Has Muse Gone Too Mainstream?

[mrpenguinismyhomeboy]

The Last good album Muse did was Black Holes and Revelations. This new one is just a can of George Orwell references, which they think they can pull off without being dorky just cause they are British. They've lost all their sincerity.

How on earth is referencing Orwell 'dorky'? That's like saying "Being able to read and write is for nerds!". Good god man, Orwell is amongst the classic authors of all time, would you prefer they were referencing some trashy tv drama?

If you can be cultured enough to enjoy (IMO their best album) Origin of Symmetry's jumps between baroque and romantic piano styles (etc) then frankly it's hypocrisy to then criticise them for Orwellian content. They've always been a fairly academic band, and while I do personally feel that The Resistance is their weakest album to date it does have it's good points. However, the content is what really makes the best tracks on the album, ie United States of Eurasia(it kinda sounds like what you would get if you mixed 1984 and Les Miserables).

What I am saying is, political rebellion is dorky. I love George Orwell, and I loved 1984, but the thing is when he did it he was serious about it. He didn't write it cause he felt like it, he wrote it cause he literally thought that people needed to know the consequence of communism. What he describes in his novel is a world he thought would be completely possible. He took it seriously, and as a result we can take him seriously.

I, however, cannot take Muse seriously, in Resistance. It comes off as dorky. And slightly humorous. But political rebellion is not supposed to be like that. As far as I can gather, the only two bands that I have heard that have been able to pull of political Rebellion without being silly are Rage Against the Machine and Elvis Costello and the Attractions. There are few other bands I have heard that can talk about political rebellion and freedom and all that good stuff without looking like idiots in my eyes. And when Muse does it, on every song practically in their new album, I cannot take them seriously, and as a result, I think it sounds dorky and stupid, akin to that picture of a man in a dunce cap with the caption "It's a conspiracy" misspelled and in capital letters.

In effect, political rebellion is almost as mainstream as you can get. In fact, if you don't do political rebellion, in my eyes, you would be less mainstream.

 

[SmartIdiot]

Ok I'd expect a thread like this for a band that was actually obscure but Muse!?

Jesus christ man, they've been mainstream from the word go! Showbiz got them heard, Origin of Symmetry catapulted them to fame, Absolution ensured they would rule the earth, Black Holes and Revelations began on previously mentioned ruling the earth and now their latest offering, The Resistance is just to make sure that EVERYONE from this generation remembers them.

Has Muse gone too mainstream? I'm a believer that there are no stupid questions, only stupid people, but THAT was a stupid question. Does it matter? As long as a band is making good music and using their abilities to the fullest who gives a fuck where they sit, be it at the top of the charts or in a friends garage.

While we're here, has Coldplay gone too mainstream?

 

[BonsaiK]

]I am a huge Muse fan, own every album etc, etc. I think it's good for a band to change their sound, lest they get stale, but songs like Undisclosed Desires and them putting songs on the *shudder* goddamn Twilight album is slowly leading me to think that the glory days of the sounds of Absolution are gone and that Muse are going mainstream. Whaddya think, Escapists?

I thought that Muse were extremely mainstream right back to their very first material. I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing though. I don't really like their stuff personally but hey they sell millions of records so someone obviously does. I've got no problem with it.

 

[Zelurien]

Pardon my ignorance but who or what is Muse?

A band, good band.

No, they havent, maybe alittle but they still sound like Muse and are still awesome, im not complaining.

]Undisclosed Desires

I... i love that song, its one of my favourite songs

I agree with this entirely. That song is awesome and I'm pretty sure they've always been fairly mainstream.

 

[Soxafloppin]

I really like undisclosed desires, actually my favourite song from the new album.

They havent 'went mainstream' just got popular.

 

[DyslexicWalrus]

I think they still sound great. And no I don't think they've "sold out" by going mainstream, which they have been for a while. Now Kings of Leon, on the other hand... that's a pretty good example of a band going mainstream and then losing touch with what made them good in the first place. Muse hasn't done that imo

I think that's exactly WHAT Muse has done. The Resistance, to me at least, can't compare to their other albums. It lost their... intensity. However, I would say Undisclosed Desires was one of their better songs on that album.

