Apparently it’s been three years since Resistance came out. It really doesn’t feel like it. Although it really has been that long as I couldn’t go to the Resistance tour as I was due to give birth the same week as the concert.

Anyhoo, new album. Already loads of people are hating on it. But I like the way that by streaming it you can try before you buy. (Let’s face it, there’s enough of us fans out there who have already pre-ordered it to get it into the top ten.)

Supremacy
I really like the start to this one. It reminds me a bit of a James Bond theme with all the sharp violins and then the quietness when Matt starts singing. I wonder if this actually is the song they wrote for the last Bond film (as it was rumoured they were doing). Close your eyes and you can imagine the silhouettes of nude ladies and slo-mo bullets and stuff.
Actually on first listen I really like this one. (But I do have big squishy love for the Classic Bond theme anyway and because that’s what it reminds me of that’s why I’m liking it I think)

Madness
I’ve been trying to get the small child to sing along to this on the radio. She doesn’t turn me to turn it off, like she does with 95% of all music on the radio (apart from Nicki Minaj – that’s how she’s going to rebel musically, I can just see it). It does lose points for a bit of an obligatory key change near the end of the song. Naughty Muse.

Panic Station
Like the base. It’s a bit Queeny. Love the guitar and the bass later on in the song. It was my hope that his album would have a lot more base because Chris is an awesome bassist and has been wasted on the last couple of albums.

Prelude
Reminds me a bit of Butterflies and Hurricanes, (God, I love that song). I’m glad they’re still doing all these little musical interludes.

Survival
Yay, the Olympics song! When we were watching the Olympics on the Red Button it always seemed to be on. (That, and David Bowie anyway).

Follow me
That’s definitely a baby’s heartbeat at the start of this one. I know. I spent a lot of time hooked up to a heart monitor. This is the first song on the album so far that is going down the more dubsteppy, electronic route. Like the middle section, don’t really like the lyrics (yeah, I know, shun the non-believer). This is the song that would be on the Twilight soundtrack. And I don’t mean that complimentary.

Animals
Like this one, a lot. Like the guitar and the instrumentally bits and the last section. Reminds me of Showbiz Muse.

Explorers
Really like this one too.It’s nice and gentle. I’m humming along to it at work. I’m getting some funny looks. And I don’t care. It’s really un-Muse-y, is this a good thing or a bad thing?

Big Squeeze
Another rather upbeat sounding song.

Save me
Really like this one too. Like the guitar and the harmonies.

Liquid State
Ooh rocky. I miss rocking out Muse ever such a lot.

The 2nd Law: Unsustainable
Dubstep-tastic and the start of it reminds me of the titles for Torchwood. Love the choral stuff, don’t like the dubstep bits.

The 2nd Law: Isolated System
Uses lots of samples and soundbites. Reminds me a bit of a Prodigy song, not much, just a tiny bit. Can’t think what it’s called though.

In conclusion
On first listen I like it a lot more than I did Resistance. It’s more cheery and positive I think that the last couple of albums have been. Maybe fatherhood is mellowing Matt, who knows? I was a bit concerned it was going to be massively dubstep, especially after hearing Unsustainable, I’m glad that Matt was just trolling.

(And no, it’s not as good as OoS, but none of their albums ever are and also blah blah Twihards get off my lawn)

In other news, a month until I go to see them in concert. Woot!

[x] chicklet73 the stamps arrived today, thanks very much! I've already been having a bit of a play with them: http://twitpic.com/13mq0z

[x] Muse were robbed at the Brits

[x] Listen to the B-sides to Muse's Resistance: http://bit.ly/98eqKz

Muse doing a stadium tour 2010 (Manchester and Wembley in the UK). Ticket pre-sale 18th November.

Definitely going this tme.

First off, Small-Faced Kitten is no longer a member of our household. His people moved out last Wednesday an actually took him with them. I hope they've got some nice new neighbours who will look after him and mother him and give him leftovers.

It makes me a bit emo to come down for a drink during the night and not have him all curled up on the computer chair. There ill be a Small-Faced Kitten pic!spam at some point this week in honour of him.

