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Sound System: Absolution by Muse
Jan. 6th, 2025 01:12 amOne day a few weeks ago I hit play on some album, probably Nevermind by Nirvana, and eventually laid down and allowed Spotify to keep playing whatever it thought I might like once the album was over. I ended up loafing for a good while and so, many different songs played, and two of them stood out to me enough that I added them to my Likes and replayed them many times over the next few days. Those songs were by the band Muse, both from the 2003 album Absolution. So, in conjunction with my new year's resolution to listen to a new album every week, I decided to start there. And why not try and review some of them too?
Might spend a few entries feeling around for the format I want to use for this sort of thing (also what I'm going to call them...). With this album I followed a track-by-track format that I used back in the day when a friend and I would exchange album reviews. This practice usually involved a lot of hollering about Cher, but more to the point I went through each song in album order, chronologically typing out my reactions to the songs as I listened. I did all my rambling (and some hollering) in a Notepad file, and here I'll be tuning up these notes (no pun intended) as I go, for a cleaner and more intellectual read-through. I chose not to give a score to any of these songs because, for one, I'm awfully wishy-washy about that sort of thing, and secondly, I don't think we'll be missing much in the absence of numbers.
I haven't listened to much Muse before today; the extent of my knowledge of the band was a song or two I'd heard were good from a friend, and that they had a song called "Stockholm Syndrome" which is also the name of a song by blink-182 (which I'm very familiar with. And hey, that song also came out in 2003!). Therefore I didn't have many expectations or preconceptions going into this album, but I figured I'd like it, judging from the two tracks I'd heard from it earlier.
...excluding Intro, because there's really nothing to say about it.
Apocalypse Please: I wasn't super impressed by this opener, but it does a good job of setting the tone for the album: it's cinematic and feels grand, as though communicating something of import or musing (ha) on a momentous occasion. Movie soundtrack shit. The title is cool and the song reminded me of Queen, which I find hard to believe is a bad thing. The song is very piano-forward where I had figured there would be more guitar, and it seems to build to something but that something wasn't quite as big as I had hoped. But, not bad.
Time is Running Out: This song is more of a hit for me. It starts immediately with a bass groove that I imagine hits different pumping through loud car speakers. The first verse has a cool "walking in the rain" vibe (as in, if you were listening to it while walking in the rain, you would feel cool), which then ramps up in chunkiness and goodness in the post-chorus. At that point the sound of the snare drum really pops (good way to win me over: good sounding snare drums). The second verse is more of a slutty animatic kind of vibe (as in, if you had a character or pairing in mind while you were listening to it, the resulting animatic you would imagine would be slutty). The bridge features a neat little piano bit and the last couple of choruses have a nice drum groove, so the track is capped off pretty well. For my tastes this one could've also gone a little harder, but it's still pretty good.
Sing for Absolution: The song starts with a light intro that's backed up nicely with present drums. Generally this track is slow and dreamy, which encouraged my wind-up car brain to wander. Something about the nearly haunting quality communicates "vampires" to me. This lead to my idea that this album could follow some kind of storyline about a human/vampire pair exchanging these songs in the midst of the apocalypse or something in that vein. The guitar does some evil plotting in the bridge and carries on stylishly in the background of the final chorus. "Our wrongs remain unrectified / and our souls won't be exhumed." Vampires, see?
Stockholm Syndrome: This was one of the two songs from this album I heard ahead of the rest. It slaps. The intro is very replayable. It has this really cool blend of chunky, heavy instrumentation and airy vocals with this kind of delicate, angelic sort of atmosphere. It's a combination that never feels awkward or forced here; these guys nailed that. The bridge and outro of this song are badass. This is the kind of song your friend's wrestler OC hits the ring to. "And we'll love and we'll hate and we'll die / all to no avail."
Falling Away with You: Bit of a transition from the jams of the previous track into this one's sad sentimental instrumental opening: "I'll love whatever you'll become." Eventually the song wakes up a bit and says good morning to a capital B Bassline with some nice high notes. Lots of interesting bits of instrumentation, notably some "weird bass shit" as I called it on first listen, in the second verse. The choruses on this track sound strange and uplifting but the lyrics are sad; this is far from a novel concept but it's a unique sound happening here.
