CD of The Week

For over 25 years, the Brit-rock trio Muse have created their own musical universe. Bringing in Queen-esque bravado, hard rock riffing, electronic dance vibes, and classical piano, merged with singer/guitarist Matt Bellamy’s cosmic worldview, has made the band truly hard to imitate or duplicate. But have they painted themselves into a corner? Where do they go next?

The answer was to open up the band to a new collaborator, as their touring multi-instrumentalist Dan Lancaster had a hand in the production and recording process. The Wow! Signal is named after a radio signal found in 1977 that some believe originated from intelligent life on other planets. But the other major influence on the new songs was Bellamy splitting from his wife last year, adding that emotional undercurrent to many of the lyrics.

The Wow! Signal references all eras of Muse’s career. The gallop of the ominous opener “The Dark Forest” is a clear throwback to their hit “Knights of Cydonia,” and that’s before a chorus of overdubbed voices starts chanting in Latin.  And the solo that opens “Cryogen” is an obvious reference to early single “Plug In Baby.”

The synth-funk track “Nightshift Superstar” hits the dance floor, with the influence of Daft Punk and other electronic acts filtered in there, and maybe some Lady Gaga, since her collaborator BloodPop is credited with additional production. ”Hexagons” plays with complex time signatures, geometry, and lyrics about the sixth dimension. “Hush” is a first for Muse: a team-up with British singer-songwriter Ellie Goulding, who duets with Bellamy on this pounding track late in the album.

“Shimmering Scars” is clearly Bellamy pouring out his post-breakup emotions, while album closer “Space Debris” makes things even more explicit. Over mournful strings, he sings, “Orbit slow / As our bond decays / Like space debris / Love can drift away.” Reliable rhythm section Chris Wolstenholme and Dominic Howard ensure that every song sounds absolutely massive, especially “Nightshift Superstar” and the heavy, wild “The Sickness in You & I.”

The Wow! Signal is a Muse album through and through, but with added personal stakes and some intriguing sonic twists, it’s the most interesting record they’ve put out in some time. Muse will play Freedom Mortgage Pavilion in Camden on July 29th, with Bloc Party and The Temper Trap opening up.