Muse "H.A.A.R.P." (Warner Bros.) Sounds like: Showmanship interwoven with conspiracy theories
From the very first track of "H.A.A.R.P.," Muse hooks listeners with their energy and enthusiasm - and then just continues to reel them in. The band's onstage bravado is apparent, laced into the vocals, guitar riffs and percussion alike.
The two-disc set was recorded on consecutive nights, a Saturday and Sunday, at Wembley Stadium and neatly packaged into an audio disc featuring the first night and a DVD featuring the second.
Throughout the performances, the audience's enthusiasm nearly outstrips that of the band, owing in part to the fact that it's a hometown crowd. While this doesn't invalidate the energy of the recording by any stretch, it does make it seem, at times, a bit overdone, as if cue cards had been held up for adoring fans.
"This next song is for anyone who likes a bit of R&B," the band proclaims in one of the high points of the album. They then launch into a rendition of "Supermassive Black Hole," daring the listener not to move.
The album's high-energy momentum is suddenly and awkwardly interrupted with "Invincible." As the album's seventh track, it creates a disruptive inertia in the midst of an otherwise energetic album. Thankfully, when the set slows down to make way for "Unintended," the effect is much more pleasing - poignant rather than problematic.
No Muse album, however, would be complete without the combination of energy and conspiracy theory the band is known for. "H.A.A.R.P." is no exception, named for the High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program, which focuses on sending high-frequency radio waves into space to learn about the atmosphere.
Is Muse onto something? Are we going to be brainwashed? Or are they brainwashing us with their music by infiltrating the atmosphere with their own radio waves? You be the judge.
