Magazine: The 2nd Law Review (Italian Rolling Stone)

[i.wish.i.RAWR!]

Originally Posted by JamesPHD

What can you write when one of the most bombastic and opinionated, most irritating and raving rock bands does a great disc? It's annoying, but you have to surrender and write it: this is a great album. We don't give a full score for two reasons: the first is that, for me,
masterpieces need to be acknowledged. Secondly, the beginning (the olympic, pretentious Survival) and the epic and catastrophic ending suite, even if they are a continuity signal of the deep Muse identity, they ballast this collection of songs which could otherwise be a greatest hits.

Songs that, crucial detail, seem to have taken the secret ingredients of the big UK bands to re-offer them in an original mix, even if son of U2, Led Zeppelin, Bowie, Radiohead, Who, Queen, Beatles (McCartney side), even Eurythmics. You shouldn't find hard to find not similarities, but clear kindred with historic rock tracks ("Hey, but this doesn't remind you of Killer Queen?","But this doesn't sound like Fame?"). However, the three dudes manage to unify all these names who -not rarely- have nothing to do between them, and to still have a clear Muse sound. For example, in the trend of exploding, but never in an unexpected way. Or in the ability to put on the scene whole universes in 4 minutes, almost perpetuating Beach Boys' Brian Wilson's intuition of "pocket simphonies". Or in the ease with which they go from a distorted and heavily electric ass to one completely synth-based. Or they alternate funky and prog, sexy and romantic register, while they make us look just where they want us to do, exactly how magicians do. And seductors.

Not sure about the quality, my Italian is rusty.

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[Museic Syndrome]

Rolling Stone calling someone pretentious? OK,good...

[chudenk]

Originally Posted by Museic Syndrome

Rolling Stone calling someone pretentious? OK,good...

+ "Matt's voice sounds like a dying cat at grammy awards."

[bumpypotato]

Originally Posted by Priad-Luabe

because it's a 'cool to use' buzzword that people can label a band with as a reason not to like them, similar to emo and such from a few years back

Sadly this is correct. It feels like almost every music reviewer is either emulating pitchfork nowadays, or just can't be stuffed to write a decent review.

[FabriPav]

I can see why that guy called Muse pretentious, as in going too much OTT usually.

And I thought the review was fair enough, the guy doesn't like Muse but the album is actually great, and he said it.

[bumpypotato]

Originally Posted by FabriPav

I can see why that guy called Muse pretentious, as in going too much OTT usually.

And I thought the review was fair enough, the guy doesn't like Muse but the album is actually great, and he said it.

yeah, the fact that someone who obviously dislikes Muse thought the album was great really reassures me.

[Dockertae]

The funny thing about the word pretentious is that the people I usually hear saying it are the kind of people that insist that everything that isn't acoustic indie isn't "real music" and hang about trying to one-up each other with how obscure the bands they like are.

On the subject of the review, I'm not sure what to make of my excitement is definitely increasing. To think we could have had it this Monday coming! Oh well less than 20 days now...