MUSE
The Resistance

Muse’s fifth studio album, “The Resistance,” is as dramatic and ambitious as listeners have come to expect from the neoclassical-influenced prog-rock trio.

Musically, there’s something for everyone – uplifting rockers; stirring love songs; cool, detached, danceable tunes; classical piano; Queen-esque rock opera; and even real opera (borrowed from the opera “Samson and Delilah” in the song “I Belong to You (Mon Coeur S’Ouvre a Ta Voix”).

Because of this, “The Resistance” can sound a bit scattered at times and, as an album, doesn’t flow as well as “Black Holes and Revelations.” But the songs themselves make the variety of styles work well, and new and old fans alike should find something that appeals to them.

The lyrics contain Muse’s signature mix of passion and paranoia, the personal and the political. In some cases, the themes sound a bit too familiar. “There is no one we can trust/Our ancient heroes, they are turning to dust” on “United States of Eurasia” recycles a rhyme from “City of Delusion” on 2006′s “Black Holes and Revelations” (“When I don’t trust/ All your theories turn to dust.”)

But even if the lyrics aren’t radically different from past releases, Muse manages to revisit the same themes of love, secrets, and political unrest without sounding clichéd.

The album ends with a 13-minute symphony called “Exogenesis,” consisting of three parts: “Overture,” “Cross Pollination” and “Redemption.” The symphony features elements of both classical music and modern rock and could be the eerie soundtrack to a sci-fi movie.

It’s not as instantly likeable as some of the faster songs, but it is beautifully written and will likely grow on listeners with time.

VERDICT: “The Resistance” explores a range of rock styles to create an album that, for the most part, lives up to its ambitions.