I am glad to see the back of his noisy people though. The new neighbours seem nice enough. Only seen them from a distance. They apparently have a Staffie (although I've not heard a peep out of it) and a cat. Bilbo spends most of his time sat on the dividing fence looking grumpy and going "get orf my laaaaaaaaahnd!"

In other Bilbo news, Mr Bilbs has lost his voice. it started on Friday, when he miowed it sounded like his voice was breakin and by Saturday he sounded like a duck and by Sunday he was going "..." He was still eating and sleeping and had no eye or nose gack it was just weird. So I told His Lordship that if it hasn't started coming back by Monday we'd get him booked into the V E T S.

( Bilbo's sad story )

In non Bilbo news,

Hey HMV! Where's my copy of The Resistance? There's DVD extras I want to be watching. And I'm sure muse.mu are getting annoyed with my continual streaming of it off their site.

1: Radio One are doing a Muse Night on Monday from 7pm-midnight, to celebrate the release of The Resistance. They got a documentary, live Radio One sets they did back in the day and highlights from tonight's gig in Teignmouth. You'll be able to listen live via the interwebs and also catch it on Listen Again.

2: Derren Brown has a new series starting 11th September on Channel 4. Derren wants you to watch it.

for dune_drd (and other Muse fans). (Sorry Dune, no Bilbo pictures tonight I can't find the usb cable for my camera, I think I left it at work.)

Anyhoo.

Muse.mu has been updated to look all sexy and ready for the new album. They've also set up a new mini site: http://ununitedeurasia.muse.mu/ which you need to register on, now, now, NOW! as there'll be some forthcoming album goodies magically appearing on it in the next couple of days. But from reading the Muse twitter we're going to have to work for them. Awesome.

Matthew Bellamy, not content with being a rock god and while he should be busy doing the new Muse album has only gone and composed some music for the film The International. According to ohnotheydidnt/Muse Live it's the music playing at the end of the film (I presume when the credits are rolling) and it's available on iTunes.

Some enterprising person has already dumped it on youtube so you can have a listen for yourself.

( Youtube embedded video behind the cut )

If the new album is a bit like this then I think I'm going to rather enjoy it.

Little Big Planet has now been pre-ordered. You will not see me for about a month when it first comes out because I'll be cocking about on it so much.

casirafics linked to two brilliant LBP beta test levels and this is why I want the game, look at the stuff you can do!

Build a calculator! (Wait until the camera pans out at the end OMG!)
Make music, literally with the levels (I want to dress my little Sack!Girl as Lulu please.)
Plus it's narrated by Stephen Fry, who, by all accounts thinks it's quite brilliant.


In other gaming news I had a dream last night that I had a SingStar party round my (suddenly massive) house and Matt Bellamy was there having a sing-off to Supermassive Black Hole (sadly not available in rl on SingStar) against His Lordship and his brother. Matt Bellamy lost. I was so shocked I actually woke up. God's honest truth.

And on the subject of SingStar they've released two Queen songpacks, including such gems as Bohemian Rhapsody, We are the Champions and I Want to Break Free. In regards to the last song, I hope to be seeing many videos on SingStar Online of blokes in drag with fake moustaches and vacuum cleaners.


Got my watch parts off eBay today, soon be be seen in another jewellery making project. Won't have time to do anything before the weekend though.


I have been watching a fair bit of telly too. Mainly because the Sky+ box is down to about 3% free. Woes.

( Fringe )

( Merlin )

( Never Mind the Buzzcocks )

The Beautiful People
Absolutely awful. Why does this sub BBC Three crap keep getting commissioned? Why?

( Big Cat Diaries )

I've managed to arrange myself a stupidly busy weekend one weekend in August. Friday-Saturday I'll be in Stratford asploding from teh squee caused by teh Tennant, then Sunday I'll be up bright and early to get back home, drop my stuff off and leave straight away to go to the V Festival because Muse are headlining (and Futureheads and Maximo Park are also playing on the Sunday).

OMG! I'm too old for this sort of thing.

Of course, I shouldn't be counting my tickets before they hatch. V tickets don't go on sale until Friday and they're going to go quickly.