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The Resistance, shows growth from the band's previous releases and proves that it's primed for a global musical takeover.
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"Black Holes and Revelations" may be a more commercial record, but The Resistance is Muse's most realized effort to date.
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Not all of it is palatable, but there's something unrepentant in The Resistance's insane ambitiousness that demands respect rather than mockery. The day Muse topple irrevocably into self-parody will surely come. But, apparently, not yet.
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It’s bonkers--hilarious, maddening, ridiculous and slightly shit--yet never dull.
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Hot PressIt’s the closing triptych of quasi-classical numbers--the aforementioned ‘Exogenesis’ sequence--that transports Muse to a place beyond parody.
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MojoEven introspection is realised on a gargantuan scale, with the climatic rock symphony Exogenesis. Over the top? For Matt Bellamy and Muse it's the only way to go. [Oct 2009]
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The wholeheartedness with which this album hurls itself into the abyss of cod-symphonic astral pretension is to be commended.
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Q MagazineAll this is but a prelude to the albums extaordinary, elegant climax, Bellamy’s three part, 12 minute orchestrial work 'Exogenesis: Symphony.' [Oct 2009, p.102]
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You don’t need to be fanatical or any other synonym to realize that this is utterly spectacular music.
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Bellamy wriggles ever freer from the straitjacket of rock music, nearing the point where he can slide between genres as easily as his idols, Bowie, Queen and Prince.
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The Resistance, the crispest Muse album yet, is unapologetically and ambitiously beautiful.
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Frontman Matt Bellamy mostly gets away with these high jinks thanks to his skilled way with a Radiohead-ish hook.
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On The Resistance, the group shows it can turn a night at the opera into a daytrip to Candyland.
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As it stands it’s an indulgent and, at times, gorgeous listen that merely helps restate your concrete opinions about Muse.
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They turn to the next logical ladder rung of pretension: symphony. And they may have finally found the perfect category to fuse with their ever-swooping brand of rock.
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While not their best, it’s decent enough to ensure there’ll be more-- even though the truly off-the-wall moments are either rare or misguided, meaning the record feels slightly anonymous.
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Ultimately, The Resistance is a patchwork of expert cliches that leaves a listener wondering just what the point of Muse is.
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You'd be well advised to beg, borrow or download a handful of tracks from The Resistance; but if you're planning to sit through the whole ponderous enterprise, you'll likely need a blister pack of paracetamol and a hell of a lot of patience.
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For the wary or outright dismissive, however, The Resistance is also a very smartly sequenced album.
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Even where the record shines--and it does at points--it really only does so against a background of blinding light from Muse’s back catalog, which is an unfortunate, but inescapable point.
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These straight pop tunes are great by themselves, but after slogging through the symphonic sludge, you’re likely to find The Resistance a jumbled, forgettable tracklist.
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In the end, far from making “prog” a four-letter word, Muse have done worse and opted out of the playing field altogether.
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They are capable of making albums that are big, over the top and fun. The Resistance is over the top, but comes off as boisterous and overblown.
Awards & Rankings
User score distribution:
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Positive: 412 out of 500
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Mixed: 50 out of 500
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Negative: 38 out of 500
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hannahbOct 2, 2009Fantastic. Can't stop listening.
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BobBobSep 15, 2009Excellent album. On par with Origin of Symmetry.
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PDTSJan 24, 2010Only the three first songs is worth listening to.