New Muse album- Simulation Theory

[ZoSoRose]

New album announced today for November.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/muse-new-album-simulation-theory-the-dark-side-717448/amp/

I love old Muse but they have been hit and miss since The Resistance for me. Of the four released songs for I thought Dig Down kind of sucked, but thought Thought Contagian and Something Human were alright for pop Muse.

I really love the new single, Dark Side, though. Fucking rad. I also really dig the album cover, 80s throwbacks, and synths. I'm interested

 

Edited August 30, 2018 by ZoSoRose

[Nicklord]

Dick Town is their worst song by far

 

The Dark Side is amazing. I'm excited for that bonus CD too! 

[ZoSoRose]

5 hours ago, Nicklord said:

Dick Town is their worst song by far

 

The Dark Side is amazing. I'm excited for that bonus CD too! 

Dick Town 

[ChineseDemocracy2004]

Their videos have been more interesting than their music lately. Nevertheless I'm looking forward to the new album.

[ZoSoRose]

16 hours ago, ChineseDemocracy2004 said:

Their videos have been more interesting than their music lately. Nevertheless I'm looking forward to the new album.

I agree. Dig Down is a huge letdown. Cringy lyrics. Matt needs to lay off the dystopia shit. 

Something Human was dissapointing. I like the synths but it's a boring and plain song. Not total crap, but meh.

Thought Contagian is catchy and pretty alright.

The Dark Side is legit good imo. I like it a lot

[ChineseDemocracy2004]

8 hours ago, ZoSoRose said:

Thought Contagian is catchy and pretty alright.

The Dark Side is legit good imo. I like it a lot

I think with Muse nowadays you have to listen to their singles a few times for them to win you over.

What was the lead single from Drones? Psycho?

[Gibson87]

9 hours ago, ZoSoRose said:

Something Human was dissapointing. I like the synths but it's a boring and plain song. Not total crap, but meh.

I really liked Something Human. The instrumental side of it was really cool 

[Nicklord]

9 hours ago, ChineseDemocracy2004 said:

I think with Muse nowadays you have to listen to their singles a few times for them to win you over.

What was the lead single from Drones? Psycho?

Psycho was a first song posted online but Dead Inside was officially a lead single and it was posted like a week after Psycho

[ChineseDemocracy2004]

1 hour ago, Nicklord said:

Psycho was a first song posted online but Dead Inside was officially a lead single and it was posted like a week after Psycho

Those two are better than the four new songs we have so far.

[Nicklord]

1 hour ago, ChineseDemocracy2004 said:

Those two are better than the four new songs we have so far.

I'd rank em like this:

Dead Inside
The Dark Side
Psycho 

 

but the other 3 songs aren't on that level in my opinion too

Edited September 1, 2018 by Nicklord

[ChineseDemocracy2004]

7 hours ago, Nicklord said:

I'd rank em like this:

Dead Inside
The Dark Side
Psycho 

 

but the other 3 songs aren't on that level in my opinion too

What about Mercy? That was a single too wasn't it? Where would you rank that against their four new songs?

[ZoSoRose]

The Dark Side rules imo. I also really dig Dead Inside. 

Psycho is a cool song but an Uprising clone with shitty lyrics. Mercy is totally forgettable imo

Drones was a dissapointing album for me but I do really like Dead Inside, The Handler, and Reapers. The first section of The Globalist and Defector are cool too

[Nicklord]

5 hours ago, ChineseDemocracy2004 said:

What about Mercy? That was a single too wasn't it? Where would you rank that against their four new songs?

I would probably like it way more if Starlight didn't exist. It's with Thought Contagion and Something Human, not bad songs but just eeeeeeeh

 

About The Drones album I pretty much share the same opinion as ZoSoRose except that I like Psycho. Good: Dead Inside, The Handler, Reapers, Psycho. Okay: Defector, Mercy, Globalist. Bad: Aftermath, Revolt and Drones choir thing

[ChineseDemocracy2004]

16 hours ago, ZoSoRose said:

The Dark Side rules imo. I also really dig Dead Inside. 

Psycho is a cool song but an Uprising clone with shitty lyrics.

IIRC Psycho's riff was a leftover from an Absolution jam.

Have their albums decreased in quality since Black Holes & Revelations?

[Stress Fracture]

That album artwork is cringeworthy. ‘Hey, we also liked Stranger Things and are inspired by Tron and Blade Runner like everyone else’ is a bad first impression in 2018.

The 80s revival has gone on for longer than the 80s did.

