CD REVIEWS: HAARP

SLUG (Salt Lake Under Ground) 
Volume 19/Issue 233 - May 2008

Muse
HAARP
Warner Brothers 
Street: 04.01
Muse = Van Halen + Queen

(Scene: remote location, nekkid girls brandishing fans, illicit drugs and unimaginable feasts; the members of Muse in the center of it all.) Warner Brothers suggests a live album and vocalist/instrumentalist/badass nerd Matthew Bellamy responds, “Eh, we’ll do it if it’s Wembley and we’re gonna play our biggest hits first to get them out of the way. Why?! Because we’re Muse, dammit.” Handshakes take place because, well, this is Muse, dammit, an outfit that quite possibly contains the last rock stars under the age of 35 who can, for good reason, sell out two nights of 75,000 fans; this is a band of virtuosos who 1) inspire droves to learn an instrument (and discourage those who already know how to play) 2) can actually attack subjects only Rush would dare approach, then mutate them into pop masterpieces. Owing that live recordings are generally a contractual obligation, how does Muse top this? Eh, back to the buffet.
- Dave Madden

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