Filed under: Releases of the Week | Tags: album reviews, Dev Hynes, Falling Off the Lavender Bridge, Freddie Mercury, Life Is Sweet! Nice to Meet You, Lightspeed Champion, Queen, Releases of the Week, Test Icicles
PREVIEW: VISIT Lightspeed Champion’s MySpace
WE GIVE IT: 16/20 Watts
Attempting to avoid as much hyperbole as possible, the amount of growth witnessed on Lightspeed Champion‘s Life is Sweet! Nice to Meet You is staggering. Just two years removed from debut full-length Falling Off the Lavender Bridge, Lightspeed Champion (aka Dev Hynes) comes to us born anew. Gone are the sloppy arrangements of strings and folk-guitar. Same for the constant peril Hynes always seemed to present himself in. For the first time in his career, Hynes has finally reached out and touched every bit of that untapped potential he’s kept in hiding so long. Continue reading
Filed under: Best of 2009 Albums | Tags: best of 2009, Brian May, Freddie Mercury, Matthew Bellamy, muse, Queen, Releases of the Week, SPIN, The Resistance, U2
PREVIEW: Visit Muse’s MySpace
Top Track: “United States of Eurasia”
It seems like this is the year Muse finally broke out in the states. Even though the band always garnered critical acclaim they never made a huge impact on the American mainstream market. Before The Resistance was released in September Muse made their first appearance on the cover of Spin. Shortly after the release of The Resistance the lead single “Uprising” became the number one alternative rock song in the country. Soon after that Muse was brought on board to open up for U2 on their 360º Tour.
On Muse’s fifth studio album they shine in the moments when they experiment with simplistic but incredible guitars riffs, soaring vocals, and intricate synth work. This is pretty much what Muse has always done, but they stepped it up especially on “Uprising” and “United States of Eurasia.”
Muse has always been compared to Queen, and this CD definitely shows why. With powerful gutair riffs that would be right down Brian May’s ally, and vocal harmonies that only Queen could replicate, Muse emulate on of the most underrated bands in rock history. While no one could ever touch Freddie Mercury’s charisma Muse frontman Matthew Bellamy certainly tries his best. As the CD goes on it does lose some of it’s steam, but the three part “Exogenesis: Symphony” trilogy that closes out The Resistance is definitely noteworthy simply because it is so experimental and epic.
Overall this might not be the best Muse album, but it’s still one of the best albums of 2009. Long time Muse fans may have been disappointed with this CDs less exciting direction, but it definitely had a strong impact on the mainstream, and isn’t it about time that all of America takes notice of these innovative Brits.
— Eric Hoffman
Filed under: Editor Picks | Tags: Bohemian Rhapsody, Editor's Picks, Queen, The Muppets, YouTube
PREVIEW: Watch “The Muppets: Bohemian Rhapsody” video on YouTube
Ever since “The Muppet Show” premiered in 1976 Kermit, Miss Piggy, Fozzie, Animal, The Swedish Chef and the rest of the gang have brought joy to the entire world. On November 23, Muppets Studio jumped into the viral video age when they posted a video on YouTube called “The Muppets: Bohemian Rhapsody.” That’s right, all your favorite Muppets make an appearance when the gang covers one of the greatest songs ever (no exaggeration): Queen‘s “Bohemian Rhapsody.” I guarantee this video will have you cracking up. I’ve watched it about five times, and overall the video is approaching nine million views.
–Eric Hoffman, Features Editor
Filed under: News of Note | Tags: A&E, Blink 182, Blur, Carter Burwell, Coen Brothers, Dave Gahan, David Bowie, Depeche Mode, Elton John, Iggy Pop, Incubus, Korn, Lego Rock Band, Maurice Sendek, Michael Jackson, MTV Games, N.E.R.D., News of Note, Queen, Santigold, Spike Jonze, The Jackson 5, Where the Wild Things Are
PREVIEW: Watch the trailer for Spike Jonze’s Where the Wild Things Are
On the eve of the premiere of Spike Jonze’s Where the Wild Things Are, Rolling Stone gives us a look at the production behind the film’s soundtrack. Both Jonze and co-composer Carter Burwell, who has worked on every Coen Brothers film plus Jonze’s own Being John Malcovich, have scored the cinematic adaptation of Maurice Sendek’s classic kid’s book. Burwell often urged musicians to approach the music in an unsophisticated manner, asking them to play like 5th graders instead of classically trained professional musicians. Check out RS’s behind-the-scenes look at the soundtrack production.
Sure, we all scoffed at the release of MTV Games’ Lego Rock Band. But now alt-rock legends Blur are on board for the game, allowing you to rock out to their classic library as a Lego version of the band, says Stereogum. The game’s soundtrack reportedly consists of kid-friendly selections from Blink 182, Elton John, Incubus, The Jackson 5, Korn, Iggy Pop, David Bowie and Queen, just to name a few. Available for Xbox 360, Playstation 3, Wii, and Nintendo DS, the game will now give “budding musicians” the chance to play alongside the guys from Blur. Woo-hoo.
