''The Resistance'' is the fifth
studio album
An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records c ...
by English
rock band
Muse
In ancient Greek religion and mythology, the Muses ( grc, Μοῦσαι, Moûsai, el, Μούσες, Múses) are the inspirational goddesses of literature, science, and the arts. They were considered the source of the knowledge embodied in ...
, first released on 14 September 2009 through
Warner Bros. Records and Muse's
Helium-3
Helium-3 (3He see also helion) is a light, stable isotope of helium with two protons and one neutron (the most common isotope, helium-4, having two protons and two neutrons in contrast). Other than protium (ordinary hydrogen), helium-3 is the ...
imprint. Produced by the band and mixed by
Mark Stent,
the album was recorded from September 2008 to May 2009 at Studio Bellini in
Lake Como
Lake Como ( it, Lago di Como , ; lmo, label=Western Lombard, Lagh de Còmm , ''Cómm'' or ''Cùmm'' ), also known as Lario (; after the la, Larius Lacus), is a lake of glacial origin in Lombardy, Italy. It has an area of , making it the thir ...
, Italy. Musically, the record is similar to some of the band's previous material, mixing orchestral elements with rock and electronic music. The album also saw the band craft a three-part, 13-minute long symphony piece titled "
Exogenesis". Lyrically, it is a concept record, as well as a continuation of the themes from their previous records, being influenced by politics and more oppressive subjects.
''The Resistance'' received generally positive reviews from critics, who praised its concept, instrumentation, influences and Bellamy's vocals. The album was compared favourably to the works of
Radiohead
Radiohead are an English rock band formed in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, in 1985. The band consists of Thom Yorke (vocals, guitar, piano, keyboards); brothers Jonny Greenwood (lead guitar, keyboards, other instruments) and Colin Greenwood (bass ...
and
Queen
Queen or QUEEN may refer to:
Monarchy
* Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom
** List of queens regnant
* Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king
* Queen dowager, the widow of a king
* Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...
, although some critics found its material overblown and clichéd. The album reached number one in 19 countries, and the top five in the United States and several others. It was later certified platinum in a number of countries, including the UK and US. The album was promoted with three commercial singles: "
Uprising
Rebellion, uprising, or insurrection is a refusal of obedience or order. It refers to the open resistance against the orders of an established authority.
A rebellion originates from a sentiment of indignation and disapproval of a situation and ...
", "
Undisclosed Desires
"Undisclosed Desires" (also known as "Undisclosed") is a song by English rock band Muse. It was released as the second single from their fifth studio album, '' The Resistance'', on 16 November 2009. The song was written by lead vocalist Matth ...
", and "
Resistance", with "Exogenesis: Symphony" receiving a
Record Store Day
Record Store Day is an annual event inaugurated in 2007 and held on one Saturday (typically the third) every April and every Black Friday in November to "celebrate the culture of the independently owned record store". The day brings together fa ...
vinyl release. The band also made a number of live appearances promoting the album, including
The Resistance Tour. The record earned the band a
Grammy Award
The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...
for
Best Rock Album in
2011
File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrates ...
. ''The Resistance'' has sold over 5 million copies worldwide, including diamond certification in France with over 900,000 units sold and platinum in the United States with over 1.2 million units sold, making it the band's most successful album to date.
Background and recording
The talk of a follow-up to Muse's 2006 album ''
Black Holes and Revelations'' began in 2007, during that album's touring and promotion. In October, music magazine ''
NME'' reported that Muse were "planning an '
electronic' album" and that the band "had 'loads of ideas' for their fifth record already." As touring came to a close, ideas and rumours began circulating more frequently – common themes were the inclusion of a "15-minute space-rock solo" song, the rejection of the 'conventional' album format and a possible series of singles; on 22 May 2008, ''NME'' reported that the band had begun writing songs for the new album, quoting frontman, vocalist, guitarist and pianist
Matthew Bellamy
Matthew James Bellamy (born 9 June 1978) is an English singer, musician, producer, and songwriter. He is primarily known as the lead vocalist, guitarist, pianist, and primary songwriter for English rock band Muse. He is recognised for his ecce ...
as saying "What will come out of that is impossible to say."
The move away from releasing a conventional album was further discussed, with drummer
Dominic Howard quoted as saying "It's not that we're against the concept of releasing an album in the traditional format at all. It's just the way the world and technology is evolving, it's presenting a canvas to do whatever you want and just release music as and when it is ready to release. It can happen much more organically."
