Musing over new Social Code

New guy in the headline department.  Sorry.

—

Muse: The Resistance

This award-winning British rock outfit has put out their fifth album in ten years, and it fell to me to write up a review.  To be honest, their music has always been a little hit or miss for me, and ‘The Resistance’ is a perfect example of why.

At best, these guys sound like some grim update on Depeche Mode or Tears for Fears, as they do on “Uprising” and “Undisclosed Desires”.  At worst, they sound like a strange fusion of The Killers and Queen (I swear I’ll shoot the first person to say “Killer Queen”), as they do on “United States of Eurasia” and the title track, “Resistance”.

The best, most definitive and original song on this album is the also the longest, “Unrest” which is a perfect example of the kind of music Muse should be making on this album.  Unfortunately, the worst on this album is the obnoxious three-part “Exogenesis Symphony” which closes ‘The Resistance’.  Obviously, Muse were trying for something here, but the mini concept work fell particularly flat with me.

Hit-and-miss, as I said.  I can’t fault this album technically, because Matthew Bellamy, Christopher Wolstenholme and Dominic Howard are near-virtuoso in their level of skill.  Likewise, they are capably backed by the Edodea Ensemble and other musical talents on the album.  However, Muse really aren’t my cup of tea, and as my reviews are always about what I enjoyed listening to, I find deciding on an appropriate rating to be rather difficult.

I will say this: For people who like Muse, this album is likely to be a 9/10.  For the rest of us, it falls somewhere between a 7 and an 8/10.

Muse: The Resistance

Warner

Steve’s Rating: 7.5/10

Social Code: Rock N Roll

With obvious, glaring exceptions, such as Nickleback or Bryan Adams, Canada produces some top-tier Rock acts.  Social Code, one of the few good things to come out of Edmonton, Alberta, is one such top-tier Rock act.

‘Rock N Roll’ is their third album since 2004, and one of their best yet.  Their Alternative Rock sound has come of age on this release, and as the album title promises, they deliver some solid Rock N Roll music here.

The album opens with the haunting and intense title track, “Rock N Roll” and doesn’t relent until a sudden tempo shift from lead single “Satisfied” to the clever, clump-thumping “Buy Buy Baby” which is as rhythmic as it is razor-sharp.  “Real Girl” is a quirky little early Grunge sounding track, but my favourite is the late-in-the-lineup Rock ballad, “I’m Not Okay”.  More so than any other track on the album, I think that one has “HIT” written all over it.  Enough to finally get Social Code the kind of recognition that they deserve.

Social Code: Rock N Roll

Universal

Steve’s Rating: 9/10