Muse: The 2nd Law: Track By Track Review.

OK, so I have had to incredible fortune of listening to this album before its release date (thankyou JB HiFi) and have been waiting for it to come out for a long time. I have heard every track as it has been released, basically begged for money so I could get the vinyl boxset. Being a huge Muse fan, this album was one of the most exciting things to happen this year.

And, I have to say, it didn't disappoint.

Their last album, The Resistance (2009), was great - but was a little lacklustre. Part of me was hoping Muse were just trying the more accessible songs out, rather than fading away. It turns out, they weren't. The 2nd Law has a different sound on every track, and has amped up the sounds of The Resistance tenfold.

Overall, the album mixes epic string sections with popular dance, sprinkled with Freddie Mercury inspired vocals over the top. A lot of people have said it sounds as if it's where Queen would have went if they were still around, but unlike in their last album - the Queen influence is actually very subtle. There aren't as many opera-like falsettos as were found in United States of Eurasia, just a cheeky vibe from Bellamy that hasn't really been seen in a Muse album before.

Since this album is so varied, I thought I would do a track by track mini-review so you guys can get a general feel for this great album.

1 - SupremacySo, the album hits the ground running and begins with a gritty guitar riff and a hard drum beat, adding in epic strings to just raise it up another bar. There are the typical Muse vocals, and the dystopic vibe that seems to be a theme in Muse's work. This is definitely one to rock out to, work out to, or just have on while you walk to the local shop, in your mind fighting a huge dystopic war (wait, am I the only one that does that?)

2 - Madness

This is very, very different to the first track. Where I am used to a large sound from Muse songs - this seemed a lot more subdued. This is the track where Bellamy adds a little cheekiness into the vocals and it has no dystopic theme in the lyrics. It's actually a very accessible love song, made different by the constant ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-mad-mad-mad scrolling through the background. There is even an awesome Queen-esque guitar solo in there. Very different for Muse, but it's as if they've done it for years.

Since it was a single, I'll actually link you to this one:

3 - Panic Station

First epic, then subdued and now... funky? Awesome funky bass-work, a soulful (and again, cheeky) vocal performance by Bellamy. This is one of my absolute favourites from the album. Michael Jackson seems to be an influence here - and I can't wait until I can see Bellamy strut around the stage to it. The music in itself is very funky, but has the Muse-rock edge. Again very different, but I love it.

4 - Prelude

A 53 second piece of classical string music. Very beautiful, and gets you psyched for the next track.

5 - Survival

Yep, the Olympic theme song. When listening to it this time, I thought of the actual meaning behind the song rather than the 'I'm gonna win an Olympic race' theme behind it when it was first released. In the album, it fits perfectly into the human race's attitudes in this dystopic, unsustainable world. Very epic, with Opera backings. If you haven't heard it already, here it is:

6 - Follow Me

Once again, pulls back from the intense insanity of the last track. This seems more like a soft, atmospheric ballad building up with a heartfelt vocals and ambient sounds, before hitting into the chorus where it turns into a pop-dance track. Yep, so far there is funk, dance, epicness, a love song. This album seems to have it all. Trivia: the beat in the background is actually Matt Bellamy's son's heartbeat.

7 - Animals

This isn't a standout for me, but still a very solid song. Sounds a lot like their previous stuff, so it is nice in there to remind you 'this is actually Muse you are listening to'. The guitar in it is actually great (kind of Pink Floyd prog rock style before rocking out with a fast solo) - it just doesn't do much to excite me. Nice addition to the album, but not much can be said about it.

8 - Explorers

Begins with a very simple piano, with Bellamy singing softly over it. Its like a lamentation, very beautiful lyrics about humanity and their relationship to nature. Soft strings come in, as Bellamy chants 'free me from this world', and it gives me goosepimples. For anyone who is angry at what humanity is doing to nature, this song will hit you on a deep level. For those who don't seem to care - listen to this and maybe you will. Pure poetry.

9 - Big Freeze

A lot more upbeat than the last track, the guitar being the high point. Even though the lyrics are, once again, very dystopic - the track gets you in that excited rock-out mood. Its as if they taught you something with Explorers, to build you up to get hyped to this track. Very clever arrangement.

10 - Save Me

This song was actually written and sung by Chris, so you are in for something very different again, with soft guitar behind Chris's vocals (which seem to have a lot of reverb on them). There are some Beatles-style harmonies, all building. It's very hard to explain or review this track - it seems to have taken conventions from bands such as The Who and The Beatles whilst bringing something completely different. Very upbeat, and a great addition to the track list.