Interlude is really just an extended outro for the previous track. It's just under 40 seconds of cool full-bodied feedback sounds or something. That's it.
Hysteria: This was the other song I heard previously. Simply put: this song fucks. The bass riff is legendary, the build up in the intro is sick, the guitar riff is sexy and badass. It's just a jam and it made me want more jams from the album. Looking over the lyrics again, my vampire theory remains strong with this track. And bitch, the bridge. I listened to it three times. If you read this post and feel at all inclined to listen to anything from this album, listen to "Hysteria."
Blackout: We ain't beating the vampire allegations with this one. This is another slow and understated track, with long sections of strings and limited percussion. It gives the feeling of a dance song, like a "slow dance at a ball" situation. When the guitar (or feedback, or distortion, or whatever it is, the cool kinda fucked up sound) adds in to the melody, that's a nice moment. The first real snare hit of the song actually jump scared me. This is a song you go to for the starry, stately, maybe a little ghostly atmosphere.
Butterflies & Hurricanes: The stakes feel high, with the keys in the beginning of this song, and from those keys the instruments expand organically. There's a feeling of intrigue to this track, but then there's a cut, and then you find yourself in a boss fight in an RPG. I haven't played any of the Persona games, but I was reminded of them here. I noted at this point that the lyrics on this album hadn't stood out to me much, but rather that the instrumentation is more of the focus. The song seems to cook something after the second chorus, the piano seemed to be taking me somewhere, somewhere grand, perhaps. This is the kind of song that lends itself to an animated music video. It has a bit of an abrupt ending, but overall this track had me going "Wow. Huh."
The Small Print: The guitar riff to this one drew my attention from the start, and the drum sound was solid, so this one was trying to win me over, clearly. The band achieves some Big Sounds here, which is Good. The lyrics are also more my speed, ramping up the evil vibes: "I'm a priest God never paid." The vocalist goes for it here, which I appreciate. The hustle, you know. This is a song for when you're feeling like a bastard and you're reveling in it. Nice little rock pick-me-up in the midst of the slower ones.
Fury: This is apparently a bonus track. I'd describe the instrumentation on this song as sludgy, but without the grime, if that makes sense. It features the kind of bass that pleasantly rattles your whole chest with the right speakers, I can tell. The chorus is trippy and loooong in the vowels, and the bridge goes for a chunky groove. The last chorus has a nice new guitar part, and overall the song feels a little funky, little unusual. It maybe drags a little, but it's not bad. "Your self-loving soothes and softens the blows you've invented."
Endlessly: This song is cool and weird, carrying this thread of devotion with some underlying tension in it. "And I won't leave you falling / but the moment never comes." It opens with a new drum and keyboard sound, almost like a loading screen theme. There's some really neat stuttering keys here and there, and eventually there's the addition of some kind of reversed sound that, by the bridge, gives the song this feeling of falling upward. The track keeps adding things and building slowly and just kinda scratches the brain.
Thoughts of a Dying Atheist: My first thought on this one was that the title is cunty. This song picks up a bit, even if it's a bit straight forward in comparison to the other songs on the album. It carries a sense of movement while simultaneously feeling like staring at a wall, lost in thought. Good guitar solo also. "And the end is all I can see / and it scares the hell out of me." Yeah.
Ruled by Secrecy: I could smell another villain song right from the sinister beginning of this one. Some of the words early in the song are lost a little in the high tones and effects on the vocals. There's a feeling of climbing a large ornate staircase, the kind with velvet carpeting and carved hand rails. Eventually there is the drop, so to speak, one would expect in an album closer of this nature (or that I expected, at least). The aforementioned villain (perhaps a vampire?) is playing piano in the room at the top of that staircase. This track is almost creepy, creating a vibe that something is wrong but you can't pinpoint what it is. Truthfully, it didn't get to the level of big, loud, and evil as I had hoped for, but it certainly made me think. I'm still pondering over the significance of the title.
...Overall, Absolution by Muse is a good album. Lots of interesting instrumentation, some real jams, lots of cinematic feelings. It makes me want to use the word "tableau." Given that my first impressions were the two biggest Rock Jams on the album, I didn't get exactly what I wanted, but what I did get was still good. Not the most satisfying to my "go fast go loud" monkey brain, nor was it particularly interesting in the lyrics department, but it felt enriching to listen to. Like eating healthy food. I recommend.
