LP9: WOTP Discussion/Speculation Thread

[sweetdave]

9 hours ago, Timbo59 said:

The pre-chorus of Euphoria sounds like if TIRO was written in 2022. Also love the falsetto at the end; maybe my favourite since Take a Bow.

I didnt hear that at first, but my son pointed it out. I hear Pressure, KOC (guitar tone) mainly and weirdly a faster beat follow me.  

[DarthWayne69]

I love the new album. I think it's their best since Black Holes, but is has more highlight songs for me: Kill Or Be Killed, You Make Me Feel Like It's Halloween, We Are Fucking Fucked and there is no song I want to skip like it was in any previous album since Black Holes.

Perfect: Kill Or Be Killed (my album favourite), You Make Me Feel Like It's Halloween, We Are Fucking Fucked

Good: Will Of The People, Liberation, Won't Stand Down, Ghosts, Verona (maybe perfect too), Euphoria

Still ok: Compliance

[sweetdave]

Is this forum now dead....is everyone on a discord server or something.....getting too old for this but I expected a few threads blowing up with reactions to the album...(picks up cane and goes back to napster)

[Hat]

2 hours ago, sweetdave said:

Is this forum now dead....is everyone on a discord server or something.....getting too old for this but I expected a few threads blowing up with reactions to the album...(picks up cane and goes back to napster)

Current Muse fans are on discord, Reddit and Twitter. The fans who used to be here are...on Facebook I guess

[Clunge]

Honestly, anyone who can't find something to love about Euphoria needs to re-examine their being.

[MartianSpaghettiRider]

37 minutes ago, Clunge said:

Honestly, anyone who can't find something to love about Euphoria needs to re-examine their being.

The final part with the multiple guitar layers, especially after that deafening falsetto, is particularly elating. 
The song it’s basically a GUAF that’s not sappy and it’s executed well, in pure Black Holes style with a sprinkle of The Killers.

Edited August 27, 2022 by MartianSpaghettiRider

[HannahG123]

Really satisfied with this album. There are better individual tracks on some of the other albums (although KOBK is their best song in aaaages) but overall I think it’s my favourite since BH&R or the Resistance. Even the tracks I wasn’t sure of at first like Liberation (although nothing on USOE) I now really enjoy. Only one I’d consider skipping is WOTP and it’s really just the chanting I can’t stand. I also lost a good friend this week in awful circumstances so Ghosts is hitting me really hard. I’m actually taking a bit of time to warm up to Verona. YMMFLIH is SO much fun.

 

Matts voice sounds the best it has to me  since BH&R and I think as others have said it’s because he’s not doing forced operatics, it feels raw and real. I also love the videos and seeing them enjoying jamming together again. Tempelhof was a blast and Glasgow next year can’t come fast enough. Thank you muse ❤️

[Silentgod86]

2 hours ago, Clunge said:

Honestly, anyone who can't find something to love about Euphoria needs to re-examine their being.

It's alright.  Ain't no Mr Brightside...

[Dysfunco]

3 hours ago, Clunge said:

Honestly, anyone who can't find something to love about Euphoria needs to re-examine their being.

It's fine and might grow on me, although I'm (like elsewhere on the album) not a huge fan of the production and sound overall. It sounds overly compressed and there's this rather weird drum mix change between the verses and choruses that doesn't blend very well or frankly sound all that good.

Apart from maxing out the sound too much, I sometimes can't help but wonder why some bands such as Muse seem to do all they can to mask or hide away the natural sound of the drums. Like the whole point is to make them not sound like the work of a real drummer anymore. I just don't get it, and I really miss a more natural drum sound in many songs -- which I think could've benefitted greatly from it. In others (such as Halloween) it's a perfectly fine and suitable stylistic choice, however.

To me alot of songs on this album is a bit overwhelming and fatiguing to listen to slightly cranked up... 

Killed or be Killed could have sounded better by just lowering the whole drum track slightly IMO. It's a bit too hard-hitting and in your face for this kind of song and playing, alteast to my taste.

From the bunch of songs we haven't heard prior to the release, I think I'm so far most positively surprised by We Are Fucking Fucked, Liberation and Verona.

Halloween definitely wasn't as bad as I feared it would be either. Certainly a more fun and interestingly constructed Simulation Theroy-style song than several songs on, well, Simulation Theory.

Edited August 27, 2022 by Dysfunco

[Clunge]

I said this with Revolt, but if Euphoria had been on Showbiz, it would be a massive massive fan favourite.

Don't agree re the drums. I think they sound superb on this album. Really tight, clean, varied, bright – and big. This is a great 'instrument' album. Nearly every song is strongly 'instrument'-led, i.e. led. by guitar, piano or vocals. The synths and frills are all still there, but they take more of a back seat.