As of mid-2008, it was revealed that Muse had been writing a number of tracks, with more on the way in September. Despite this, Muse "warned fans not to expect a new album too soon," with bassist
Christopher Wolstenholme quoted as explaining "I don't think there's anything that we're ready to record yet. We just wanted to get started this year, to get the ball rolling a little bit rather than wait for a year doing nothing then get in the studio, and go, 'What do we do now?'." The previously mentioned "15-minute space-rock solo" was discussed further late in the year, as Bellamy explained, "There is a new song in three parts, more of a symphony than a song, which I have been working on sporadically for many years."
Muse hired
Rick Rubin
Frederick Jay Rubin (; born March 10, 1963) is an American record producer. He is the co-founder (alongside Russell Simmons) of Def Jam Recordings, founder of American Recordings, and former co-president of Columbia Records.
Rubin helped popula ...
, who had worked with artists including
Metallica
Metallica is an American heavy metal band. The band was formed in 1981 in Los Angeles by vocalist/guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, and has been based in San Francisco for most of its career. The band's fast tempos, instrume ...
and
Jay Z
Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and founder of Manhattan-based conglomerate talent and entertainment agency Roc Nation. He is regarded as one o ...
, to produce the album but scrapped the recordings in favour of producing the album themselves. At the 2010
Music Producers Guild
The Music Producers Guild (MPG) (UK) promotes and represents all individuals in the music production and recording professions. It is a professional organisation that embodies collective and individual creative contributions to the production and ...
awards, Bellamy sarcastically thanked Rubin for "teaching us how not to produce." The news of the possibility of a three-part 15-minute song also came with the revelation that the band had begun recording and were loosely aiming for a late-2009 release. In 2009, an "insider close to
.. Warners" revealed that Muse would release their new album in September and begin touring shortly afterwards. The band released three videos of recording footage, including a session in a lavatory. In March it was confirmed that Muse were to tour in the autumn, as well as with Irish band
U2 in the United States in September, suggesting that the recording process was moving toward a conclusion.
Composition
Musically, ''The Resistance'' has been described as featuring
art rock
Art rock is a subgenre of rock music that generally reflects a challenging or avant-garde approach to rock, or which makes use of modernist, experimental, or unconventional elements. Art rock aspires to elevate rock from entertainment to an ...
,
progressive rock
Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog; sometimes conflated with art rock) is a broad genre of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom and United States through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early 1970s. I ...
,
symphonic rock
Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog; sometimes conflated with art rock) is a broad genre of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom and United States through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early 1970s. Initi ...
,
space rock
Space rock is a music genre characterized by loose and lengthy song structures centered on instrumental textures that typically produce a hypnotic, otherworldly sound. It may feature distorted and reverberation-laden guitars, minimal drummin ...
,
alternative rock
Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from mainstream or commercial ...
, and
arena rock
Arena rock (also known as AOR, melodic rock, stadium rock, anthem rock, pomp rock, corporate rock and dad rock; ; ) is a style of rock music that originated in the mid-1970s. As hard rock bands and those playing a softer yet strident kind of po ...
. In their review, French media source ''JudeBox'' compared Bellamy's vocal performance to that of
Radiohead
Radiohead are an English rock band formed in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, in 1985. The band consists of Thom Yorke (vocals, guitar, piano, keyboards); brothers Jonny Greenwood (lead guitar, keyboards, other instruments) and Colin Greenwood (bass ...
frontman
Thom Yorke
Thomas Edward Yorke (born 7 October 1968) is an English musician and the main vocalist and songwriter of the rock band Radiohead. A multi-instrumentalist, he mainly plays guitar and keyboards and is noted for his falsetto. He has been descri ...
and identifying classical composers
Frédéric Chopin
Frédéric François Chopin (born Fryderyk Franciszek Chopin; 1 March 181017 October 1849) was a Polish composer and virtuoso pianist of the Romantic period, who wrote primarily for solo piano. He has maintained worldwide renown as a leadin ...
and
Franz Liszt
Franz Liszt, in modern usage ''Liszt Ferenc'' . Liszt's Hungarian passport spelled his given name as "Ferencz". An orthographic reform of the Hungarian language in 1922 (which was 36 years after Liszt's death) changed the letter "cz" to simpl ...
as influences for "
Exogenesis: Symphony". ''
Mojo
Mojo may refer to:
*Mojo (African-American culture), a magical charm bag used in voodoo
Arts, entertainment and media Film and television
* MOJO HD, an American television network
* ''Mojo'' (play), by Jez Butterworth, made into a 1997 film
* '' ...
