it, might it hint at stage design for the inevitable massive arena tour? The 45-degree square stage, the entire floor being lights/screen (Tool have done something similar in the past, iirc) and then some wires/etc to dress the backdrop. Crowd out front of shot, ofc.

The weeknd posted a photo yesterday that weirdly looks like an inversion of this

 

[Bumpypotato]

Ya know what this didn’t suck. That’s a nice surprise. 
 

Edit: and I guess as a qualifier, this song isn’t amazing by any means, but it was nice to hear something so heavy from them. Not wild on the chorus, but the breakdown was tight. 

Edited January 20, 2022 by Bumpypotato

[That Little Animal]

So, back to album talk. There was more than a year between Dig Down and the album announcement for ST, and a year and a half between Dig Down and the final release of ST.

Any indications that it won't take quite as long this time around? 

[HannahG123]

24 minutes ago, That Little Animal said:

So, back to album talk. There was more than a year between Dig Down and the album announcement for ST, and a year and a half between Dig Down and the final release of ST.

Any indications that it won't take quite as long this time around? 

the WOTP logo thing maybe? 

[Hat]

39 minutes ago, That Little Animal said:

So, back to album talk. There was more than a year between Dig Down and the album announcement for ST, and a year and a half between Dig Down and the final release of ST.

Any indications that it won't take quite as long this time around? 

Well Dig Down wasn't released as part of an album. They simply recorded a couple of songs and released one of them. Then they toured, went back into the studio and recorded a few more tracks etc. This time, they've recorded the whole album in one go, like they usually do.

[MartianSpaghettiRider]

40 minutes ago, That Little Animal said:

So, back to album talk. There was more than a year between Dig Down and the album announcement for ST, and a year and a half between Dig Down and the final release of ST.

Any indications that it won't take quite as long this time around? 

Considering that both Von Korff (producer) and Chris Gehringer (mastering operator) have pretty much confirmed through bits that an entire album has been recorded, it won’t be as long as the last time

[Hat]

Okay so my thoughts on the song: It's pretty fun.

I think the verses are cool up until the falsetto enters for the "opened my eyes" etc, then it just becomes a bit silly. Even worse in the second verse right before the bridge. But I strangely don't have an issue with the chorus, even though I totally see the similarities with songs like Revolt and GUAF which I hate. I'm a bit bothered by the fact that it doesn't seem to build very well. Like...the instrumental goes down in volume for the chorus, which means it's never really that satisfying.

[Timbo59]

18 minutes ago, Hat said:

I think the verses are cool up until the falsetto enters for the "opened my eyes" etc, then it just becomes a bit silly. Even worse in the second verse right before the bridge. 

I cringed when I first heard that falsetto jump in the Instagram teaser posts, but it doesn't bother me so much anymore. But there's no denying it's ridiculous.

[Dysfunco]

A bit surprised someone could come to  a conclusion there's simalariies between this and Get Up and Fight, which must be the worst song they've ever done. It's just straight out terrible and it comes as no surprise it happen to be the only song with an external - mainly pop-oriented - songwriter involved.

They sound nothing alike. I have no issues whatsoever with the chorus in Won't Stand Down, sounds very typical Muse to me. The verses, however, I will never be sold on. I sure hope it's not a reocurring vocal style for the album, it just doesn't suit Muse and Matt.

Edited January 21, 2022 by Dysfunco

[Citizen_Eraser]

6 hours ago, Timbo59 said:

I cringed when I first heard that falsetto jump in the Instagram teaser posts, but it doesn't bother me so much anymore. But there's no denying it's ridiculous.

The falsetto on "eyes" and "disguise" I actually love. And the breaths in between lines (especially after "settle the score") I'm happy those are left in. The last few falsettos in the second chorus on win/begin/before are a bit much though.

[Timbo59]

Agreed, I like the eyes and disguise ones too. And I've always enjoyed Matt's deep breaths being kept in. Idk if that's something that's actually quite common but I notice it more with Muse songs.