Album Review: Muse - The 2nd Law

Criticisms of Muse often stem from issues of style. The electro-funk of Supermassive Black Hole or Queen-style vocal harmonies of Knights Of Cydonia were the gripes of 2006's Black Holes And Revelations. Space-age synths and endless neo-classical piano arpeggios distinguished 2001's Origin Of Symmetry. With The 2nd Law, Muse reveal an interest in dubstep – yet again polarising audiences in the process.

However, style isn't really relevant to The 2nd Law. The band experiment more than ever – from the James Bond-style brass of opener, Supremacy, to the electro flavours of Follow Me and notorious dubstep breakdowns of Unsustainable – but, really, that's not the album's problem. As explained, Muse have always experimented with style. The problem with The 2nd Law is that the songwriting is, for the most part, utter rubbish.  

The aforementioned Supremacy is a prime example. It's full of great ideas. The sludgy bass riff and blasting brass practically scream 'badass' (albeit with an English accent). Unfortunately, Muse don't do anything with those ideas. Instruments are tossed around, choirs swell, Matt Bellamy wails away on both guitar and microphone and then it's all over, red rover. This is largely true of the remainder of the album – both within each song and across the record's broader arc.

There are some cool ideas. Single, Madness, is, despite Chris Martin's endorsement, actually a pretty cracking song. Throughout, it's fun to hear Muse actually having some fun. Unsustainable is utterly, tragically daft – but the sheer stupendous ridiculousness of it has an undeniable appeal. Unfortunately, there just isn't much more to the record beyond those good ideas. It's more a diverting curiosity than fulfilling listening experience.