'' quoted Bellamy as revealing that the song featured an
orchestra
An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families.
There are typically four main sections of instruments:
* bowed string instruments, such as the violin, viola, c ...
of over 40 musicians.
Promotion and release
Muse announced the title ''The Resistance'' on their Twitter page on 22 May, while the first song was officially announced as "United States of Eurasia" on the official band website,
deciphered by fans from a picture of a piece of
sheet music
Sheet music is a handwritten or printed form of musical notation that uses musical symbols to indicate the pitches, rhythms, or chords of a song or instrumental musical piece. Like its analogs – printed books or pamphlets in English, ...
held by Bellamy in a photo uploaded on the Twitter page.
Following this news, Howard posted a blog on his MySpace account detailing the progress made by the band by saying "Yes, ''The Resistance'' is on its way. Out in a few months hopefully. We've just started mixing some tracks and it sounds wicked. Still got a bit more work to do but it's coming along nicely." The album was mixed by
Mark Stent at Muse's studio and was supported by
an international tour.
On 16 June 2009 it was confirmed on the band's official website that the album would be released on 14 September 2009. In a Twitter update by Wolstenholme on 23 June, it was revealed that the band had completed the album, with only
mastering left to complete in New York. On 3 July, the band began updating their Twitter profile with the track listing for ''The Resistance'', which was completed by the end of the day. On 14 July, Muse confirmed via Twitter that the first single from the album would be "
Uprising
Rebellion, uprising, or insurrection is a refusal of obedience or order. It refers to the open resistance against the orders of an established authority.
A rebellion originates from a sentiment of indignation and disapproval of a situation and ...
". On 17 August 2009, iTunes gave 30-second previews for each of the songs on the album. "Undisclosed Desires" was uploaded to Muse's official website for streaming by website members on 9 September 2009. From 10 September, the album was made available to stream for free on the official website of English newspaper ''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers '' The Observer'' and '' The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the ...
''.
''The Resistance'' was released on
iTunes
iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital mu ...
as one of the first
iTunes LPs. It contains the album as well as added extras such as animated artwork and behind the scenes videos. It was later announced in September that a ''New Moon'' remix of "I Belong to You" would be included on the soundtrack to ''
New Moon
In astronomy, the new moon is the first lunar phase, when the Moon and Sun have the same ecliptic longitude. At this phase, the lunar disk is not visible to the naked eye, except when it is silhouetted against the Sun during a solar ecl ...
'', the second film in the
Twilight Saga film series. The
soundtrack to the first film had featured another song by Muse: "
Supermassive Black Hole
A supermassive black hole (SMBH or sometimes SBH) is the largest type of black hole, with its mass being on the order of hundreds of thousands, or millions to billions of times the mass of the Sun (). Black holes are a class of astronomical ob ...
". The New Moon remix has additional guitars added, and omits the "Mon cœur s'ouvre a ta voix" section.
As well as the CD, CD+DVD, LP & download versions of the album, Muse also released a box set containing the CD+DVD, LPs, USB stick containing the album with a bespoke media player & a print. A special version, limited to 5000 copies were also made which also contained a DVD containing a 5.1 surround sound mix of ''The Resistance'', this mix also includes a longer version of "Unnatural Selection". An instrumental version of the album has been professionally mixed, and is available on the internet.
Tour
On 18 August 2009, a duo of concerts collectively entitled "
A Seaside Rendezvous
A Seaside Rendezvous was a 2009 pair of concerts by English alternative rock band Muse. Held at The Den in Teignmouth, Devon, the town in which the band's members spent their childhoods and began their musical careers, the homecoming concerts w ...
" were confirmed for 4 and 5 September. The concerts were the first in the band's hometown of
Teignmouth in over ten years, as well as the first shows since their appearance at
V Festival in August 2008. The performances included the debut appearances of five songs from the upcoming album, including lead single "
Uprising
Rebellion, uprising, or insurrection is a refusal of obedience or order. It refers to the open resistance against the orders of an established authority.
A rebellion originates from a sentiment of indignation and disapproval of a situation and ...
", "Undisclosed Desires", and "Resistance".
The band also performed a small number of shows at other venues in Europe, before they supported
U2 for nine dates on the North American leg of their
360° Tour in September and October
and in South America in March and April 2011.