[ZoSoRose]

I listened to the whole record

If you dont like synthwave you wont like it 

Even though thier best work is pre 2009, I got into Muse around The Resistance. I liked most of Resistance and I hated 2nd Law upon release but grew to really like about half to 3 quarters of it. Drones was a dud for me aside from a few songs . 

I didnt have high hopes for this album, especially after they put out Dig Down which is a further foray into the lamest parts of their post 2009 career. I have no idea why that, Thought Contagion, and Something Human were the lead offs to this album. TC and SH are okay (they all work better in context of the album) but they don't represent the sound or style of the album. The Dark Side should have been the lead single.

This is a very synth oriented album and They definitely went for updated 80s sounds on a lot of tracks. Those tend to be my favorite songs on the album- Algorithm, The Dark Side, Blockades, and The Void. Those songs all rule imo. Algorithm and The Void blend rock with synths and piano/orchestra perfectly. Theyre like Exogenesis parts. Algorithm is probably my favorite of the record. I do appreciate that the whole album isnt like that, though. Breaks up the sound nicely. 

They get really weird and experimental with Propoganda and Break it to Me. They are both bizarre songs but I actually appreciate their uniqueness. Break it to Me is really strong imo. Muse is great at experimenting but they've been experimenting by chasing trends for a few albums, these songs are more "Muse doing something new". Id probably be confused if either song was released as a single, though. Luckily, they work in context of the album.

The songs that are good but not amazing are Pressure, Something Human, and Thought Contagion. I like all of them where they are in the track list. Pressure is super catchy but I wish it was a bit less repetitive. Something different for the bridge would have really elevated it. I like Thought Contagion more than others, and think itd have been better if the main lead was played on guitar or synth more than "whoa whoa whoa" vocals. Still, not a bad song. Something Human is simple and plain but I like the vocal melodies and synths. 

The weakest songs by far are Dig Down and Get Up and Fight. Get Up and Fight is another Muse pop song like Revolt and Follow Me. I think it's better than Revolt at least. Dig Down is just a Madness clone with lame lyrics. Thats probably my least favorite song on the album.

My expectations were very low so I am pleasently surprised with how much I enjoy the album. The highs are pretty high for me and the lows arent nearly as low as the worst parts of 2nd Law and Drones. Id say this album is like an evolution of the 2nd Law. Not nearly as many guitars, but the synth and electronic elements are really good. Solid album 

I was rereading the Drones thread and I said some stupid shit about Muse getting another singer than Matt. He does a great job on this album I really like the vocals. Have you heard the album yet, @D..  and @Strange Broue? I know you are a big fans

Edited November 8, 2018 by ZoSoRose

[Mansin Humanity]

i guess i'll listen to this. i thought drones kinda sucked but actually liked most of the 2nd law. thought contagion has grown on me but not a huge fan of the other singles so far.

[ZoSoRose]

18 minutes ago, Mansin Humanity said:

i guess i'll listen to this. i thought drones kinda sucked but actually liked most of the 2nd law. thought contagion has grown on me but not a huge fan of the other singles so far.

Yeah, I still think Drones is their worst album. 2nd Law at least has all sorts of crazy ideas. A lot of the songs on it have really grown on me over the years. 

Id rank Simulation Theory above those, but it needs time to digest still

I wish at least Dig Down wasnt on the record or was just a B side or bonus track. The song came out like 2 years ago and isnt even very good. It sort of fits ont the album but I wish they just wrote something better to full its slot

Havent heard all the alternative versions of the tracks, but I hear they are cool

Edited November 8, 2018 by ZoSoRose

[Mansin Humanity]

Frankly, I don't care enough about Muse anymore to go looking for the leak so I'll report back tomorrow. I'd agree on Dig Down though I feel like that's been around forever and it always feels cheap when a band does that.

[ZoSoRose]

Propaganda is now up there with my favorite tracks.

Damn, Muse, sorry for writing y'all off. This album is right up my alley

[Nicklord]

@ZoSoRose

Every song will be a single and will have its own video  

 

I love this record. I feel like this should've been their album in 2013 instead of The 2nd Law. It feels natural and not forced like their last 2 albums.

I pretty much love literally every song except for Dig Down, I just can't get into it even in the context of an album. Propaganda - Break It To Me one two punch is amazing. It's so strange that I feel only Muse (from bigger bands) can pull something like that of 

[Nicklord]

8 hours ago, Nicklord said:

@ZoSoRose

I pretty much love literally every song except for Dig Down, I just can't get into it even in the context of an album. Propaganda - Break It To Me one two punch is amazing. It's so strange that I feel only Muse (from bigger bands) can pull something like that of 

I have to add to my last statement. Was explaining to my good friend. "You gotta listen to it, there's a song with kinda RATM riff and 90s hip hop beats and Matt rapping Arab style and there're whistles and a dubstep guitar solo" 

 

[D..]

