Black Holes and Revelations

iTunes Review

Either Muse singer Matthew Bellamy grew up idolizing the glitzy romance and bellowing caterwauls of popsingers such as Bryan Ferry, Bono and Radiohead's Thom Yorke, or there's an incredible coincidence goin' on — made even more pronounced by the fact that his group performs an attractive blend of arena-glam rock buttressed by fat synthesizer lines and excitably funky grooves that often recall the similar grandiose visions of the aforementioned. The Devon, UK group's fourth studio album, Black Holes, is put together and paced like an old school album, beginning with the introductory mood of "Take a Bow" and building toward crescendos that work most effectively heard in sequence. "Supermassive Black Hole" channels T. Rex and Prince and nicely dovetails into the U2 meets Depeche Mode shaker "Map of the Problematique." "Invincible"'s shimmering dreamlike quality recalls the pop patina of Travis' Radiohead-lite, setting up the purebred aggression of "Assassin," where Muse emulate a hard rock ensemble. It's this flexible ambition that allows the group to escape the derivative tag and makes this ambitious album a pleasure to listen to and to deconstruct.