Muse's The Resistance reviewed

MusicRadar's track-by-track guide

Joe Bosso, Thu 27 Aug 2009, 1:32 pm UTC

1. Uprising

A gritty, stomping Glitter Band-update, full of symphonic keyboard lines and lively handclaps. Bellamy sings in a much lower register than in the past, removing all traces of Jeff Buckley and Thom Yorke from his vocals. "They will stop degrading us," he insists. "They cannot control us/We will be victorious." And as he tears into a full-throttle, grungy guitar solo, we believe him.

2. Resistance

After a delicate keyboard pattern underpinned by an insistent floor tom beat, a snare crack snaps and we're rocking with Bellamy's relatively unprocessed guitar. The chorus is a high-gear mover in which Bellamy sings, "Love is our resistance/They'll pull us apart and they won't stop breaking us down." Shades of George Orwell's 1984 continue to inform his lyrics; he seems fascinated by passion surviving nefarious forces. Filling us with hope and breaking our hearts in the space of one song is quite a feat.

Matt Bellamy on stage at Madison Square Garden with his mirror-plated Manson IMAGE: © Lucas Jackson/Reuters/Corbis

3. Undisclosed Desires

The guitar isn't front-and-center on this hard-edged, '80s-sounding number that recalls Depeche Mode during their Music For The Masses period. Multi-tracked chorus vocals ring out "I want to reconcile the violence in your heart/I want to recognize your beauty's not a mask." It's the album's weakest cut so far, but things pick up in short order.

4. United States Of Eurasia (+Collateral Damage)

A moving, piano-based opening quickly turns on a dime and we're plunged into Queen territory. Thunderous drums and a pseudo-Middle Eastern synth melody surge through the verses. With this number, there can be no doubt that Bellamy has developed into a world-class vocalist - he opens both his throat and his soul. The mid section is a mix of Broadway-meets-Bohemian Rhapsody panache and the end quotes Chopin - performed by Bellamy himself. In a word, gorgeous.

5. Guiding Light

Walloping bass and drums mimic a heartbeat of this pumping love song and Bellamy wails on the top strings of his guitar. "You are my guiding light!" he bellows with the utmost sincerity. But the centerpiece of this rocker is actually at the end, where the guitarist unleashes a heavily processed metal shred corker that recalls Brian May at his finest. The solo is over far too early - but hey, it was great while it lasted.