So, what have you been listening to lately?

[uwe]

Deutsche Dööbie Brüder, not everything was Kraftwerk, you know. 

[uwe]

Raunchy Rick, very cool (the guy was 72 at this particular gig!), with some unknown guy who wrote the song for him at the time.

[uwe]

Muse's latest song.  Not great, but maybe a little better than usual.

UK with Jobson/Wetton (the keyboard riff) and Level 42 (the verse) had a rompin' one-night-stand!  The keyboard riff sounds like something you can neither count out nor dance to, Tom will be rapturous no doubt (once he is through with that Adam Clayton "Tricks of the Trade" instruction vid, that is)!

It's well done. I guess I'm not too crazy about the singer. But in this day and age, it at least dares to be different. "Organic" is not the first thing that would cross my mind upon hearing it.

[westen44]

UK with Jobson/Wetton (the keyboard riff) and Level 42 (the verse) had a rompin' one-night-stand!  The keyboard riff sounds like something you can neither count out nor dance to, Tom will be rapturous no doubt (once he is through with that Adam Clayton "Tricks of the Trade" instruction vid, that is)!

It's well done. I guess I'm not too crazy about the singer. But in this day and age, it at least dares to be different. "Organic" is not the first thing that would cross my mind upon hearing it.

Of course I used to like Muse quite a lot.  Then, as I've noted in other posts, their music took a sharp downturn.  By 2018 with their last album, it was so bad I couldn't even listen to it.  I could only listen to the last album "Simulation Theory" one time.  So, when I heard this new song, I was a little surprised.  Although it is not a great song, either, at least I could tolerate it.  I wasn't quite expecting that.  I'm not sure if Muse have ever been organic, though.  Whatever their thing is, I wouldn't say it's that.

[uwe]

Not all music needs to be. Nothing wrong with cerebral if you don't think too much about it.

Shouldn't you like this then?








Fast forward a couple of decades, they've still got it (and why have a small drum kit when you can have one filling half the stage?) ...

[westen44]

That's really good, especially "Nothing to Lose."  They weren't very well known in the U.S.  Both of their albums are late 70s that sound more like early to mid-80s to me. 

[uwe]

The blueprint for ASIA, minus the overt PROGisms.

[westen44]

Asia.  The band so good they named a continent after it. 

[uwe]

Some self-delusion there - they went from just 'UK' to 'Asia', what would have been next? 'World', 'Galaxy' or 'Universe'?

[Basvarken]

Universe was a band from Cardiff.
https://www.discogs.com/artist/1625226-Universe-13

[gearHed289]

I just listened to the Muse track for a second time. I still find them in the "trying new things I don't care for, or re-hashing their past" mode. I didn't buy Simulation Theory, and I've only listened to Drones a few times. They've pretty much lost me, but it's normal for me, even with my favorite bands, to only really love a certain era or specific albums. Absolution, Black Holes, and the Resistance are great. I also like the 2nd Law, but that's where I started to see cracks on the wall.

UK is an all time favorite band of mine. ASIA was a massive disappointment for me, but I'm glad John finally made some money and became a real star. My band is doing Wildest Dreams at our next gig to fill some time. 

[westen44]

Some self-delusion there - they went from just 'UK' to 'Asia', what would have been next? 'World', 'Galaxy' or 'Universe'?

The joke came from a very loyal Asia fan who was using hyperbole to show he thinks the band is way underrated.  I don't look at it as a bad thing to be very loyal to a band.  In fact, I think it's good, although I don't just have one band I focus on myself. 

[westen44]

I just listened to the Muse track for a second time. I still find them in the "trying new things I don't care for, or re-hashing their past" mode. I didn't buy Simulation Theory, and I've only listened to Drones a few times. They've pretty much lost me, but it's normal for me, even with my favorite bands, to only really love a certain era or specific albums. Absolution, Black Holes, and the Resistance are great. I also like the 2nd Law, but that's where I started to see cracks on the wall.

UK is an all time favorite band of mine. ASIA was a massive disappointment for me, but I'm glad John finally made some money and became a real star. My band is doing Wildest Dreams at our next gig to fill some time. 

As far as I'm concerned, everything you said about Muse is 100% accurate. 

[uwe]

I just listened to the Muse track for a second time. I still find them in the "trying new things I don't care for, or re-hashing their past" mode. I didn't buy Simulation Theory, and I've only listened to Drones a few times. They've pretty much lost me, but it's normal for me, even with my favorite bands, to only really love a certain era or specific albums. Absolution, Black Holes, and the Resistance are great. I also like the 2nd Law, but that's where I started to see cracks on the wall.

UK is an all time favorite band of mine. ASIA was a massive disappointment for me, but I'm glad John finally made some money and became a real star. My band is doing Wildest Dreams at our next gig to fill some time. 

It was our alumni John Fertig/Barkless Dog who once wrote about Asia: thinking man's Air Supply.  That was mean, but apt.

Not that there is too much wrong about Air Supply. Great balladeers, bad perms, questionable shirts & flawlessly executed, dramatic ritardandos & "tweak the chorus" key changes!





Isn't it weird to see a leftie chording*** as at the start of the last video? I have real issues "reading and translating" those chords. I've never played with a leftie guitarist in the band.

*** Oh now I get it, he's a lefty who strings righty, that's why I was lost!

[westen44]

There are bands out there that some people seem to think are too pop to take seriously.  That's understandable.  But when you've got bands with vocals as good as this, I would be hesitant to be critical.  Maybe that isn't my preference in music, but women tend to like this kind of stuff.  If you're going to bother being in a band, it seems taking that into consideration might make some sense.