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Album reviews Music

MUSE

Rating: NN



buy this at amazon.ca!

Despite being a trio, Muse has always leaned toward the grandiose and the epic. Swelling keys and strings, powerful vocals and a lot of reverb have brought them comparisons to Radiohead and U2, and that won’t change with their fifth disc. Like Coldplay, they’ve divided critics and thrilled fans with their dramatic tunes. On the one hand, disc opener Take A Bow shows off some of the UK band’s most ambitious keyboard work, but overwrought lyrics about death, corruption and burning in hell threaten to derail Muse’s musical prowess. It’s the same story for much of the disc: impressive song construction ruined by heart-wrenching dramatics. Having said that, it seems that the more intense Muse get, the more people buy their records. If that’s the case, then this should be the best-selling album of the year. Muse play the Docks Sunday (July 30).

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