Loving this more with every listen. I think Compliance will eventually be my least favourite, but it's still good.

[Claudia O]

This interview is good!besides other talking,  Matt „explains“ all songs 

 

[That Little Animal]

3 hours ago, Dysfunco said:

To me alot of songs on this album is a bit overwhelming and fatiguing to listen to slightly cranked up... 

Interesting… I listened to it on repeat with my fancy headphones cranked all the way up and have not been bothered by the sound (apart from the odd and jarring volume changes in WSD).

But when I was finally home alone and laid down to listen to it from the speakers, I couldn’t finish it because it made me very restless. 

[knightofcydonia]

I think this is my favourite album since BH&R. Didn't have the urge to have the last albums on repeat as much as this one, and it's got some real highlights. The highs definitely outweigh the lows.

Top tracks (no particular order):

Verona: Maybe my favourite off the album. Yes, it's kinda cheesy, but something about it feels so... freeing? Celebratory? Ethereal? I get hit by a lot of feelings here.

Ghosts: Seems people either love or hate this one, but I'm firmly on the "love" side. Relatively simple piano ballad, but genuinely emotional, and Matt's voice sounds incredible here. I think it's beautiful. 

You Make Me Feel Like It's Halloween: Straight up so much fun. Really entertaining and creative, and the guitar solo is a cherry on top.

Kill or Be Killed: Obviously! Makes me wish for more metal Muse, and had the guitar solo Won't Stand Down really needed. Should be a staple at concerts from now on.

Even the ones I've been more tentative about for being too repetitive (Will of the People, Won't Stand Down, Compliance) are growing on me.

[Timbo59]

I'm glad WSD had a mini breakdown rather than a solo; it was a breath of fresh air for Muse imo. 

Verona, Euphoria and WAFF continue to be stuck in my head.

[Luigi.]

Halloween is easily their most catchy song since Panic Station, so damn fun.

WAFF and Euphoria are solid too.  Verona hasn't done much for me, maybe it'll grow on me.

[funkadelic2]

8 hours ago, Clunge said:

I said this with Revolt, but if Euphoria had been on Showbiz, it would be a massive massive fan favourite.

Don't agree re the drums. I think they sound superb on this album. Really tight, clean, varied, bright – and big. This is a great 'instrument' album. Nearly every song is strongly 'instrument'-led, i.e. led. by guitar, piano or vocals. The synths and frills are all still there, but they take more of a back seat.

Loving this more with every listen. I think Compliance will eventually be my least favourite, but it's still good.

Sometimes with new Muse songs I feel like they're judged more harshly because that era of rock music has passed, they don't have the nostalgia factor, and fans are hearing them as adults instead of teens.

Like most songs on Showbiz and songs like The Small Print, ToaDA, etc. would definitely be labeled cringe if they came out now.

So I agree about Euphoria. It's a type of song I could see old Muse doing in some form and fans loving.  

[frutiger75]

12 hours ago, Clunge said:

Honestly, anyone who can't find something to love about Euphoria needs to re-examine their being.

do you still hate exo-politics? haha. just checking.

anyway:

verona is interesting because as the arpeggiated synths move down; everything else moves up. that's hard to compose and make it not sound like a mess. ghosts should've been on cryosleep. halloween is a better panic station. 

i have other opinions on other songs, but will have to share them later, because i have a vested interest in the expanded upcoming tour production (tba), as i have the last few. 

finally, i was a lurker before i officially joined here, and each is entitled to his/her/he/she/they/them/it (whatever i missed, sorry), but i take people's opinions who join here after a few songs have been released in a given album cycle and then trash the album in full when it's released with a grain of salt. you know who you are.

[frutiger75]

12 hours ago, Clunge said:

Honestly, anyone who can't find something to love about Euphoria needs to re-examine their being.

do you still hate exo-politics? haha. just checking.

anyway:

verona is interesting because as the arpeggiated synths move down; everything else moves up. that's hard to compose and make it not sound like a mess. ghosts should've been on cryosleep. halloween is a better panic station. 

i have other opinions on other songs, but will have to share them later, because i have a vested interest in the expanded upcoming tour production (tba), as i have the last few. 

finally, i was a lurker before i officially joined here, and each is entitled to his/her/he/she/they/them/it (whatever i missed, sorry), but i take people's opinions who join here after a few songs have been released in a given album cycle and then trash the album in full when it's released with a grain of salt. you know who you are.

[Clunge]

I do 👍.

[That Little Animal]

Please. Discuss. There’s a new album out and I’m counting tumbleweeds here to avoid the barrage of “am I the only one who thinks Will of the People sounds like the Beautiful People?” threads posted every five minutes on Reddit. 

Reddit is shit. Discord is shit. Kids these days don’t know how to internet. 

