Muse reviewed
Muse
H.A.A.R.P.
(Warner Bros.)
The argument for live DVDs and against live CDs all in one snappy package.
The H.A.A.R.P. DVD, capturing a full Muse concert at Wembley Stadium in 2007, shows how (with a bit more transatlantic love) they could become the biggest band in the world. The trio, who effectively mash Queen, Rush, and Radiohead into a compact paranoia for the new millennium, provide an absolute visual treat that undoubtedly gets a boost from 90,000 spastic fans. For as feeble and shy as he usually appears, vocalist/guitarist Matthew Bellamy displays confidence in pulling (manipulating?) their strings.
But the accompanying CD — ya see, this is why the DVD works so well: The pageantry moves in lockstep with the songs as they were recorded. It doesn’t make so much for a lifeless performance, but one that certainly could use less rigidity and more off-the-cuff mindwork. But it’s a trade their fawning legions are willing to accept. Tellingly, some of the most exhilarating parts of the audio portion are when either Bellamy’s guitar or Christopher Wolstenholme’s bass venture through some bars without piled studio backing, suggesting there is a potentially savage band buried beneath all that production.
CD: 5
— Steve Forstneger
