Museician for Muse

PhotoCredit–Guitars101.net

A peer of mine has once told me that he doesn’t like Muse because they sound “bombastic” and “over the top.” For me, those are the exact reasons why I appreciate Muse. Rarely do I come across rock music that is so powerful and energizing without sounding like a cheezy, wannabe punk-rock band like, say, Simple Plan (I am vehemently averse to them, if you haven’t noticed already).Yes their music may sound “bombastic” and “over the top.” But at the same time, it is genuine and unique, puissant and profound.

Plus, Matt Bellamy (their lead singer) is a musical genius who knows not only how to sing and play the guitar, but also how to perform the piano. What is wrong with bombastically flaunting his skills if he has the extraordinary talent to do so?

This is the music video of my favorite song, Plug in Baby, whose introduction guitar riff made #5 Kerrang!’s Top 50 Riffs.

Metric – Fantasies

Photo Credit — Phillyist.com

Metric released its new album Fantasies on March 14th after four years of hiatus since their successful Live It Out. According to PrefixMag.com, vocalist Emily Haines opted for more “genuine” and “simple” lyrics, while guitarist Jimmy Shaw described the album as having “very big” and “very dreamy” sounds. Although the album has its down, the overall quality stays true to the artists’ descriptions, deviating from the zesty and childlike spunk from Live It Out while staying loyal to the band’s hypnotic style.

Particularly mind-blowing  are Satellite Mind, Help I’m Alive, and Gold Gun Girls–although somewhat disturbing (If I stumble, they’re gonna eat me alive//can you hear my heart beating like a hammer//hard to be soft, tough to be tender), their lyrics are catchy yet mesmerizing as they merge into a repetition like a haunting echo from a euphony of chaotic sounds. The mellow guitar riffs escalade into tragic crescendos, which later fall back again to nonchalant beats that leave the listener in a trance. Less efficacious are Sick Muse and Collect Call, which both lack a magical hook evident in the other songs, thus easily deteriorating into a bog of flatness.

Nevertheless, the album overall is more than satisfying. It is colorful and mature, deep and resounding.