11 - Liquid State

From the softer rock of Save Me, you are thrust into grungy, hard rock guitars. Chris is singing again, and his voice sounds very, very different to Bellamy's - and you find yourself in a classic rock song. The production is where this track stands out. It's hard to get a band to sound completely different, whilst still retaining their 'vibe'. I like this song because I haven't really heard any straight-up rock from this band before and this shows they can actually do a brilliant job at it.

12 - Unsustainable

OK, I listened to this in August when it was first released. I don't know what I expected, but here are my exact reactions: Epic string sections come in - wow. Then a crowd of soulful voices come in along with some more strings - this is going to be epic. Then the newsreader comes into it - very different, but I get into the groove of it.... then 'an economy based on endless growth is...' - What? DUBSTEP? What, what, what, what?

I sat in front of my computer for a good ten minutes after I heard this, silent. I didn't get it. It didn't sound like my band. I didn't know if I loved it or hated it, I didn't know what just happened.
Then I realised, I love it. It was such a step forward for them, after the lacklustre of The Resistance, it was great to see a breath of fresh air for them. Very, very epic song. I want to see them do this live. I want to mosh to this. Come to Brisbane, Muse. Please. It's a single, so have a listen (caution: it may blow your head off).

13 - Isolated System

Piano, strings, that news caster comes in again. Nice little cap-stone to the album. Seems more like an ending to a story rather than a song. It seems to show the aftermath. Still, you end this album feeling thoroughly satisfied.

Now, some people will see this album as madness over genius. I think either way - Muse has given a varied album which has a track for every mood. They have shown us they can do so many things, and do them all well. I am very, very impressed by these tracks and I think Muse has won their right by now to do any of their indulgent musical desires (which this album seems full of).

Perfect album for 2012, and I can't wait to listen to it more.

Great Film Soundtracks

When most people watch a film, a soundtrack seems to go unnoticed. I found that, looking back, I could only remember songs from a film if they stood out from the crowd (especially with a compiled score). Although they add to the narrative of the film, I find the best soundtracks are a great compilation of music on their own.  Here is a list of some of my personal favourite compiled scores.

1. Any Wes Anderson Movie
Wes is my favourite director, and watching The Darjeeling Limited a few days ago actually inspired me to write this post. One of the things that makes Wes great, in my opinion, is his use of music. He compiles a score that suits his films' moods perfectly, from the Spanish David Bowie covers behind The Life Aquatic, to the contemporary Indian sounds in Darjeeling. I could listen to his soundtracks for hours, and think the background music of my life might be of a similar style.

In fear of taking a song out of context and ruining it, I thought I'd post the first scene of Tennenbaums to get you in the mood. If you've seen the movie you'll probably know how great 'Hey Jude' sounds with this scene, and if you haven't seen it - hopefully this will make you want to.

2. High Fidelity

This movie is just plain cool. John Cusack, in a record store, grumpy and spouting lots of pop culture references. I can watch it thousands of times without getting bored, and I think the soundtrack is a huge part of that. It's obvious you're in for a lot of music with a film based in a record store, but this soundtrack perfected it. Here's a song plucked straight from it.

3. The Full Monty

Now, this may seem like an odd choice. However, I find that whenever I hear ANY songs from this movie, I'm instantly reminded of this comedy classic. It also works as a great compilation on its own, with a very playful compiled score. Here is my favourite track from it, always putting me in a good mood whenever I hear it.

4. Watchmen

OK, so one reason for choosing this may be because I am a comic book geek who LOVED this adaptation, with it keeping the music detailed in the graphic novel itself. But, at the same time, I find the soundtrack to this movie is perfectly compiled. Here is the absolutely brilliant title sequence to Bob Dylan's Times are A Changing.

5. Dead Man's Shoes

Brilliant film, brilliant soundtrack. The beautiful backdrop to this bittersweet tale gives me goosebumps every time. I won't say much about the film, except watch it. To get you in the mood, here is Adem: Statued.

 

Albums To Do Boring Stuff To

I get that a lot of people prefer to study in silence, but I for one just can't do it. A silent room actually makes me rather uncomfortable, and it means I have nothing around me except the daunting work I have to do. I then find it hard to concentrate, because I end up just plain miserable.

Solution: get some great music on as I work. It doesn't only fill up the room nicely, it means I can type to a rhythm and can measure the time by how many tracks I go through, rather than constantly checking the time, fretting. Same goes with other odd jobs (like cleaning, hoovering - whatever), because once I get into a rhythm the time will just fly.

So, I thought I would give you lovelies a list of albums I listen to while doing 'boring stuff'. I know I usually just put single tracks on here, BUT when busy you don't want to mess around with changing tracks, or procrastinating by getting playlists organised and queued up nicely.

Let's start with Studying.

To study, you need something that can mould into the background when you need to get a serious think on. But, you still want to be able to mindlessly sing along when you need to: little distractions like that will stop you from needing to take huge Facebook breaks every ten minutes. Trust me, it works.

