Muse // The 2nd Law

Whether you're a fan of Muse or not, you can't argue against the fact that they're not afraid to be bold with their albums and they're definitely one of the most experimental bands around and their new release: The 2nd Law is definitely their most experimental piece of work yet.

Their 9-minute-long symphony in The Resistance was something extraordinary and created a lot of hype around that album and with The 2nd Law comes another hype, a new Muse era: the rise of musestep.

The trailer released for the album gave fans a taster of what was in store from this album sampling the song Unsustainable and giving us an insight into the alluded musestep.



The album is not full of this genre of music though, the experimental material is left for the end, as well as seeping into their song Follow Me, with their two takes on dubstep: Unsustainable and Isolated System, ending the album.
Personally, I prefer the latter of the two songs. Isolated System is a much softer version of dubstep without lyrics whereas I think Unsustainable would be preferred more by fans of the Skrillex form of the genre.

As well as their development of musestep, fans are introduced to the vocal talent of another member of the band: the bassist, Chris Wolstenholme. Although hearing his voice on a track is not entirely new to Muse fans as he is featured as a background vocalist in Supermassive Black Hole.
But in this album, he is given two songs to himself: Save Me - a beautifully vulnerable sounding song including lyrics such as: "Don't let me go, I'm nothing without you" - and Liquid State, a much rockier song with harsher vocals, which, to me, sounds very similar to InnerPartySystem.
Decisions like this are somewhat risky, introducing a voice that is unfamiliar with Muse fans, however gathering from their reactions, it seems to have paid off. Having a different voice to listen to is quite refreshing and shows yet another side to Muse and their talents.

However, Muse have not forgotten their roots. The album is still full of fantastic riffs and guitar solos, the sound everyone associates with the band.
Explorers seems very reminiscent of Soldier's Poem from Black Holes and Revelations, and the guitar solo from Madness is very Brian May-esque therefore creating a similar Queen sound to that of United States of Eurasia from The Resistance.

It's difficult to say if this is their best album yet as every album they produce is so diverse and completely different to the previous. It's the Muse we all know and love, with a twist.
They give their fans something new every time and with their next album, I wouldn't be surprised if they turned reggae. Although, I'm sure they could even make that work.

Music Recommendation // Dog Is Dead

Bored of listening to the same old bands and songs?
Well, it's that time again!

I'm here to provide you with something new to please your ears.

I'd previously heard Dog Is Dead whilst surfing through the music channels one evening as I lay on the couch with the boredom washing over me and they were brought back to my attention today as I tuned into Fearne Cotton's Radio 1 show today.

They're a five-piece band from Nottingham, England and describe their music as 'indie pop'.
If you want a better idea of what they sound like before deciding to listen to them, then think of Noah and The Whale, with a slightly more indie twist at times.. and there, you have Dog Is Dead.
Like the sound of that? Well you should.

I currently have their selection of songs from Spotify playing as I write this post and they almost sound familiar because they are so Noah and The Whale-esque.
Their music has also appeared in Skins so you may recognise them from that.

At the moment they have three EPs available: 'Dog Is Dead', 'Your Childhood' and 'Confessions' but have yet to release their debut album.
These EPs still provide us with enough material to get a feel for the band and to get us more excited about the awaited album.

As I stated, their music is also available on Spotify if you want to have a listen before purchasing anything.

If you're currently feeling stressed then I think this will be the perfect band to chill out to, especially if the sun is shining.
Dog Is Dead are an essential to have on your Summer 2012 playlist.

Music Recommendation // Edelweiss

Are you a fan of Foals and Two Door Cinema Club?

Have you ever been listening to either and thought, "Wouldn't it be great if I could take the vocals of Foals and the rhythm of Two Door Cinema Club and create a brand new ultimate band?"

Well, fear not, my music fanatic!
Your prayers have been answered.

Edelweiss, a new band from Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania have emerged to meet all your indie music needs!
I came across the band, consisting of Thomas Vitale (vocals/bass), Niko Porlier (vocals/guitar), Tony Young (guitar) and Coby Porlier (drums), on a regular new music search and was instantly stopped in my tracks.
As a fan of Foals and Two Door Cinema Club, I immediately linked them together and fell in love.

At first, I was puzzled by the name, obviously creating some German connotations.
Do not be tricked by the hard exterior of the band's name because under that shell, there's plenty of soft marshmallow indie goodness. Almost like a good old Tunnock's Tea Cake.

Surely, that image should be enough for you to go ahead and give them a listen.
Don't be deprived of discovering this musical magic.
Two downloads are available on their Purevolume website ('(NO)' and 'Fiasco') so go forth and download them and let them make their way up to your top 25 played songs on your iTunes!

You can thank me later.