I am trying to keep a more open mind these days. I try to listen to music without pre-judgement. The exception is any bro-country acts... just can't. I also tend to dismiss any 'mainstream rock' acts. Some examples would be..
1. Matchbox Twenty
2. Nickelback
3. 3 Doors Down
4. Coldplay
...... you get the idea. I write all these bands off based on their massive hits. Have I ever done a deep dive into any of them and listened to any of their albums? Nope. So how do I know that I don't like them? Even after saying this I am still fairly certain I don't like these bands LOL. I just don't find anything interesting about their songs. Slick production? Check. Chorus verse chorus? Check. Perfect singing? Check. Guitar chords? Check. Boring AF? DOUBLE CHECK.
Ok, I am getting off track. This is not meant to be a post about which bands I think are boring. I present this data as background for the album and band I actually want to discuss today.
Band: Muse
Album: Drones
Year: 2015
Chris Wolstenholme (bass, backing vocals), Matt Bellamy (lead vocals, guitars, keyboards), Dominic Howard (drums, percussion)
Muse is one of those bands that I previously categorized in the 'boring mainstream rock' file. They had guitars, sure, but they were jangly and weak. They are more like a pop act than a rock act... or so I thought.
What changed my mind? Well, I remember seeing them perform at an awards show and being impressed enough to want to give them a look. I think the performance I saw was the Grammy performance in 2011. YouTube does not have this but I found it on DailyMotion. Link Here.
Muse ended up winning Best Rock Album that year for "Resistance". I vaguely remember checking the album out but not really liking most of the songs. However, that experience got my foot in the Muse door for when their next album came out. That album? Drones.
At least the controls look simple. Atari, anyone?
With all this drone nonsense all over the news, I thought it an appropriate time to talk about this album. There will be no deep dive into lyrics here... I still don't know what any of the songs are about. I feel the entire album tells a story, I just haven't spent time yet figuring it out. What hooked me on this album is that it rocks, man! It rocks way more than any other Muse album that I have heard and forced me to remove them from the "mainstream boring stab-myself-in-eye rock" category that I had placed them in. Let's take a look, shall we? We shall. Thank you for answering.
Dead Inside - This was the biggest hit from the album. Simple but catchy driving beat on this one. Matt Bellamy's vocals are great, but that could be said about every song on Drones. The brief guitar solo at 1:12 is great. Super up-front and great tone.
Psycho - Crank it up, fuckers!!!! "Your mind is just a program, and I'm the virus. I'm changing the station. I'll improve your thresholds and turn you into a super drone. You will kill on my command... and I won't be responsible."
Reapers - This one is my current favorite from the album. It starts off with a cool guitar thing that reminds me a little of Mr. Van Halen. This song is heavy and incredibly catchy. There is some electronic stuff going on the in background which I think is a great touch. Then, they hit with the instrumental section, which has some of the best soloing of any modern rock song.. to my knowledge ;0) It starts at 2:39 if you wanna check it out! ... .......Bloody hell! I almost forgot about the breakdown at the end, starting at 4:25. The first time I listened to this song all the way thru I was blown away. I love every second of this one.
The Handler - A great track to follow up the audio pounding of Reapers. Still a rocking song, just a little slower tempo. Around 2:09, dude can sing high AF! He has a great voice. At 2:20 another great guitar section. They really embraced the soloing on this album.
Defector - Guess what? Correct, another rocker with great guitar work and catchy melodies. It's one after the other on this album. This one is a 'head nodder'. Try not to bob your head... try it! YOU CANT NOT. Well now you're just not doing it to be rebellious cause I said you can't not. Fine, you do you, bruh. "You're blood is blue, and your mind's turned green, and your belly is all yellow."
These five songs are my favorites from the Drones album. I have not given a lot of time to the other songs at this point... give me a few more years will ya? LOL. I was not surprised to learn this won the Grammy for Best Rock Album in 2016, but I was a little surprised to learn it was produced by Mutt Lange. AC/DC and Def Leppard Mutt Lange, well, among a thousand other successful bands. 😏 It makes sense, though. The production on this sounds wonderful.
So... the next time you are watching some moron on tv spreading panic about unmanned flying objects in the sky, just pop in Drones, crank it up, and let the rest of the world worry about it. 💥💗👹
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