The Album Review Club - Week #146 - (page 1935) - Ocean Rain - Echo and the Bunnymen

A few weeks ago I went to London. For the cup game as it happens and to start with it was just going to be me and my lad, driving down, staying overnight at a Premier Inn on the outskirts. Nice and easy. Then his mate got a ticket, then his mate's dad, then his mate's brother and then his mate's brother's mate who sorted us tickets on the train. From Crewe, not Macclesfield. And then we were staying near Euston and going on the lash. Me at 60 and four 20 odd year olds and a much younger dad. It was great. But fucking exhausting. A bit like listening to this album. And if you think that's a terrible analogy be grateful I dumped the one about having an enthusiastic and demanding younger lover...

I'm probably a listen short from being as definitve as I'd like to be and most of my listeing to this has been in the car and in short bursts for the most part. I commented earlier that I was enjoying the earnest gransiosity of it and repeated listens didn't chnage that. I'm not familiar with Muse but I think this album is what I expected of them. Everytime I got to tire of it a bit there was a hook or chnage of direction to refresh me. And then a track like Endlessly which was kind of the equivalent of finally getting back to the hotel room for a break and taking your shoes off... etc.

It doesn't make me want to explore more Muse but I certainly think there are occasions I'm going to want to listen to this again. It probably loses a point or two for being just too long and for not having quite enough variety but warrants a 7.
If you feel in the mood to explore further I’d dabble with Showbiz and Origin of Symetry which have less of the ‘formula’ others have mentioned.
If you prefer poppier stuff then the more recent albums might float your boat. I hope it’s the former rather than the letter - personally speaking of course :)
 
ABSOLUTION

This is the third week running that the review could have been written by Mrs D as Muse are another band she likes and another group constantly being played on her beloved Radio X.
Other than the singles I’ve heard on Radio X , I’ve not listened to anything else Muse have done.My takeaway from this album is , I like the odd track but as BennyBoy and Bimbobob have remarked ,the problem is Matt Bellamy’s voice.I find it ok on the quieter songs but it becomes a drone on the louder ones and unfortunately makes these songs sound samey.
I like some of the louder stuff but it’s just too much to enjoy the whole album.I did enjoy the instrumentation especially the piano parts.

My favourite song was ‘Falling Away with You’ which I’d quite happily listen to again and reminded me of a Keb Mo track.
‘Time is Running Out’ is probably the one best known to me so I enjoyed that along with ‘Sing For Absolution’ and ‘Ruled by Secrecy’ is a great song to end.


6.5/10
 
I commented earlier that I was enjoying the earnest grandiosity of it and repeated listens didn't chnage that.

Earnest grandiosity is a brilliantly succinct way of describing it. I do think it is earnest and I feel like a miserable old curmudgeon for not enjoying it in the same way you do.
 
At one point I did ponder what this album would have sounded like had Phil Spector produced it. Or thought that they were trying to go for a wall of sound to replicate it. I did also think that perhaps Matt Bellamy may be a fan of Spinal Tap
 
At one point I did ponder what this album would have sounded like had Phil Spector produced it. Or thought that they were trying to go for a wall of sound to replicate it. I did also think that perhaps Matt Bellamy may be a fan of Spinal Tap

I was going to say at least Matt Bellamy has better hair than David St Hubbins but I'm not sure everyone on this thread would actually agree!
 
11 votes for a total of 77 points gives Absolution by Muse a nice round average of 7.00.
Even better for @GornikDaze, it gives him a place in the top 20.

Foggy has asked to take a breather, so I've invited @BlueHammer85 to step up and take his turn this week .... and he's promised us something special, so I'm looking forward to this one.

I've rejigged the dates accordingly, and in the process realised I'd lost the plot with some of the days in April, so a few of you may find you have jumped two weeks forward. Here are the latest dates:-

21/02/2024 bennyboy
28/02/2024 OB1
06/03/2024 stoneblue
13/03/2024 Coatigan
20/03/2024 journolud
27/03/2024 Mancitydoogle
03/04/2024 threespires
10/04/2024 GoatersLeftShin
17/04/2024 BimboBob
24/04/2024 LGWIO
01/05/2024 denislawsbackheel
08/05/2024 southamptonblue
15/05/2024 Black&White&BlueMoon Town
22/05/2024 BlueMoonRisin'
29/05/2024 FogBlueInSanFran
 
Really unsure what to go with this time round, I've still yet to select my favorite ever album, was going to go for a real controversial one which would have been good fun. but I'm going to play fairly safe albeit i expect a relatively low score, who knows! clues incoming shortly.
 
Really unsure what to go with this time round, I've still yet to select my favorite ever album, was going to go for a real controversial one which would have been good fun. but I'm going to play fairly safe albeit i expect a relatively low score, who knows! clues incoming shortly.
Same here next week.
Going with my favourite group but unsure what album but might pick an album that will annoy most.
 

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