So, my personal study album is: The King is Dead by The Decemberists

GREAT study album. Nice, acoustic folk-y music that doesn't intrude on your think space but does give you enough of a distraction when you need it. It seems to also inherently relax you just as you need it to.

Heres a little sample: 

Ok, so now for Cleaning.

I have to admit, I sometimes clean to the Doctor Who soundtrack to make things just that bit more epic. BUT I understand most of you are not as geeky as me, and therefore need something a little more accessible. For cleaning, you do need something energetic - something you can bounce around to.

The album I love to clean to is The Three EPs by The Beta Band

Great, bouncy album that makes everything a little happier. You get into a groove from the first track, and then before you know it you've done a Kim and Aggy on your whole house. So, I may as well sample you with that first track, to get you in the mood.

Walking Around a Supermarket

I live and shop alone, so I need a little entertainment going around the depressing aisles in my local shop. I need something to cheer me up, and to make whatever I'm doing feel that slight bit less mundane.

If you see me around Coles, I would probably be listening to The Stone Roses (Self Titled)

Great album, especially if you need some Britpop to brighten your day (as I often do). It just makes me smile, but not in such a way that I am distracted from deciding what kind of pasta to get this week.

Here's my favourite from the album:

I hope this little post has helped aid you in some way through the boring times. These aren't the only albums out there for all of the above, just a select few. I might post up some more from each category every so often, so watch this space!

What Makes a Good Cover

To listen to a cover of a song is a very fragile process. We tend to rank things in our mind naturally, trying to come up with 'Top 5' albums, songs, or even artists. With covers though, there is a direct comparison already in place - mostly, you will have a favourite version. Usually its the first version you hear, the one you are used to. So, how can covers even come close to the original? What makes a cover great?
For me, it has to be sufficiently different. It has to have something new to offer - something the last version didn't have. It could be a complete difference in direction, a genre change, or even just adding to the original set. Things that are too similar, with only one thing a little off, just throws me. First off - they are pointless. Why not just listen to the original anyway if this other version is exactly the same, with some minor changes? Secondly, theres something unsettling about a slight change to something I already know. It's like those creepy humanoid robots they made in Japan - very similar, but still not perfect. I thought I could list my top 5 covers, and why exactly they are great.

 1 - Feeling Good - Muse

So, you've probably guessed already that I love me some Muse. However, that isn't the only reason I chose this song. Countless people have actually covered this track (originally written for the musical The Smell of Greasepaint), and the most famous versions belong to either Nina Simone or Michael Buble. The reason I didn't chose either of these, although they are solid versions, is because they are too similar. Big band, soulful voices. Muse bring something very unique to the table, making it my favourite by far.

2 - Try a Little Tenderness - The Commitments

I am a huge soul fan, and it would take a lot to outdo Otis Reading. This crew, however, blew him right out of the water. Now, I can't talk about this version without mentioning Andrew Strong's fantastic voice - his gritty tone polar opposite to Reading's smooth croon. Also, they take it up a notch - bringing in a huge band and epic backing vocals as Strong gives his all into the mic. Truly a great cover to a great song.

3 - Let it Be - Timothy T and Carol Woods

I love the original. This is a perfect example of something that is so different, it gives a whole other vibe to the song. This means it makes it for a whole other mood, bringing a new dynamic to the table. The song seamlessly fits into the Gospel style, seeming as if it was written to be blared through a chapel. Also, the voices of the cast are spectacular.

4 - Wish You Were Here - Sparklehorse ft. Thom Yorke

The original is my favourite song of all time. Again, this serves a completely different purpose. The original is warm and homely, whereas this is perfect for when you are feeling distanced and lonely. This version is beautifully haunting, once again showing a different dimension to the track altogether.

5 - Jolene - The White Stripes

Almost everyone would have heard the original. This has a different feel to it altogether, and I definitely prefer it. With it being live, it should be a little shady - but it is a flawless cover that takes a country song and plants it firmly into rock territory. I love the Stripe's raw style as it is, but its just amplified tenfold with this track,

My Personal Favourites

Ok, so I thought I could start off with my personal favourites. That way, you can see if you like me and my tastes (and I hope you do), so you can trust me later on. It's a trust building exercise, just not lame.

1- Wish You Were Here - Pink Floyd

Ok, so I'd probably have to say this is my personal favourite song of all time. It has it all - beautiful, poetic lyrics, a raw energy that still manages to sound new, and it sticks a warm fuzzy feeling inside your gut. Its a song that you can fall asleep to, listen to loudly in the car, lay on your bed with. Its appropriate when you're happy, sad, excited, feeling a little flat and especially when you're missing someone.

