After wandering in the Pop desert for 20 years, I have finally found the oasis of pure pop music. I have often wondered why the greats like Depeche Mode, U2, Tears for Fears, and the Smiths had not produced even ONE band that gave homage to the genre and made it proud. That is a thing of the past- I discovered the new album "the Resistance" from Muse. I have never heard them before, but heard about them on a radio show which shall remain nameless. I wish I could sum up this album in one word, but I can't. Brilliant, a Masterpiece, beautiful and haunting,a timeless classic...these are all descriptions I would use in an official review of this album. The album opens with a catchy rocker called "Uprising" and beats you across the brain and intellect with both catchy,complicated musicianship, and poetic lyrics that would make Morrissey proud. There is an impressive homage to Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" called the "the United States of Eurasia" as well as a masterful 3 part Opus of orchestration and rock called the "Exogenesis Symphony" that I can only compare to the last part of Extreme's "III Sides to Every Story" album. I have read some reviews of long-time fans, and they range from best album - to worst album. My first thought was, "if this is their worst album, and its one of the best I've ever heard in ANY genre, how good are the ones before it?" I have yet to find out, but rest-assured, I will have the next best album in my collection VERY soon. Here is a promotional recording of the album followed by a VERY impressive live version of an older song of theirs called "Hysteria" (not the Leppard song).
Finally, since bands like the pop legends mentioned above left the spotlight (with the exception of U2), the pop universe in the United States has been dry- not any more. If you value your eardrums, pick up a copy of "the Resistance". You won't be disappointed.
