Muse

Recorded off of the board of a Wembley Stadium gig in June of 2007, Muse’s H.A.A.R.P. offers both a live CD and DVD with as close to a “Best Of” set list as any fan could ask—or as any newcomer could be blessed with. The CD features fourteen tracks (including the intro) from the set, while the DVD thankfully captures twenty of the night’s offerings, which I can only assume was the night’s entire show.

The audio-only half of the package opens with a spacey version of Guitar Hero 3 oddball “Knights Of Cydonia”, the three-piece does a remarkable job of keeping a full sound sustained throughout the set. Muse’s smart performance is only enhanced by the pristine, yet honest, recording. The audio hasn’t been overly tampered with, which helps bring the live experience into the living room. The musical performance and vocal delivery throughout H.A.A.R.P. is just right for a live release: the energy is high and well communicated through the music, but the band pays enough attention to keep things locked down technically. Matthew Bellamy’s performance has his frail crooning even more shrill-sounding than on record, which is a serious plus if you’re a fan of his style. His guitar parts are feedback drenched and tonally exciting at all the right times, colouring the performance very brightly.

The DVD only adds to the experience, offering a decent look at a solid live set from one of the better live pop acts around. Favourites like “Hysteria” and “Time Is Running Out” are indeed included, and don’t disappoint one bit. In fact, new fans unfamiliar with either track might find their live renditions more appealing thanks to the emphatic vocals and dirtier sounding bass leads.

It goes without saying: those who don’t particularly enjoy Muse won’t find anything of value here; but die-hards or casual listeners can feast on a very solid live offering from a very solid live band.  [ END ]

Track Listing (CD):

01. Intro
02. Knights Of Cydonia
03. Hysteria
04. Supermassive Black Hole
05. Map Of The Problematique
06. Butterflies & Hurricanes
07. Invincible
08. Starlight
09. Time Is Running Out
10. New Born
11. Unintended
12. Micro Cuts
13. Stockholm Syndrome
14. Take A Bow

Run Time: 71:50