2- Fake Plastic Trees - Radiohead

Second favourite. Why? Because its soft but powerful. Because Thom Yorke's voice is beyond belief. Because I know Radiohead can be a bit much for people - but this one seems to speak to everyone. It seems to hit you right in your insecurities, breaks them down, then brings you back up again. All in 5mins. Worth a listen, I'd say.

3- Dear Prudence - The Beatles

My favourite Beatles track changes on a daily basis. I chose this one because, well, its just so pretty. From the building guitar to Paul's fantastic bass line - this is a song that will make you feel warm and fuzzy. A nice one to sing to nice and loudly when everything seems on the up, or that can help make you feel better if things are tough.

4- Life on Mars - David Bowie

Beyond epic. It just raises your whole body up, and makes you want to scream lyrics you may not even understand. I find this hits you in a way almost unexplainable, so I'm not even going to try giving this much of a blurb. Just listen.

5- Baba O'Reily - The Who

The way this builds is just fantastic. You find yourself listening out for every slight addition to the melody, until it just hits you and you get immersed in it. Fantastic song, especially if you just want to get absorbed into the music.

6- Staralfur - Sigur Ros

So, besides it being the background to one of the best scenes in one of my favourite movies, this song is so uplifting it hurts. Because the lyrics aren't in English, the mind seems to focus on the beautiful melody and the whole song takes on a different meaning for everyone.

7- Do You Realize? - The Flaming Lips

So, humanity is a bitch sometimes. When you feel like everything is really shitty - be it something in your own life or a general dislike for the world around you when you see certain news articles - this song will lift you up from it. It basically slaps you into shape, makes you feel like life is once again beautiful. A tall order from one song, but it does the trick.

8- Butterflies and Hurricanes - Muse

Like The Beatles, Muse is another band where my favourite song changes from week to week. I chose this one because, essentially, it was the first of theirs I ever listened to (and ever came to love). It is purely epic. One of those songs where you can listen to the whole thing hundreds of times and never get bored. Very good for when you're feeling passionate - with anger or with a general belief in yourself.

So, there are my top 8. If you like songs on this list, then we are probably like-minded and therefore my other recommendations will hopefully help you out in some way. If these are the first time you are ever hearing these songs, and they are so mindbendingly amazing for you that you just must have them in your iTunes library - then I will try not to encourage the use of YouTube-MP3.org or any of those shenanigans! Or tell you to sign the petition that allows those things to happen. No, I would never do such a thing.

Let Me Introduce Myself

So, let me take you back to a long time ago, when Windows XP just came out. I was 9 years old, and my mum gave me a computer for Christmas. What did I do with it? I figured out how to use Windows Media Player to make mixtapes. Little burnt discs I could annoy mum with in the car, ripping different things off CDs I had routed around the house for. I would update the ‘car playlist’ every couple of weeks, filling the glove box with over twenty instalments of ‘Now that’s What I Call Ciaran’.
Mum humoured me, not really seeming to appreciate my eclectic music taste (as a 9 year old I would have the Beatles as one track, and the Lion King the next), but it did give me a wide view of how my music tastes evolved over time. I could play a disc marked ‘Now that’s What I Call Ciaran 2005’ to find it filled with bands like The Killers, Kaiser Chiefs and Keane (the year of the K’s, obviously) but then could skip to the 2007 volume to find Linkin Park blaring through, reminiscent of my days as a moody, pubescent teenager.

The point is, I’ve always loved recommending music to people. I loved skipping through the track lists hoping the other person felt the same as me, hoping it could become one of their favourite songs too. I wanted to share its effects on me with people, people who also loved music as much as I did.

Now, I can’t profess to be any kind of musician. I’m in my formative stages of learning guitar (and have been for quite some time) and am doing a literature and film degree at university. But, I still can call myself a music lover and can still express the way music makes me feel.

Today, I felt something great. I went to a little record store in Brisbane’s West End and watched a local artist perform live. Jack Carty himself was very good, that’s not in question, but I found the atmosphere made my time at Jet Black Cat Music special. About twenty people all gathered together in a little record store to share experiences. All of which were smiling, tapping their feet in rhythm and seeming to feel the same way about the music. Now, I have been to a large-scale concert or two before but this gig was something else. It was beyond intimate, it was a tiny community all bound together by this one little interest and this one little music store.

That inspired me to widen the community. Jet Black Cat probably couldn’t fit many more audience members in there, but I wanted to bring my own experiences forward to see who’s out there and who generally just wants to chat about music. I’m hoping to bring you playlists that aren’t organised by genre, but by their purpose to the listener. Songs that make you sleepy, songs that make you happy, songs that make you sad, songs that make you want to get a political agenda (even if you didn’t care in the first place).

So, to start us off, I’m Ciaran. I like music. And here’s a little taster of Jack Carty to get us going: