Muse new album dig down1/16/2024 However, these moments are few and far between, with many songs on the record succeeding, instead, in only confusing the listener. “The Dark Side” manages this synthesis elegantly by coupling a muscular guitar riff, that could have come out of 2001’s Origin of Symmetry, with ample use of synthesizers and compressed drum kits. The best parts of the album come when songs are able to successfully straddle both of these universes. Yet, at times, their sound seems to hearken back to some of their older catalogue. The band’s promotional materials place Simulation Theory in the ’80s, with music videos that seem like deleted scenes from Blade Runner or Tron. Therefore, it is ultimately frustrating that the record suffers from a general inconsistency in its overall sound. And, through the “Alternate Reality” versions of songs such as “Algorithms” and “The Dark Side,” which are on the album’s deluxe version, Muse show that they still have the creative capacity and willingness to update, and even reinvent, the bombastic sound they’ve become famous for. Nonetheless, it is as rich and poignant in its instrumentation as any song they’ve written before. The album closer, “The Void,” for instance, is uncharacteristically down-tempo for Muse’s standards. Furthermore, Simulation Theory offers a departure from the grand arena rock songs that populated much of Drones and The 2nd Law, making room for more musical range and subtlety. “Algorithms,” which sees the juxtaposition of a hip-hop drum kit sound with a dramatically ambient string arrangement, is as good of an album opener as they’ve ever had. In Simulation Theory, this experimentation pays off at times. While this has not always proven to be successful (such as when Muse flirted with cringe-inducing dubstep in 2012’s The 2nd Law), it does offer a sense of diversity and experimentalism to the evolution of their sound throughout their discography. The only real positive from the album stems from Muse’s willingness to co-opt new sounds into its arsenal. Once again, however, the U.K.-based three-piece band has delivered a record that is heavy on concept, but shallow in actual substance. are keen to drag us back into the ’80s, complete with retro-futuristic Tron graphics and drum machines. It’s been more than a year since “Dig Down,” the lead single, was dropped, so this is a project that has been long in the making. After the 2015 release Drones fell flat with fans and critics alike, British prog-rock band Muse is back with Simulation Theory.
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