18 hours ago, ZoSoRose said:

I was rereading the Drones thread and I said some stupid shit about Muse getting another singer than Matt. He does a great job on this album I really like the vocals. Have you heard the album yet, @D..  and @Strange Broue? I know you are a big fans

Yep have listened to it several times since it leaked, and I am sorely disappointed. Have I made it this obvious that I'm a fan? Haha ; )

I didn't have very high hopes for this album either since I really didn't love any of the songs they had released so far, except for Pressure which is a very pleasant change. It's a very fun song.

But this album is really the weakest they have ever released, by far.

I have been a fan for almost 20 years now, I always got why they tried out new stuff and genuinely loved it. However, Simulation Theory is clearly lacking inspiration, sincerity and urgency. It feels fake, forced, way too much inspired by the "return to the 80's" fashion, targeted to Stranger Things, Ready Player One & co lovers (I don't like any of those products, I like the real thing).

What pissed me off the most is how much they stole from Kavinsky with their track "The Void". Listen to the first song of Kavinsky's "Out Run" album. I swear it's the same song and the same sound. Only, Kavinsky did it much better years ago. 

"Propaganda" steals from Prince too much. I also get a NIN and a Justin Timberlake vibe from it and it's somewhat distracting. I did love when they showed their influence from Queen or Depeche Mode, but here it just feels like... they stole too much. And I hate the "pro pro pro pro pa ganda" part, it's absolutely terrible, wish the acoustic version removed that. It could have been a great song because I do enjoy the melody and the subtle choirs overall, but as it is, it doesn't click, for me anyway.

"Break It To Me" is absolute garbage. The intro is just unacceptable. I can't stand the sound. Also, they stole, intentionally or unintentionally, from "Killing me softly with his song" (The Fugees version) and added autotune in it. It's terrible.

"Get Up and Fight" sounds exactly like the worst song 30 seconds to mars could come up with, only Matt sings instead of Jared. It's easily the worst song they've ever released.

"Algorithm" is decent in its alternative reality version. Sounds like Vangelis without the proper synths Vangelis used, sounds a bit amateurish and not long enough, but it's alright.

"Blockades" might be the best out of the lot (not counting the songs we'd already heard), it sounds a lot like "City of Delusion" from BH&R, but CoD was a lot better.

So it's pretty weak overall. I love Pressure though, clearly the best song from the album and one I will still listen to in a few years. The Dark Side is okay, but they've done the same kind of stuff better in the past. Thought Contagion is too repetitive and I hate the chorus. Something Human is garbage. Dig Down is passable.

 

Drones was a far better album, more coherent, with real ambition. You can't take anything away from Dead Inside, Reapers, The Handler and The Globalist. Those songs are absolute killers, I still listen to them and love them. I can't see myself listening to any of the songs from Simulation Theory in 10 years, except maybe for Pressure (but even Pressure is lacking something, a good solo for instance, it's too repetitive).

Also, what I'm really disappointed in with this new album: there is not a single ambitious song. No Globalist, no Exogenesis, no Unsustainable... all those great tracks that closed the three previous albums, I thought it'd be a staple from The Resistance on, but they stopped doing it for some reason. Shame.

All of that being said, I'm still a fan, I have a deep respect for that band. They have been on the road for almost 20 years (and even more if you count their beginning, and actually they released one song before Showbiz, "Twins" - but it had a different name, forgot it - in 1996, and their first EP was released in 1998). They have made it big, and if you look at their start, they have evolved so much. 

This album is failed, and I hope Matt will realize he fucked up and completely change his approach for the next album. I don't understand what happened within 3 years. Drones was a much more mature album. This one looks like it has been written by teenagers who are hyped by the current hype with the 80's vibe and can't make their own sounds. It's crazy.

I hope they won't get sued by Kavinsky.

[ChineseDemocracy2004]

Of the songs I haven't heard before today Pressure is the stand out track for me so far. Blockades after that.

[Nicklord]

@D..

I have no idea how you can feel it's not inspired. To me it just feels fresh and every song is coherent even the ones with 10 styles in it.

It's even their best reviewed album so far.

I don't know. I think you should listen to it some more, maybe it will click. Even their message board likes it and they hate Muse there