This merging of styles is perhaps most evident in ‘Algorithm’, the album’s opening track. The album does touch on the current political landscape, but does so through the lens of airy, ‘80’s inspired synth infused with Muse’s classic operatic flair. Simulation Theory continues this trend, but mostly in terms of style and less so with the thematic weight of something like global warming or dehumanisation via mechanisation. Muse are known for approaching the idea of a concept album to some degree with all of their releases, most notably in 2012 with The 2nd Law and in 2015 with Drones. The unusual timing of these tracks didn’t correlate with the lead-up to a fully fledged album, so I was ready to assume that they were experimental one-offs.Īnd yet, the band seems to have gone all-in with both the blandness of ‘Dig Down’ and the excitement of ‘Thought Contagion’, as Simulation Theory is as much of a mixed bag as the singles that came before it. ![]() ![]() Granted the bar was not set too high by Drones and the 2nd Law, Simulation Theory should appease both Muse fans of old as well as continue to grow their legions.Before Simulation Theory, Muse released two singles - ‘Dig Down’ in May 2017 and then ‘Thought Contagion’ in February of the next year. The track still works on some level unlike the Timbaland produced “Propaganda” which sounds somewhere in between Queen and Prince before some acoustic slide guitar completely breaks that vibe.ĭespite the failed experimentations and a few overly sweet chart-grabs, Simulation Theory has enough high points to vault it to “the best Muse record of this decade” status. Closing track, “The Void” sounds like 80’s video game music until a piano-ballad breaks out a minute before the song ends. There are a couple songs that really make you wonder what Muse are thinking. “Pressure” is similarly guitar-driven but a little poppier it should still appeals to fans of Muse’s earlier work. With greater commitment to guitar work and an 80s vibe that matches the album’s Stranger Things-esque cover, the song harkens back to Absolution-era Muse. On the other hand, “The Dark Side” shows restraint in not losing what has made Muse. The hand-clapped beat of the verses give way to a chorus that sounds more like Imagine Dragon than anything Muse has ever done it ends up feeling aspartame sweet which is saying something considering other tracks on the album are co-written by pop royalty like Timbaland and Shellback who most recently co-wrote nine songs on Taylor Swift‘s Reputation. “Thought Contagion,” the highest charting single from the album, is the band at their most poppy and least Muse-y. ![]() If you have paid attention to the parade of singles released leading up to the album, you have already heard the range of Muse pop songs and pure attempts at chart-topping. Their last album, Drones, maybe showcased Muse at their worst on their eighth album, Simulation Theory, the band attempts to correct that to varying success. What makes a Muse album good or bad is if they manage to incorporate their sci-fi themes without being cheesy, if they can contain their grandiosity so it sounds more like arena rock than Rush fan-fiction, and if they can write pop songs without sounding like they are pandering to the charts. It is a Muse album therefore it is inherently ridiculous. To read a record review that calls a Muse album “ridiculous” feels redundant.
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