SUPERMASSIVE BLACK HOLE

When I first heard Supermassive Black Hole on the radio, I was shocked, more than anything. I've been listening to Muse since mid-2003 and am a huge fan of both Absolution and Origin of Symmetry, and this was definitely not what I'd come to expect from the band. The vocals in the verse were all wrong, and the drums sounded like they'd been taken straight out of Bill Bailey's cover of the hokey cokey. I wasn't very impressed.

Being a radio single, however, I had it thrown at me repeatedly. And actually, I really started to enjoy it. There is definitely some Muse in there (if you look hard enough!), the instrumental work is actually really interesting, and the backing vocals in the chorus are incredibly catchy. And I've even got used to (and actually quite enjoy) the verses, which I previously hated to death. Though it's easy to debunk it very quickly, it's an addictive song. It grows on you immensely, and has become one of my favourite Muse songs.

The second track, Crying Shame, sounds a lot more like what you would expect from Muse. The guitarwork is the most striking thing about this song, though the drumming is also superb. My only complaint is that it does feel as though it's been cut short a little bit.

As a single, it's very good. However, as a single, it's also non-essential, so I can't give it more than a three star rating. The songs independently are worth a lot more than that, and I was tempted to give it a five before reason caught up with me, but in the end the CD is more of a teaser for the new album than it is a stand-alone record. Only two weeks left, now!