N.E.R.D. has been hard at work with dub queen Santigold, reports Pitchfork. The product of the collaboration, a freshly released single entitled “Soldier”, sounds distinctly mid-80’s, combining N.E.R.D.’s distinctive funk-rock sound with a more upbeat, hardcore tempo. The synth horns sound specifically nerdy (pun intended), but sound strangely natural next to Santigold’s vocals. Check out the MP3 here.
Earlier this week, electropop legends Depeche Mode took a pretty embarrassing mis-step at one of the stops on their South American tour. As leader Dave Gahan finished “Never Let Me Down Again”, he exclaimed, “Thank you Chile!” to a crowd of adoring fans at the Explanada del Estadio Monumental. The only problem was that the venue was in Lima, Peru. Oops. Depeche will be playing in Chile later on in the tour, so the blunder isn’t completely unjustifiable. Rolling Stone has a video of the slip, and also gives us a look at some other celebrity stage faux pas, including Alanis Morisette’s mistaking of Peru with Brazil.
A&E has recently said that Michael Jackson’s children may be appearing in the new reality show entitled The Jacksons: A Family Dynasty, says Rolling Stone. While A&E had first affirmed that the children would not be included in the taping, they have now come out saying that, “Filming is taking place right now. As production moves forward, it is entirely possible that the brothers’ paths will intersect with other members of the Jackson family, who may or may not be included in the finished series. However, we cannot at this point definitively know who else may make an appearance in the series.” The statement upsets Michael’s older sister, who has said that Michael would have never approved of their involvement with the show. The show is set to air in December.
— John Luposello
Filed under: Releases of the Week | Tags: album reviews, Black Holes and Revelations, Freddie Mercury, muse, Queen, Releases of the Week, The Resistance
PREVIEW: DOWNLOAD Muse’s “United States of Eurasia” MP3
WE GIVE IT: 12/20 Watts
With three years’ worth of buildup behind the release of their new album, The Resistance, Muse undoubtedly faced a number of questions. Would they continue to tinker with their progressive/alternative rock sound, as they had on their previous album Black Holes and Revelations? What musical directions would they pursue? And would they be able to top themselves?
On The Resistance, Muse answer all of our questions. The problem is that, more often than not, they’re not the answers we’re looking for. The album is respectable in its scope and ambition, but the band’s uneven execution of its goals ultimately leaves listeners wanting more. Continue reading
Filed under: Releases of the Week | Tags: album reviews, Anathallo, Billy Joel, Freddie Mercury, Fun, Queen, Releases of the Week, Steel Train, the Format
PREVIEW: Download fun.’s “At Least I’m Not As Sad (As I Used to Be)” MP3
WE GIVE IT: 17/20 Watts
One of the most important comeback acts this year that no one’s talking about is fun. Featuring Nate Ruess of The Format, along with Steel Train‘s Jack Antonoff and Anathallo‘s Andrew Dost, fun. attempts to pick up where Ruess’ old band left off. However, gone is the melancholy and damaged lead singer of 2006’s Dog Problems, and in his place is somebody noticeably less broken. On Aim and Ignite, Ruess exudes a certain confidence one can’t just manufacture. He’s over it; the breakup of The Format, his relationship troubles and even those pesky “dog problems.”
Rather than the sometimes-goofy jangle pop approach taken with Ruess’ previous efforts, fun. utilizes a slightlydifferent tactic. Leaning on the stylings of Queen and Billy Joel, amongst others, Aim and Ignite is in essence, an ’80s rock album. From smooth and sentimental ballads, to the Freddie Mercury impressions and power chords, the album seemingly shouts an eccentricity rarely seen on 2009’s music scene. Continue reading
Filed under: Editor Picks | Tags: Brian May, Editor's Picks, Freddie Mercury, Innuendo, Matt Bellamy, muse, Queen, The Darkness, The Resistance, Twitter, United States of Eurasia, Uprising
PREVIEW: Download Muse’s “United States of Eurasia” MP3
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Editor’s Pick 146: Thom Yorke and Bon Iver Soundtrack New Moon
Over the summer, Muse have slowly, but surely, been feeding us information about their upcoming new album, The Resistance, which hits shelves on September 14. It started with a Twitter announcement of the album’s title in May, and tour dates were revealed on the band’s website in early June.
But the peak came in mid-July, when Muse kick-started an international treasure hunt, called the “Ununited States of Eurasia.” Fans in six different cities around the world took part, searching for keys hidden somewhere in the cities that would unlock certain portions of the track on Muse’s official site.
And on July 20, the Ununited became United, and the song “United States of Eurasia” was released to the world.
While the album’s first single, “Uprising,” showcases a grooving, almost dance-influenced direction for Muse, “United States of Eurasia” sounds like a slightly darker version of Queen. Singer Matt Bellamy‘s vocal harmonies sound like Freddie Mercury at his most theatric, and you’d think he stole his guitar licks directly from Brian May. In fact, upon first listen, you might think you’re hearing “Innuendo, Pt. 2.” After a calm, piano-driven introduction, Muse serve up an absolutely bombastic verse and chorus that could be the soundtrack for a fireworks show.
In most cases, Queen imitation is dangerous territory for a band (The Darkness, anyone?). But for Muse, it feels completely natural, and they pull it off wonderfully. If you weren’t excited about The Resistance before, this should get you on the bandwagon.
— Dan Kaplan, Front-of-Book Editor