In conclusion: this album is about vampires.
(no but really if you listen to this album or you're already familiar with it, please let me know if you see what I'm talking about, with the vampire storyline)
Might spend a few entries feeling around for the format I want to use for this sort of thing (also what I'm going to call them...). With this album I followed a track-by-track format that I used back in the day when a friend and I would exchange album reviews. This practice usually involved a lot of hollering about Cher, but more to the point I went through each song in album order, chronologically typing out my reactions to the songs as I listened. I did all my rambling (and some hollering) in a Notepad file, and here I'll be tuning up these notes (no pun intended) as I go, for a cleaner and more intellectual read-through. I chose not to give a score to any of these songs because, for one, I'm awfully wishy-washy about that sort of thing, and secondly, I don't think we'll be missing much in the absence of numbers.
I haven't listened to much Muse before today; the extent of my knowledge of the band was a song or two I'd heard were good from a friend, and that they had a song called "Stockholm Syndrome" which is also the name of a song by blink-182 (which I'm very familiar with. And hey, that song also came out in 2003!). Therefore I didn't have many expectations or preconceptions going into this album, but I figured I'd like it, judging from the two tracks I'd heard from it earlier.
Getting into the track-by-track... (click to read)
...excluding Intro, because there's really nothing to say about it.
Apocalypse Please: I wasn't super impressed by this opener, but it does a good job of setting the tone for the album: it's cinematic and feels grand, as though communicating something of import or musing (ha) on a momentous occasion. Movie soundtrack shit. The title is cool and the song reminded me of Queen, which I find hard to believe is a bad thing. The song is very piano-forward where I had figured there would be more guitar, and it seems to build to something but that something wasn't quite as big as I had hoped. But, not bad.
Time is Running Out: This song is more of a hit for me. It starts immediately with a bass groove that I imagine hits different pumping through loud car speakers. The first verse has a cool "walking in the rain" vibe (as in, if you were listening to it while walking in the rain, you would feel cool), which then ramps up in chunkiness and goodness in the post-chorus. At that point the sound of the snare drum really pops (good way to win me over: good sounding snare drums). The second verse is more of a slutty animatic kind of vibe (as in, if you had a character or pairing in mind while you were listening to it, the resulting animatic you would imagine would be slutty). The bridge features a neat little piano bit and the last couple of choruses have a nice drum groove, so the track is capped off pretty well. For my tastes this one could've also gone a little harder, but it's still pretty good.
Sing for Absolution: The song starts with a light intro that's backed up nicely with present drums. Generally this track is slow and dreamy, which encouraged my wind-up car brain to wander. Something about the nearly haunting quality communicates "vampires" to me. This lead to my idea that this album could follow some kind of storyline about a human/vampire pair exchanging these songs in the midst of the apocalypse or something in that vein. The guitar does some evil plotting in the bridge and carries on stylishly in the background of the final chorus. "Our wrongs remain unrectified / and our souls won't be exhumed." Vampires, see?
Stockholm Syndrome: This was one of the two songs from this album I heard ahead of the rest. It slaps. The intro is very replayable. It has this really cool blend of chunky, heavy instrumentation and airy vocals with this kind of delicate, angelic sort of atmosphere. It's a combination that never feels awkward or forced here; these guys nailed that. The bridge and outro of this song are badass. This is the kind of song your friend's wrestler OC hits the ring to. "And we'll love and we'll hate and we'll die / all to no avail."
Falling Away with You: Bit of a transition from the jams of the previous track into this one's sad sentimental instrumental opening: "I'll love whatever you'll become." Eventually the song wakes up a bit and says good morning to a capital B Bassline with some nice high notes. Lots of interesting bits of instrumentation, notably some "weird bass shit" as I called it on first listen, in the second verse. The choruses on this track sound strange and uplifting but the lyrics are sad; this is far from a novel concept but it's a unique sound happening here.
Interlude is really just an extended outro for the previous track. It's just under 40 seconds of cool full-bodied feedback sounds or something. That's it.
