Album Review: Muse – Second Law

Taking a host of shoulder-padded influences and wearing them proudly on the sleeve (sic), Muse have come up with a fun, enjoyable album with ‘2nd Law’.

Taking the mantle from Queen (in more ways than one) when it comes to big, bold and theatrical they’ve finally taken a few steps away from the sound that has defined them so astutely over the last few years and come up with their biggest and boldest album to date.

Opener ‘Supremacy’ could, on any other day, have been a Bond theme, with stabbing strings giving way to something akin to Sheryl Crow’s theme to ‘The World is Not Enough’, before you’re thrust back into a power-chorus – it’s a bold orchestral piece of genius.
Lead single ‘M-m-m-m-Madness’ follows, and despite initial skepticism, it’s a grower of a track in more ways than one.

The heavily 80s ‘Panic Station’, with its hints of Michael Jackson meets INXS helps perpetuate the old theory that track three is generally the best on an album. ‘Follow Me’ is a bit more classic Muse – with a flicker of Dub-Step (and Matt Bellamy’s unborn son’s fetal heartbeat leading us into it), as Matt tells his son how he’ll look after him, and this is where the guitars begin to come back properly.

After the opening six tracks, things seem to settle into a more familiar feel, with clever guitars, and touching a bit more on the elements that have led to people getting a bit bored with them: the “worn-groove in the sofa” that everyone has come to know as Muse, proven with potentially great track ‘Explorers’ that hits the Queen rhythm again with more of a ‘Don’t Stop Me Now’ feel, but rather than celebrating it, this is a bit more classic ‘whiney’ Muse that doesn’t really go anywhere and feels more like a filler.

Towards the end, there’re a couple of unexpected entries, written and sung by bassist Chris Wolstenholme are a bit odd, like getting a different filling in a doughnut from what you were expecting – but it’s a pleasant surprise; reminiscent of Genesis, ‘Save Me’ & ‘Liquid State’ are a bit more Prog-Rock, the latter particularly with its chainsaw guitars, and puts you in mind of a younger Dream Theater.

When you get to the end, you’ll feel like you’ve listened to two or three E.P’s tagged together. It has an enviably strong opening slavo, but that subsides into something a bit too comfortable and 2007-esque, before finishing with an odd foursome which actually complement each other quite well.

By Robin Lewis

Check out the BBMLive Dance Music Podcast mixed by So Called Scumbags.