That the band already applied the same idea to “Madness” from 2012’s The 2 nd Law doesn’t seem to bother them they recycle its stammering beat once again on the dull first single, “Dig Down”. That’s not the peak of ridiculousness though, as the song’s chorus turns the word propaganda into a percussive pattern – a doubtful strategy when intending to compose a wake-up call against the spreading of fake news and deliberate misinformation by politicians. It’s only downhill from there, as Bellamy pitches his falsetto even higher than normal on “Propaganda”, presumably to mask lyrics such as “Floozy, you make me a woozy” and “You ate my soul just like a Death Eater” (I wish I were kidding about those). That opener, “Algorithm”, might well be the most listenable song on the whole thing – it’s the band just doing their rote maximalist symphonic rock for a minute and a half until Bellamy chimes in to squeak a “This means war” chorus (it worked for Thirty Seconds to Mars, didn’t it?). Simulation Theory is less strictly concept-oriented than the band’s previous releases, but Matt Bellamy wouldn’t be Matt Bellamy if he didn’t rhyme “revolution” with “final solution” on “Thought Contagion” to set a supposedly dystopian atmosphere or toss out serious-sounding tech jargon like “simulation”, and “algorithm” on the very first song of the album. And it’s not because of any noticeable improvements in the music of Imagine Dragons. What seemed unthinkable a mere three years ago, however, when Muse released the poor but not horrendous Drones while Imagine Dragons were assailing the ears of undeserving listeners worldwide with Smoke + Mirrors, an unintentionally apt album title to describe the superficiality of their music, is that Muse are actually the worst band of the two at this point.
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Really, if Dan Reynolds ever starts making pseudo-Orwellian concept albums about the future of mankind, Muse will have lost their last remaining market niche to their American counterparts. It really sets the scene for the rest of the album.By releasing their new album Simulation Theory on the same day as Imagine Dragons, Muse - one of only a few amongst the swarm of indie bands from the early 2000s to succeed in establishing a consistent and immediately recognisable style, unintentionally shine a light on how they’ve now become the British equivalent to Imagine Dragons purveyors of turgid arena rock built on the poppiest and most basic of song structures that are “embellished” with obscene ab-use of electronic sound effects. Its urgency stresses the philosophical impact of society being superseded by technology. The album opener questions the reality of a world in which we're "caged in simulations," warning listeners that "This means war with your own creator." The sound still consists of their familiar fusion of progressive rock and electronica, but includes space rock and EDM undertones. The trio of Matt Bellamy, Chris Wolsenholme and Dominic Howard push boundaries into a futuristic realm in which we're living inside a simulation. In Simulation Theory, Muse retreats from the real world and enters a sci-fi dystopia, like an episode of "Black Mirror" come to life.
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The album's artwork– designed by Stranger Things artist, Kyle Lambert– was revealed last month and looks straight out of an 80's sci-fi film. First there was 2017's "Thought Contagion," followed by "Dig Down," "The Dark Side" and "Pressure." Then came the North American festival tour, where once again, the band teased new songs and eventually revealed the name of the album and its leading single, "Something Human," in August. The band started teasing new material in April 2017 with cryptic videos clips from their early studio sessions, and the wait is finally over. Muse's highly anticipated eighth studio album is here.