Absolution

Artist: Muse
Label: Musicrama/Koch
Category: Music

Average customer rating:

Media: Audio CD
Number Of Discs: 1

UPC: 821838211426
EAN: 0821838211426
ASIN: B000A2G9AS

Release Date: 2004-03-30

Absolution

Related Categories:

General

| Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

General

| Rock | Styles | Music

Progressive Rock

| Progressive | Rock | Styles | Music

Pop Rock

| Pop | Styles | Music

Tracks:

Intro
Apocalypse Please
Time Is Running Out
Sing for Absolution
Stockholm Syndrome
Falling Away with You
Interlude
Hysteria
Blackout
Butterflies and Hurricanes
Small Print
Endlessly
Thoughts of a Dying Atheist
Ruled by Secrecy

Customer Reviews:

Absolutely "Absolution".......2005-07-24

Apparently the third time was the charm -- little-known Brit-rock band Muse's third album was the one to break out in the US. "Absolution" is definitely a dark little gem -- the songs focus on deterioration and lost love, set against classical-sounding rock.

"And pull us through/And this is the end/This is the end of the world." An ominous piano crashes into "Apocalypse," which is only one of several songs with a deathly edge, such as the epic "Time is Running Out" or the soaring "Butterflies and Hurricanes" ("Fights and battles have begun/Revenge will surely come/Your hard times are ahead..."). Even the most intimate song is the thoughts of a dying atheist, afraid of what is -- and isn't -- after death.

But Muse is also focusing on love. Dead loves, lost loves, and the idea of loves that can't or won't last out. The delicate, bittersweet "Sing for Absolution" is perhaps the purest example of this -- a love song for a woman who is apparently dead. Other songs focus on the mix of love and hate, and the feeling of love crumbling away.

That focus of death and love -- or both together -- is what makes "Absolution" so compelling. Muse is often written off as a Radiohead clone, but their sound is more complex, and their focus is darker. A riff here and there echoes of Radiohead, and Matt Bellamy's voice echoes that of Thom Yorke. But that's about all.

There's nothing spacey or eerie about Muse's brand of rock. Instead, they opt for a soaring, rich sound, with orchestral melodies. It's obvious that Bellamy has studied not just rock, but classical as well -- he integrates the epic quality of classical music into a melody written for guitar, bass, piano and drums. At times the sound is so massive -- not loud, but massive -- that it sounds like the speakers are going to explode.

With music like that, one would think that Bellamy's voice would get lost in the mix. Surprisingly he doesn't -- he's no Jose Carreras, but his voice has gained new maturity, able to be a standard rock voice one moment, and then a pure choral vocalist the next. He brings across the heartbreak and anguish in the songs with startling purity, as if he means every word.

In fact, those songs are the one weak spot -- they aren't as big or as rich as the music, which makes them sound a bit tepid. They're not bad. But they simply don't measure up to the musical genius. So ignore the words, and just listen to Bellamy and the music.

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