A promotional tour was first confirmed by Muse in March 2009 when they announced that "We are pleased to confirm that Muse will be touring in the UK, Europe and North America this autumn." In June 2009, the band confirmed the dates for an opening European leg of "The Resistance Tour", which they announced would comprise 30 shows.
Tickets for the shows in the United Kingdom, Sweden and France went on sale from 5 June,
while tickets for other European dates went on fan pre-sale between 11 June (Netherlands) and 17 June (Spain). Tickets for the UK arena dates, both pre-sale and general sale, sold out within minutes of going on sale.
On 22 September 2009, it was announced that extra tickets for many of the European concerts would be sold beginning on 24 September.
The band also performed a small number of shows at other venues in Europe, before they supported Irish rock band
U2 for nine dates on the North American leg of their
360° Tour in September and October
and in South America in March and April 2011.The opening European leg began on 22 October 2009 and ended on 4 December 2009, comprising 30 shows. The second leg, which began on 7 January 2010, included thirteen shows, seven of which were part of the Australasian Big Day Out shows. A North American leg of 26 shows took place in early 2010. Nine stadium shows took place in Europe in 2010, with three of those dates taking place at Wembley Stadium and Old Trafford Cricket Ground. A second round of North American concerts took place throughout September and October 2010.
At the conclusion of 2010, the tour was placed on Pollstar's annual "Year End Top 50 Worldwide Concert Tours", and appeared 13th worldwide, earning over $76 million with 64 shows in 2010.
Reception
''The Resistance'' received generally positive reviews from critics upon its release. At
Metacritic
Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...
, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 72 based on 23 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews."
Andrew Leahey of
AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Music ...
praised the album, highlighting "Guiding Light", "United States of Eurasia", and "Exogenesis", and calling it "by and large a fantastic record".
In an interview with ''
The Sunday Times
''The Sunday Times'' is a British newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News UK, whi ...
'', Dan Cairns wrote that "Muse have made an album of genius, brilliance and beauty". ''
NME'' identified "Exogenesis: Symphony" as one of the highlights of the album, describing it as "more bombastic than anything Muse have ever previously done" and revealing that it features "classical piano from Bellamy and a full orchestra throughout."
Multiple reviews criticised the album for lacking originality, in some instances commenting it was a caricature of progressive rock. ''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...
'' lauded "Uprising" as an "
industrial-flavored" song that proved that Muse could still "whip up an almighty roar", but dismissed the album as a whole as clichéd and borrowing shamelessly from
Queen
Queen or QUEEN may refer to:
Monarchy
* Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom
** List of queens regnant
* Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king
* Queen dowager, the widow of a king
* Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...
.
Ben Patashnik from ''NME'' felt that the album was "genius" in parts, but criticised it for producing something "conceptually impressive but musically all too familiar".
''
Pitchfork
A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves.
The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to ...
'' gave the album a mixed review, stating that the songs were "an outgrowth of wanting to make the music as big, inclusive and as singalong as possible, rather than any inchoate political impulses," criticising Bellamy for "constantly tossing out mass-shout-along-ready lyrics". However, the review went on to conclude that "Judged on its own terms – out of control scale, genre-smashing ambition, musical and vocal virtuosity - ''The Resistance'' is a success."
Queen guitarist
Brian May
Brian Harold May (born 19 July 1947) is an English guitarist, singer, songwriter, and astrophysicist, who achieved worldwide fame as the lead guitarist of the rock band Queen. May was a co-founder of Queen with lead singer Freddie Mercury and ...
praised the Queen-influenced sound that Muse incorporated into the album. "I love it, I think it's great stuff," May told the
BBC. "I think they're very good boys and extremely talented, and like us they have their
tongue in cheek
The idiom tongue-in-cheek refers to a humorous or sarcastic statement expressed in a serious manner.
History
The phrase originally expressed contempt, but by 1842 had acquired its modern meaning. Early users of the phrase include Sir Walter Scott ...
a lot of the time," May said. He described the track "United States of Eurasia" as "brilliantly done".
Muse won the
Grammy Award for Best Rock Album
The Grammy Award for Best Rock Album is an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality albums in the rock music genre. Honors in sever ...
for ''The Resistance'' at the
53rd Annual Grammy Awards
The 53rd Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 13, 2011, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. They were broadcast on CBS with a rating of 26.6 million viewers. Barbra Streisand was honored as the MusiCares Person of the Year two nights pri ...
in 2011.
