★★★★☆
The album opens with ‘The Dark Forest’, a choir-heavy, haunting melody that puts frontman Matt Bellamy’s obvious talent in the spotlight. It’s definitely a good choice of opener for a record quite literally called ‘The Wow! Signal’, as surely listeners will be expecting something bold and, well, ‘wow’. After being introduced to choral vocals, it swiftly moves into ‘Nightshift Superstar’, which is a nice contrast to the opener, with a slightly funkier vibe than their usual bold guitar riffs. It changes from an eerie horror story to almost electronic rock, which sounds slightly out of place until you listen to the rest of the album. It leaves you confused in a good way, as if asking what is actually coming up in the rest of the tracks.
‘Shimmering Scars’ is one of Muse’s classic piano intro, ballad-type tracks, and it’s a standout song. Bellamy’s vocals are a highlight on this; he is always a strong vocalist, but it feels like the main focus on this track. It bursts into energy when Dominic Howard’s drums come in and add an element to the song that wasn’t there before. It slips into different tempos throughout, from the drums into an organ section. Singles ‘Cryogen’ and ‘Be With You’ follow, and include incredible guitar, which will be no surprise to anyone who has seen or heard Bellamy play one.
Next comes ‘Hexagons’, another single, which evokes iconic ‘Plug In Baby’ similarities, but with even more intensity in the riff than anyone thought was needed. It leads back to the confusion of what vibe the band are trying to give off with this album, as it slips back to the electronic sound similar to previous songs earlier on. Whilst it’s slightly slow in pace, it’s a satisfying differentiation that sits well in the middle of the mix and nicely transitions into the next song ‘The Sickness In You & I’. This track comes in strong and is another standout on the album. It’s broken up effectively into different parts and sounds unique in comparison to the other tracks. It’s arguably the most Muse-sounding song here, with higher-pitched vocals and a much more noticeable rock sound to it. The vocals and prominent rock element work well together to create something sensual.
‘Unravelling’ is also another heavy song, but has a typical Bellamy chorus and ultimately fits well with the electronic energy that flows through the record. The pace of the track itself makes it sound like something straight out of a movie score. ‘Hush’ featuring Ellie Goulding is probably the best track to cement down the bold guitar riffs, electronic and piano fusion that is created across the duration of the record. Goulding’s vocals really suit the song, forming a calm element in contrast to Bellamy’s edginess, with lyrics such as “Silence the giant / Just let the light in” helping to explain the dystopian, sci-fi theme that has been present this whole time. The album concludes with ‘Space Debris’, which comes from the end of the previous track with another transition. It absolutely confirms the electronic sound which was there at the start, but just needed to be further stated with the full album. It does have the right elements to be a closer, but it’s not a standout, and other songs throughout are bolder.
‘The Wow! Signal’ is quite an experimental listen for Muse, and it paid off. All of the songs sit extremely well alongside each other, and although the different sounds demonstrate versatility, they all come together to create a well-thought-out and extremely thorough tenth album. Of course, Muse have the experience required to make amazing music, and they’ve absolutely proven themselves once again with this project.
Neve Pomfrey
Image: ‘The Wow! Signal' Official Album Cover
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