Muse - The Resistance

Among the army of Radiohead clones that emerged last decade few bands can today claim to have found his own style. Fewer can boldly stand alongside the Oxford masters (to overcome them is so much to ask for, remember that Thom Yorke and company are cooked separately). One of these bands is Muse that just had delivery "The Resistance" their fifth studio album. There is not much new to say about Muse music. Everything in their work is excessive and still yet it sounds perfect. Keeping almost the same sound of "Black Holes And Revelations", the trio deliver intense, ambitious, elaborated and perhaps a little more bombastic, if possible, music. The guys from Teignmouth left behind the "floydians" album covers but keep their epic style with a progressive rock touch on tracks like "The Resistance", "Unnatural Selection" or "United States Of Eurasia/Collateral Damage" (with an obvious wink to Queen) songs in which they carry their rock/pop to cinematic limits by combining monumental orchestral arrangements with the powerful guitar and passionate interpretations of Matthew Bellamy. The album closes with "Exogenesis" a 3 movements mini-symphony in which Bellamy gives vent to his classical piano accompanied by Edodea Ensemble. "The Resistance" is an impeccable album that assures Muse to be on all "Best Of The Year" lists. It is also a great opportunity to take a rest of the low-fi/do-it-yourself fashion and enjoy a little bit of glamour. -CORANNIEIT-

Muse, The Resistance
Warner Music, 2009

Links:
Official Site
My Space Site

Stellastarr* - Civilized

After 3 years of silence since "Harmonies For The Haunted" (for some a "misunderstood" album, for others simply a bad record) the American quartet Stellastarr* is back with "Civilized", third album in their not too prolific discography and which seems to confirm that they are one of those bands that suffer the curse of having debuted with an extraordinary album which, 6 years later, is still a obligatory reference to their work and somekind of "shadow". "Civilized" is composed for 10 tracks which include pieces such as "Tokyo Sky" or "Graffiti Eyes" which sounds like the band tries to return to their "roots" combining power and spontaneity with Michael Junin's guitar generating all kinds of melodies, taps and riffs that are mounted over the distorted strings Shaw Christensen rounded with Amanda Tannen choruses (whose bass, indeed, has improved notably). On the other hand there are songs like "Robot" or "Numbers" in which New Yorkers show they have not broken up with that eighties new wave darkie sound that characterized his second album (perhaps they aren't trying to do so anyway). "Civilized" is a regular record so close to be good: it have power, it have punch, from the middle part of the album, with "Graffiti Eyes", the funny "Zombie Prom" and the powerful "Warchild," the album reaches really good moments but at the end something happen that there is nothing that definitely catch us. Unlike "Stellastarr*", their debut album, there is not any memorable song like "My Coco" or "Jenny", there is not the urgency and freshness of "Pulp Song". Certainly better landed that "Harmonies For The Haunted", but even without reaching the level of "Stellastarr *", "Civilized" shows a good band with the potential (already shown by the way) to make brilliant songs but which maybe this time lacks a bit of ambition, a last effort to get a good record without any objection. -CORANNIEIT-

Stellastarr*, Civilized
Bloated Wife Records, 2009

Links:
Official Website
My Space Website

Yeah Yeah Yeahs - It's Blitz

New album from Karen O and company in wich seem to be get away from the “alternative” sound still showed in "Show Your Bones" delivering now an album with a more varied sound but also much closer to pop. While the trio has never been the non plus ultra of rock, and dance music has been not entirely strange to his discography, songs such as openers "Zero" and "Heads Will Roll", rather than rhythmic, shamelessly discotheque music or "Dragon Queen", another poppy dance song with 80´s influences, may be disappointing for those hoping to find the melodic but full of energy and guitars music that the band had delivered in their last album in pieces like "Cheated Hearts" and "Mysteries". However "It's Blitz" is not a bad record, irregular perhaps, and contains good songs in which New Yorkers recover some energy like "Softshock" the third song in which Nick Zinner guitar stands out for the first time in the album, or "Fortune And Shame" aggressive and slightly noise, as well as others in wich calm arrives like "Skeletons", a quiet, almost atmospheric piece in which Karen O is accompanied just by idyllic keyboards and "Hysteric" a beautiful dream pop in wich for a moment we do not know if we are listening to Karen O and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs or to Amy Millan and Stars. At the end "It's Blitz" is an uneven album in which we are often tempted to push the "Next" button and then we find songs that tempt us to push the "Repeat" button. One of those records that leave us with a bittersweet taste. -CORANNIEIT-

Yeah Yeah Yeahs, It's Blitz
Interscope, 2009

Links:
Official Website
My Space site