Futuristic

Week 35: Muse- Will of the People

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Regardless of what I am about to say in this review, I have always found Muse hard to listen to their studio work. However, they are beyond amazing live. I thoroughly enjoy their spectacular headline shows at festivals. I saw one particular performance from the current “Will of the People” tour, complete with lasers, great visuals, hypnotic guitars, Matt’s futuristic jacket and a robotic hand where he somehow manages to know the correct swiggles to draw on the touchpad of the glove to form the melody.

However, despite their failure to create their live shows in the studio, what cannot be ignored is their lyrics and subjects—the subjects ranging from anti-establishment, pro-freedom, and sex. Not many people talk about the drummer Dominic Howard, but he more than compliments Chris Wolstenholme’s bass wizardry and Matt Bellamy’s versatile vocals that also sometimes ape the guitar. The Devonshire trio have been going since 1994 and released their debut “Showbiz” in 1999. However, it wasn’t until 2001 and their second record, “Origin of Symmetry”, that the band started to get noticed, with ‘Plug in Baby’ charting just outside the top 10. Their biggest success chart-wise is ‘Supermassive Black Hole’, where Chris does the whispered chorus. They are yet to get a number one, but that isn’t a surprise when you consider they are more of a live band.

Amazingly, “Will of the People” is their ninth studio album and their most politically charged to date. This could well be told from Matt’s perspective, but it is a worldview. We are sick of the society we currently reside in and grow angrier with the establishment. 

The opening track is the title track, which acts as a call to arms to start a revolution against the establishment. I first heard this as an introduction song on their current tour. They may now perform it rather than the studio version playing before they go onstage. The song features a baying crowd over AC/DC-esque guitars with Matt with venom in his vocals that he will lead the revolution and overthrow the establishment, which is quite apt during the current climate. It certainly got my attention from the off, at least.

The leading single is ‘Compliance’, which I had heard during this particular concert I watched on YouTube, and I have to say, I loved the concept behind it and the thought-provoking lyrics. However, this time, Matt does it from the oppressor’s perspective. It is also a condescending dig at the establishment.

One thing I loved about the album is this revolutionist vs oppressor topic over futuristic melodies, with Matt muting the chords with his palm; synths and elements are taken from the Weeknd. There is even room for them, once again, to pay tribute to Queen with ‘Liberation’. What do I mean? It just sounds like Queen from the instrumentation to Matt’s vocals. This is Another song told from the perspective of the people determined to revolt.

However, there is a turn of events on ‘Ghosts(How Can I Move on)’, which, at first listen, I thought had Chris Martin (Coldplay) on vocals. The song screams all things Coldplay. The disappointments come on ‘Kill or be Killed’ and ‘Won’t Stand Down’. Although the songs have great titles, they sound more like a messy breakup rather than fighting for one’s freedom from the establishment.

Muse, like several others, are pretty adept at recycling their songs. Although they have been written and recorded over the past year, they still sound familiar, as seen in ‘Won’t Stand Down’, which sounds similar to ‘Supermassive Black Hole’. ‘Verona’ reminded me more of U2, particularly Edge’s riffs. Going back to Muse recycling, ‘Euphoria’ sounds like ‘Time is Running out’ vs Donna Summer’s ‘I Feel Love’.

My standout is the closer ‘We are Fucking Fucked’. The lyrics are delicious and aptly mimic the tone of what we all feel. We are fucking fucked, and the lyrics expressed that with mentions of world war, et cetera. It also sounds a bit like ‘Knights of Cydonia’, albeit there is no call-to-arms, but rather a pessimistic view of not being capable of sorting out this shitstorm we are all in. What a way and a statement to end the album.

However, I found the record quite disjointed and a mishmash of Muse’s past work slightly reimagined. The messages are also contradictory because Matt is asking for a revolution, yet then is rather pessimistic, moaning and unwilling to do anything. Again, Muse has made an album that is only for the live arena. As I said, their studio work does not ape the effort put in when they perform live.