Hysteria: This was the other song I heard previously. Simply put: this song fucks. The bass riff is legendary, the build up in the intro is sick, the guitar riff is sexy and badass. It's just a jam and it made me want more jams from the album. Looking over the lyrics again, my vampire theory remains strong with this track. And bitch, the bridge. I listened to it three times. If you read this post and feel at all inclined to listen to anything from this album, listen to "Hysteria."
Blackout: We ain't beating the vampire allegations with this one. This is another slow and understated track, with long sections of strings and limited percussion. It gives the feeling of a dance song, like a "slow dance at a ball" situation. When the guitar (or feedback, or distortion, or whatever it is, the cool kinda fucked up sound) adds in to the melody, that's a nice moment. The first real snare hit of the song actually jump scared me. This is a song you go to for the starry, stately, maybe a little ghostly atmosphere.
Butterflies & Hurricanes: The stakes feel high, with the keys in the beginning of this song, and from those keys the instruments expand organically. There's a feeling of intrigue to this track, but then there's a cut, and then you find yourself in a boss fight in an RPG. I haven't played any of the Persona games, but I was reminded of them here. I noted at this point that the lyrics on this album hadn't stood out to me much, but rather that the instrumentation is more of the focus. The song seems to cook something after the second chorus, the piano seemed to be taking me somewhere, somewhere grand, perhaps. This is the kind of song that lends itself to an animated music video. It has a bit of an abrupt ending, but overall this track had me going "Wow. Huh."
The Small Print: The guitar riff to this one drew my attention from the start, and the drum sound was solid, so this one was trying to win me over, clearly. The band achieves some Big Sounds here, which is Good. The lyrics are also more my speed, ramping up the evil vibes: "I'm a priest God never paid." The vocalist goes for it here, which I appreciate. The hustle, you know. This is a song for when you're feeling like a bastard and you're reveling in it. Nice little rock pick-me-up in the midst of the slower ones.
Fury: This is apparently a bonus track. I'd describe the instrumentation on this song as sludgy, but without the grime, if that makes sense. It features the kind of bass that pleasantly rattles your whole chest with the right speakers, I can tell. The chorus is trippy and loooong in the vowels, and the bridge goes for a chunky groove. The last chorus has a nice new guitar part, and overall the song feels a little funky, little unusual. It maybe drags a little, but it's not bad. "Your self-loving soothes and softens the blows you've invented."
Endlessly: This song is cool and weird, carrying this thread of devotion with some underlying tension in it. "And I won't leave you falling / but the moment never comes." It opens with a new drum and keyboard sound, almost like a loading screen theme. There's some really neat stuttering keys here and there, and eventually there's the addition of some kind of reversed sound that, by the bridge, gives the song this feeling of falling upward. The track keeps adding things and building slowly and just kinda scratches the brain.
Thoughts of a Dying Atheist: My first thought on this one was that the title is cunty. This song picks up a bit, even if it's a bit straight forward in comparison to the other songs on the album. It carries a sense of movement while simultaneously feeling like staring at a wall, lost in thought. Good guitar solo also. "And the end is all I can see / and it scares the hell out of me." Yeah.
Ruled by Secrecy: I could smell another villain song right from the sinister beginning of this one. Some of the words early in the song are lost a little in the high tones and effects on the vocals. There's a feeling of climbing a large ornate staircase, the kind with velvet carpeting and carved hand rails. Eventually there is the drop, so to speak, one would expect in an album closer of this nature (or that I expected, at least). The aforementioned villain (perhaps a vampire?) is playing piano in the room at the top of that staircase. This track is almost creepy, creating a vibe that something is wrong but you can't pinpoint what it is. Truthfully, it didn't get to the level of big, loud, and evil as I had hoped for, but it certainly made me think. I'm still pondering over the significance of the title.
...Overall, Absolution by Muse is a good album. Lots of interesting instrumentation, some real jams, lots of cinematic feelings. It makes me want to use the word "tableau." Given that my first impressions were the two biggest Rock Jams on the album, I didn't get exactly what I wanted, but what I did get was still good. Not the most satisfying to my "go fast go loud" monkey brain, nor was it particularly interesting in the lyrics department, but it felt enriching to listen to. Like eating healthy food. I recommend.
In conclusion: this album is about vampires.
(no but really if you listen to this album or you're already familiar with it, please let me know if you see what I'm talking about, with the vampire storyline)
