Muse - The 2nd Law

Muse have had a pretty long and industrious career, with their frontman Matt Bellamy never afraid of touching on bold subjects like planet formations, the end of the world, politics, and technology. Their sound has developed massively over the years and following their album, The Resistance, Muse are back with The 2nd Law which, although it isn't the same musical behemoth as its predecessor, it's staggeringly brilliant.

There are too many reasons why Muse are fantastic, but one of the main reasons is how they keep on innovating and are so far ahead of everyone else in the industry it's embarrassing. Each track on The 2nd Law is a beast in its own right and oozes imagination, electrifying ambience and a real sense of fun. The last of those qualities is something which Muse may have been guilty of missing in the past. They've always had grand themes and really intelligent songs but there hasn't always been the sense of humour that's apparent on this record.

'Supremacy' opens a Muse record like you'd expect; it has juiced-out bass coming out of its ears, orchestral arrangements that wouldn't seem out of place on a James Bond theme, and Bellamy's soft vocals which grow and fuse with the electronic sound Muse are obviously embracing. It's a great opening number but it's songs like 'Panic Station' and 'Big Freeze' that surprise us most, evoking the likes of Queen, which can never be a bad thing.

It's this sense of fun and wit mixed with serious undertones which makes the album a joy. As ever, Bellamy's vocals are great. He's got a solid range and his vocals fuse with the rhythm section perfectly. 'Survival' (or 'The Olympic Song' as it's now commonly known) even opens with a Queen-like piano harmony and soon develops into a maniacal juggernaut which would surely be a contender if they're ever going to re-soundtrack Metropolis.

The album winds down with 'Unsustainable', which will no doubt kick off the Skrillex comparisons since it relies heavily on electronics and the similarities are there. The final track, 'Isolated System', is pretty much an instrumental, apart from some news sound-clippings, and ends things on a reflective note.

The 2nd Law is spectacular and needs to be heard by everyone, Muse fans or not, as it would be a travesty to miss it.