Song recommendations: ‘We Are Fucking Fucked’, ‘Will of the People’, ‘Compliance’

6/10

Week 33: Kasabian- the Alchemist’s Euphoria

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Serge Pizzorno was born to be the frontman since Tom Meighan’s valid departure. Serge has been brilliant taking on the role during the current tour. Seeing the band and the ferocious levels of energy Serge brings has been a pleasure. The new album incorporates the S.L.P., which is the solo moniker of Serge. Here is the reason why in a track-by-track review coming up shortly. Firstly, I would like to say that maybe the purists will not like this new-sounding Kasabian, but for me, it works. You have elements of hip-hop, grime, indie/alternative rock, and futuristic sounds. 

Now, onto the review. I am not sure how this will play out; I might get carried away, or it might be short. Bear with me:

ALCHEMIST:

STOP SHOUTING! You discover that the majority of the titles are stylised in block capitals. The opening track is the sound of waves crashing, which is unusual for an album by Kasabian; however, this is under Serge’s command. Serge sends a clear lyrical message about the direction the band is heading under him. The lyric ‘Shut the door on your way out if you’re leaving’ is a clear message to those fans who dislike the new dawn because It IS a new dawn.

SCRIPTVRE: 

Unlike many of you who saw the band perform live, my introduction to the new Kasabian was when they appeared on the Spring edition of Later…with Jools Holland. I loved Serge’s energy during this performance and how he had the audience, fellow artists, and Jools Holland in the palm of his hand. I loved the attitude in his vocal delivery/ rapping and the profound lyrics that indicate the onus now put on him. This performance alone showed me that the band were in safe hands under him.

ROCKET FUEL:

The first track that reflects the remnants of the old Kasabian in terms of how it keeps your attention; the track is more suited to beat break with 808s, hi-hats, and hip-hop( Expect a lot of hip-hop and grime.).

STRICTLY OLD SKOOL:

Serge again touches on the changing of the guard and how he brings a sense of originality to his concept for the band.

ALGATYR:

Another track that was performed on Later…with Jools Holland. The vocal sound effect is adopted by bands such as Muse, who use it significantly in their “Supermassive Blackhole’ song. The overall sound is powerful, and Serge’s rapping could efficiently be utilised over a grime beat. Another song full of energy and lends itself more to grime than Kasabian’s once rock sound.

AE Space:

Why, oh, why do artists/ bands do this? I have no time for interludes/preludes. They are nothing but short throwaway tracks where either the lyrics were not built upon or simply the writer(s)couldn’t be bothered. These intermissions, to me, are merely a “Fuck it. That’ll do” moment on an album.

THE WALL:

A melancholic song about relationship troubles.

T.U.E(the Ultraview Effect):

This one has the essence of a Pink Floyd song and certainly takes its roots from progressive rock.

STARGAZR:

Futuristic sounding track with keyboards gives it that space feel before completely turning on its head after the halfway point and becoming more hip-hop that you would have heard in the 1990s. Not surprising when you consider that Serge would have grown up with that kind of hip-hop being a young kid in the 90s.

CHEMICALS:

Now, I did hear this one before the album was even named. I believe they were performing in Glasgow. I remember seeing this on YouTube. Serge’s message is, “It’s going to be tough without Tom, but stick around, and things will improve under me”. It’s more a song of assurance addressing the fans.

AE Sea:

Another pointless interlude includes the sound of the waves crashing. A moment of calm, if you will, on the record.

Letting Go:

The acoustic guitar makes an appearance to close out the album. A song of what’s been has passed. Serge talks about the past, referring to the old Kasabian and the future with him at the helm. He even brazenly adds at the end, ‘It just got better now’. When you hear this record, you will understand why. This is the new dawn, and it’s going to get better. Serge is taking Kasabian into another realm, and you want to jump on the spaceship for it.

Song recommendations: ‘SCRIPTVRE’, ‘ALGATYR, ‘STARGAZR’

8/10

Week 6: Bastille- Give Me the Future

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This is a band I heard initially without even knowing who they were. I only knew once I saw them appear on Later…withJools Holland back in 2013 (I think.). Before then, I didn’t know much about them, and the songs I had heard without knowing who they were neither excited nor annoyed me. I remember Noel Gallagher said, “If Bastille had been around in the 90s, they would have been finished.”…now, I like Noel Gallagher, as regular readers know, but although it probably would have been true with the music around back then, I quite like Bastille. My opinion of Dan Smith and company changed after seeing them at Glastonbury, reading about them, and watching a few concerts on YouTube. Dan knows how to work with the audience, and they put on a great show. ‘Pompeii’ used to drive me around the bend, but that grew on me. I am often caught whistling or singing the chorus when I hear it.

