Not quite Radiohead

Play it: Muse Black Holes and Revelations
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Play it: Thom Yorke The Eraser (For Sale Only)
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I posted on the number one single in the UK, so here's something on the number one album. Muse's Black Holes and Revelations has debuted at the top of the charts. The young trio from Teignmouth, England certainly won't end the Radiohead-meets-Queen references with this release, but they do up the ante as far as being a grandiose reach. In theory, it should fail miserably, but it somehow transcends that fate and actually works.

The opener, "Take a Bow," sounds like it's about George W. Bush, but I'm sure Blair's got a piece of the action:

Corrupt / You're corrupt
Bring corruption to all that you touch
Hold / You behold
And beholden for all that you've done
And spin / Cast a spell
Cast a spell on the country you run
And risk / You will risk
You will risk all their lives and their souls
- "Take a Bow"

The Prince-like swagger in "Supermassive Black Hole" is truly fun, and the over-the-top Rush-ness of "Knights of Cydonia" make for great fun. Not an album of the year candidate by any means, but a ride that's well worth the price of admission nonetheless.

Meanwhile, Thom Yorke's debut solo album is naturally going to get compared to Radiohead as well. The Eraser isn't Radiohead, though, no matter how you slice it, but you're certainly drawn into thinking so by Yorke's vocals and endless tinkering with the sound. I'm probably in the minority here, but I find the songs sounding too much like each other. While "Black Swan" stands out, the rest tire my ears quickly. Perhaps being too much a Radiohead fan has shortened my patience? Because on the whole Eraser just makes me feel like saying bring on the real thing. [Eraser is available for purchase only)

tags: music, muse, queen, radiohead, thom yorke, album review, rhapsody