[MartianSpaghettiRider]

3 hours ago, That Little Animal said:

Please. Discuss. There’s a new album out and I’m counting tumbleweeds here to avoid the barrage of “am I the only one who thinks Will of the People sounds like the Beautiful People?” threads posted every five minutes on Reddit. 

Reddit is shit. Discord is shit. Kids these days don’t know how to internet. 

Y’know what? Since I’m having trouble to sleep tonight (it’s still quite hot here where I live and there’s also a couple of personal issues looping in my thoughts, but nothing really serious), I’ll engage. 
 

For example, I noticed that WOTP songs seem to be put in pairs in order to represent the opposites, or the lights and shadows, of a given theme.

WOTP / Compliance —> The angry populist mob is trying to overthrow the government they hate / The said government and other social structures like gangs and religious cults try to get a hold of the mob by instilling a false sense of belonging and security against a difficult world

Liberation / WSD —> The bravery and determination to let your voice be heard and go against your oppressors with a commonly shared sense of mocking sarcasm / The same bravery and determination but displayed from the single individual’s POV in an irate, ferocious light, to the point of aiming to the destructive annihilation of their oppressor

Ghosts / Halloween —> A sincere, heart-wrenching longing for an authentically pure love lost to the pandemic / A grotesque exposition of an abusive relationship behind closed doors during lockdowns

KOBK / Verona —> The worst survivalist instincts emerging from humans during hard times to the point of eliminating “love and compassion” / A love story born from pure passion and protection despite the world falling apart around it, as a demonstration that people can get through that without losing their humanity

Euphoria / WAFF —> A wishful, hopeful, energic (but maybe also a little desperate?) call for a positive shock in order to soothe the pain for the current situation / A nihilist statement on human condition in relation to the global disasters happening around us… but with a good healthy dose of rebellious rage in order to carry on and ride through the storm, whatever happens.

Edited August 29, 2022 by MartianSpaghettiRider

[That Little Animal]

8 hours ago, MartianSpaghettiRider said:

Y’know what? Since I’m having trouble to sleep tonight (it’s still quite hot here where I live and there’s also a couple of personal issues looping in my thoughts, but nothing really serious), I’ll engage. 
 

For example, I noticed that WOTP songs seem to be put in pairs in order to represent the opposites, or the lights and shadows, of a given theme.

WOTP / Compliance —> The angry populist mob is trying to overthrow the government they hate / The said government and other social structures like gangs and religious cults try to get a hold of the mob by instilling a false sense of belonging and security against a difficult world

Liberation / WSD —> The bravery and determination to let your voice be heard and go against your oppressors with a commonly shared sense of mocking sarcasm / The same bravery and determination but displayed from the single individual’s POV in an irate, ferocious light, to the point of aiming to the destructive annihilation of their oppressor

Ghosts / Halloween —> A sincere, heart-wrenching longing for an authentically pure love lost to the pandemic / A grotesque exposition of an abusive relationship behind closed doors during lockdowns

KOBK / Verona —> The worst survivalist instincts emerging from humans during hard times to the point of eliminating “love and compassion” / A love story born from pure passion and protection despite the world falling apart around it, as a demonstration that people can get through that without losing their humanity

Euphoria / WAFF —> A wishful, hopeful, energic (but maybe also a little desperate?) call for a positive shock in order to soothe the pain for the current situation / A nihilist statement on human condition in relation to the global disasters happening around us… but with a good healthy dose of rebellious rage in order to carry on and ride through the storm, whatever happens.

That’s pretty cool! Not sure they intended it, but it works out nicely that way. Seeing some of the harder to digest songs as part of a pair gives them a little extra appeal as well. 

[Hat]

On 8/28/2022 at 1:48 AM, funkadelic2 said:

Sometimes with new Muse songs I feel like they're judged more harshly because that era of rock music has passed, they don't have the nostalgia factor, and fans are hearing them as adults instead of teens.

Like most songs on Showbiz and songs like The Small Print, ToaDA, etc. would definitely be labeled cringe if they came out now.

So I agree about Euphoria. It's a type of song I could see old Muse doing in some form and fans loving.  

The Small Print and TOADA weren't very good when they came out

[Clunge]

TOADA remains one of my all-time favourite Muse songs, always absolutely loved that song. Great guitar-driven lead, great vocals, mega solo. TSP was pretty great live too.

[funkadelic2]

4 hours ago, Hat said:

The Small Print and TOADA weren't very good when they came out

Whatever your opinion, they fit into the kind of upbeat rock which was common in that era and no one seemed bothered about it. In the long-term however, it's the ironic unbothered sound like The Strokes and Arctic Monkeys people want. So whenever Muse delve back into pop rock it's treated as this awful thing.