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Muse Begins The Resistance
Muse brings new music, innovative sound to NYC
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The Resistance is the new record by British rock band Muse, and it kicks off with the charging, hit song,“ Uprising”. It is a danceable battle cry with a beat and minor-chord-Depeche-Mode-like dread. It is the fifth record from the band of schoolmates from England, with the usual gaggle of influences and outsized songs. They will showcase the album March 5th on Madison Square Garden’s hallowed stage.
It is their compelling live concerts that bolster their reputation as a virtuosic group that delivers epic, arena-rock thrills and lands them prominent festival slots around the world. You have to respect the trick of simultaneously handling both lead guitar and lead vocals. The short list of those who have excelled at it now includes Matt Bellamy, who is backed by a potent rhythm section that completes the band’s muscular sound.
It isn’t easy being Muse. They have to hear about Radiohead and Queen wherever they go. And despite their worldwide popularity, some of the hipster critics just won’t fully embrace them. But they still sell out shows internationally and The Resistance debuted at #1 in 20 different countries. They are one of those successful outfits with rabid followings that play capacity concerts wherever they tour but for some reason aren’t considered “important” by the critics.
Like fellow British band Coldplay, they stepped into the vacuum created by Radiohead when they recorded Kid A, which turned sharply away from “alternative rock” to something far more experimental and to some rock fans, perplexing. But Muse has also evolved into a band that is ambitious in both their sound and the apocalyptic Big Brother themes they explore in their lyrics. They have, in fact, included a rock symphony towards the end of The Resistance, proof enough of their willingness to take big, creative risks. And whether Pitchfork likes it or not, Muse continues to have a flourishing career with no sign of losing steam.
Muse, Madison Square Garden, March 5, 2010