 

[Flamezdudes]

I like pretty much all their music, even Resistance which some people don't like.

 

[zagadan7191]

I think there is a difference between mainstream and selling out that isn't being picked up. Look at some of the MASSIVE rock bands, Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, The Ramones and The Clash, tweens everywhere run around sporting those bands t-shirts (mainstream) but the bands themselves haven't sold out. I for one hate Muse in all of its forms but think that the new albums and songs are quite pop-y. Anyway, that is my opinion and I know how delighted you are to have read it so, you're very welcome.

 

[FolkLikePanda]

Yes, there sounding too clubbish now, they used to be Progressive Rock but now they're sellouts, chanign their style to be more popular. Their new album is shite compared to the other stuff they've done.

 

[Red Right Hand]

I dunno I was never a fan in he first place. But what I can say is that I do notice a difference between their very early stuff and the newest stuff they've released, but then again, i'm probaby wrong.

 

[TylerC]

Pardon my ignorance but who or what is Muse?

You should be banned just for posting that.

OT: You can't become bad by getting more mainstream, and getting more an more popular isn't a bad thing, it can just be annoying to the fans. For example, I wore a Muse shirt to school one day, and this girl came up to me saying "Muse! (although she said it like MEEEEEooose) I love that band, they had a song in Twilight!"

First of all, realizing that they were on the Twilight OTS made me want to throw up, but the fact that she had only heard that one song and now "loved" the band made me die inside.

*snip

I can't agree that Eminem is completely generic...yet. Because he is incredibly gifted, original, and many of his songs have really deep meaning, and you can really hear his emotion. It does bother me though, that he's started recording songs with Lil' Wayne and Drake...Makes me want to kill myself, it seems like he's moved from his fans of his first few albums to please what seems to be a larger fanbase in the crappy part of music.

 

[Nigh Invulnerable]

Popularity does not, EVER equal quality.

Kiefer, it matters because there are elitist indie music retard fans that consider THEIR musical tastes superior to everyone elses. I know this sounds harsh but i had so many friends like that at school... its very dissapointing. I like Muse by the way, they are great if a bit on the gay side.

Conversely, popularity does not ever equal low quality. Beethoven, Mozart, and Bach are all extremely popular, but most people would agree that they made some high quality music. Likewise, Metallica, regardless of your opinion of St. Anger and whatnot, made some damn good music in their day, and they've sold a gajillion records.

 

[chenry]

Who cares, they're still good.

 

[MattKirby]

Why do people start thinking that "BAD=MAINSTREAM"? I'm pretty sure Muse has been mainstream for a while.

I agree with it, but, they said they weanted this to be a more techno or electric sound than previous.

Now nothing can stack against blackholes, absolution, or hullabaloo (in that order) but, they just want to branch a bit.

 

[bobknowsall]

Man, talk about perverting the meaning of mainstream. If something is "mainstream", then it's not some bizarre niche interest. Muse were too good to be just a niche band, so their audience expanded. The fact that their fanbase now includes Twilight fangirls does not make them worse in any way.

I must say that The Resistance seemed a bit inferior to their other albums, though. I'd just chalk that down to some bad ideas getting chucked in.

 

[LogicNProportion]

Knights of Cydonia will always be a favorite song of mine.

I just...can't play a shooter online without it...

 

[reg42]

Never really been that much of a fan, but they've always sounded mainstream to me.

 

[TheRightToArmBears]

I'm not sure about more mainstream, but definitely more popular and the last two albums just haven't been as good as their older stuff.

 

[Stranger of Sorts]

In my opinion Absolution is the most mainstream of their albums

 

[GundamSentinel]

Resistance wasn't as good as it's predecessors, though I still liked it. It's only natural that as a band develops it gets a broader audience. Consequently a band may change its sound to cater to that audience. Nothing wrong with that.