“Give Me the Future” is their latest and fourth album, which has already amassed five singles. That is just below half of the record itself. Once again, Bastille plays it safe (Sort of.)with their usual songs, but there are some elements of new creativity. For example, the opening track ‘Distorted Light Beam’ takes some influences from the defunct French Houseoutfit Daft Punk, which is quite apt due to the band’s name. 

According to reports, Dan Smith began embarking on this album before the pandemic started and flirted with the idea of combining Bastille’s sound with elements of futuristic sounds. At the same time, you could argue that it takes something from the 80s. However, due to what has happened since 2020 or late 2019, Dan’s idea of this record has seen fact and fiction become convoluted, to say the least. Everything we believed to be fiction through music might be a reality now. At the moment, no one within any industry knows what is inevitable. We have seen the world shut down during these testing times despite it still spinning. Immense industries have seen companies and businesses suffer or fall, and music artists like Bastille suffered heavily because they could no longer go on tour worldwide. Some music artists signed just before the pandemic or after suffered even more. So, at the moment, it is no surprise a fair chunk of people look at the future with caution in mind. In “Give Me the Future”, Bastille takes all of that away and looks to embrace whatever happens in the future.

As usual, the band set the stall out with their dancefloor fillers to give the listener a chance to escape from what was happening and lose themselves as they mentally picture themselves enjoying life in the club again. We are gradually getting back tothose days and nights, but listening to music that propels us back to those feelings is excellent. Bastille have always beenknown for their hard-hitting subjects shrouded in upbeat instrumentation, and they have done just that yet again. The lyrics are pretty dark, but the instrumentation diverts your attention. For example, in the Daft Punk-Esque opener ‘Distorted Light Beam,’ Dan says, ‘It isn’t enough, if this is real life, I’ll stick to dreaming, come see what I see.’ That is powerful. No one can deny that that lyric reverberates the current feelings the majority of us have. I’d rather escape from the trappings of reality and stay in a dream just for my sanity. My standout has to be ‘Promises’, which is Spoken Word performed by Riz Ahmed over strings and other instrumentation. Why ‘Promises’? I am a spoken word artist, so for that reason alone. I love to hear what poets have to say. Of course, I like other tracks on the album, like ‘No Bad Days’, the title track, and ‘Future Holds’. The latter features Bim, who you will be familiar with if you attend Bastille concerts. Her rich vocals complement Dan’s on the uplifting closer with a message of hope about who cares about the future as long as we all have someone to love and care for us.


The album is also structured cleverly. The listener goes on an adventure where they will be lost but find themselves again. Now, this could be explained by Dan’s love of cinema. He wants the songs to be a cinematic experience rather than music-related. I only know a few bands or artists that use the method. Most tell a story, but not in this manner. I can only think of Clannad or London Grammar in recent times. “Give Me the Future” wasn’t made to pick out tracks and listen randomly, but to listen from start to finish due to the cinematic nature. 


Yes, you can listen to any tracks you like. I mean, that’s your choice, but it takes away the premise of the record. Is it their best? Well, it’s up there. Although, it is bloody short for a Long Play. The longest is the title track at 3:39. One thing I will say is, going back to “is it their best?” is that it is incredibly creative, and they have moved with that but have still kept that distinct sound we associate with the band. So, they have yet to complete 360 and lose their identity.


It’s pleasant to listen to an album that gives you hope about the future rather than being bogged down and depressed by the shit we are surrounded by. The record is uplifting and sends you off into a dream. 

The attitude adopted by Bastille is one of “Fuck it. Let’s have fun while the world is falling apart”.




Song recommendations: ‘Promises’, ‘Give Me the Future’, ‘Distorted Light Beam’




8/10