Muse - Drones

Muse
Drones
2015

There is one thing you learn and learn quickly while listening to Drone; Muse take themselves very seriously. Drones is the third record in a suite of Muse albums dealing with tearing down the power structure and the Military Industrial complex but at this point it's less about making a political statement and more about making the same record over and over. At it's heart Drones is a rallying call against a possible dystopian future, but on the surface it is arena rock, just open mix in lasers and voila. That would be perfectly fine if they had any sense of the cosmic joke of it all, or any realization that what they are saying while quite possibly true that doesn't make it not funny. With this record and songs like "Dead Inside" "Psycho" and "Defector" Muse are pushing a narrative that is so base that their complete allegiance to it is laughable. In Interviews Matt Bellamy said that on Drones Muse were trying to get back to a more basic and paired down sound... if anyone listens to this record you will hear nothing but massive drums, keyboard synths and soaring guitar riffs, literally the opposite of "back to basics".

This album is challenging in that it's premises are so in a word silly that it takes away from what Muse have always done so well, rock out. When they cut loose and leave the ego behind they make beautifully crafted music. "Revolt" is probably one of the best tracks on the album and shows Muse at their absolute best filling a room with sound that has the ability to move massive amounts of people. That is Muse at their best, at their worst their music is preachy and contrived. I can listen to Muse sing about space, love and exploration any day of the week but when they take this political stance that really has no teeth, it is just a total let down. Drones misses the mark on many levels, and it really is unfortunate coming from a band with as much talent as Muse. Hopefully next time they will leave the political agendas at the door and get back to what they do best.

 5 out of 10