Track listing
;Notes
:1. "Collateral Damage" contains elements of
Nocturne in E flat major, Op. 9, No. 2, composed by
Frédéric Chopin
Frédéric François Chopin (born Fryderyk Franciszek Chopin; 1 March 181017 October 1849) was a Polish composer and virtuoso pianist of the Romantic period, who wrote primarily for solo piano. He has maintained worldwide renown as a leadin ...
.
:2. "
Mon cœur s'ouvre a ta voix" written by
Camille Saint-Saëns
Charles-Camille Saint-Saëns (; 9 October 183516 December 1921) was a French composer, organist, conductor and pianist of the Romantic music, Romantic era. His best-known works include Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso (1863), the Piano C ...
.
Personnel
;Muse
*
Matthew Bellamy
Matthew James Bellamy (born 9 June 1978) is an English singer, musician, producer, and songwriter. He is primarily known as the lead vocalist, guitarist, pianist, and primary songwriter for English rock band Muse. He is recognised for his ecce ...
– lead vocals, lead and rhythm guitars, keyboards, piano, synthesizers,
programming, production
*
Christopher Wolstenholme – bass, backing vocals, production
*
Dominic Howard – drums, percussion, synthesizers, programming, production
;Session musicians
* Edodea Ensemble; orchestra, conducted by
Audrey Riley
Audrey Riley is an English cellist and string arranger, based in the UK.
Career
Riley trained at the Guildhall School of Music with Leonard Stehn. She was a cellist for Virginia Astley from 1983 to 1986 and a one-time auxiliary member of The Fam ...
and led by
concertmaster
The concertmaster (from the German ''Konzertmeister''), first chair (U.S.) or leader (U.K.) is the principal first violin player in an orchestra (or clarinet in a concert band). After the conductor, the concertmaster is the second-most signifi ...
Edoardo de Angelis
* Enrico Gabrielli –
bass clarinet
The bass clarinet is a musical instrument of the clarinet family. Like the more common soprano B clarinet, it is usually pitched in B (meaning it is a transposing instrument on which a written C sounds as B), but it plays notes an octave ...
on "I Belong to You"
* Tom Kirk –
handclaps
A clap is the percussive sound made by striking together two flat surfaces, as in the body parts of humans or animals. Humans clap with the palms of their hands, often quickly and repeatedly to express appreciation or approval (see applause), ...
and football hooligan noises on "Uprising"
;Main production personnel
* Adrian Bushby –
engineering
Engineering is the use of scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad range of more speciali ...
, handclaps and football hooligan noises on "Uprising"
*
Ted Jensen
Ted Jensen (born September 19, 1954) is an American mastering engineer, known for having mastered many recordings, including the Eagles' ''Hotel California'', Green Day's '' American Idiot'' and Norah Jones' ''Come Away with Me''.
Biography
T ...
–
mastering
*
Mark "Spike" Stent
Mark "Spike" Stent (born 3 August 1965) is an English record producer and mixing engineer who has worked with many international artists including Madonna, Marshmello, U2, Beyoncé, Björk, Depeche Mode, Echo & The Bunnymen, Grimes, Ed Sheeran ...
–
mixing
;Additional personnel
* La Boca –
artwork
A work of art, artwork, art piece, piece of art or art object is an artistic creation of aesthetic value. Except for "work of art", which may be used of any work regarded as art in its widest sense, including works from literature ...
* Des Broadbery – additional technical and logistical support
*
Danny Clinch
Danny Clinch (born 1964) is an American photographer and film director.
Biography
Born in Toms River, New Jersey, Clinch graduated from Toms River High School East in 1982. After attending Ocean County College, he attended the New England S ...
– photography
* Tommaso Colliva – additional engineering, technical setup
* Matthew Green – mixing assistance
* Paul Reeve – additional vocal production, handclaps and football hooligan noises on "Uprising"
Release history
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications
}
Singles
MTV EXIT
The MTV EXIT (End Exploitation and Trafficking) campaign is a multimedia initiative produced by MTV EXIT Foundation (formerly known as the MTV Europe Foundation) to raise awareness and increase prevention of human trafficking and modern slavery. ...
, the MTV campaign to eradicate the human exploitation and trafficking especially in Asia and Pacific, in partnership with USAID, released a music video "Muse and MTV EXIT: MK Ultra", the third in a series of award-winning music video collaborations to highlight the dangers and impact of human trafficking. Produced for the band's track "MK Ultra", the video was launched globally across all of MTV's properties on-air and on-line on 17 September 2010.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Resistance, The
Muse (band) albums
2009 albums
Concept albums
Grammy Award for Best Rock Album