This may have the most mentions of Prog in a newspaper article......but

[markwoll]

I know Muse has some buzz out there. I guess they are very popular.
The Post missed the Steven Wilson show, so I guess their Prog focus is as narrow as ever.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/entert...8c6_story.html

[battema]

Not exactly the most glowing review, eh?

I enjoy Muse in small doses...but haven't enjoyed a full album in some time. I might give this one a listen for the heck of it though.

[SteveSly]

Muse albums are auto buys for me.

[Man In The Mountain]

Ug. How can a newspaper critic thinks he's so much more sophisticated than the musicians in Muse? What art has he created?

I never listened to Muse, but this trashing makes me want to. "There are none of the usual songs about elves"? Well, isn't that a treat.

[Rarebird]

Ug. How can a newspaper critic thinks he's so much more sophisticated than the musicians in Muse? What art has he created?

I never listened to Muse, but this trashing makes me want to. "There are none of the usual songs about elves"? Well, isn't that a treat.

So critics are only allowed to write about music they can play?

[miamiscot]

I really like the new Muse. Their best since Absolution.

[Man In The Mountain]

So critics are only allowed to write about music they can play?

That's an awesome idea!

[gearHed289]

I'm on the fence about the new Muse. They were my favorite newer band for a while there - Absolution through the Resistance. 2nd Law didn't do it for me. The first single off the new one, "Psycho", is awful. Cool old-school Muse riff, but the lyrics are not only terrible, but painfully repetitive. I've listened to some others that are better, but... I think they've fallen into a trap where they either sound like they're repeating themselves, or they try new things that just don't appeal to me. Speaking strictly for myself that is.

Concerning the article - Eh, I've seen worse.

[txprog]

Listening to Drones as I work. Can't really pay attention as I am very busy so not sure what to make of it yet.

On this article. The Sex Pistols pushed prog off a cliff in 78 or so. And Never Mind the Bullocks nonsense has been on top of best rock records of all time lists I have seen. Big deal. The music of Genesis continues to entertain and inspire millions of people all over the world every single day. Does any body any where even give half a crap about the Sex Pistols? The whole prog is not cool thing vibe that emerged during those years always annoyed the heck out of me. Here were a bunch of so-called psuedo-expert-critics trying doing little more than imposing their own tastes and standards on music they decided they did not like and that was not cool. It was horrible that rock musicians might actually try to say something or create sophisticated music. As it was rock music these things are inherently impossible or some such nonsense and prog rock was an epic failure just because. Whatever. I never paid attention to them and I won't now.

[simon moon]

Did the reviewer really say this, "minus all the things that present day audiences have come to associate with prog-rock unpleasantness, such as extended synth solos or songs about elves"?

These cliches are ridiculous (how many prog bands really have songs about elves? I'll bet it is and has always been a small minority) and really demonstrates massive ignorance of the reviewer. Would this same reviewer ever say something like "present day audiences have come to associate with jazz unpleasantness, such as extended piano and sax solos"?

I will never understand why publications have people review music in genres that they do not like. They are knowingly setting up a situation where the negative prog-rock cliches will, without a doubt, be used, and the review will be negative. Or at best, it will get some kind of backhand compliment.

If I was a music reviewer, and I was assigned to review a RAP/Hip-Hop record, I would turn it down, because there is no way I could give it a positive review, even if it is considered a masterpiece in the genre.

It is no different than a publication sending a restaurant reviewer that doesn't like Indian food to review an Indian restaurant. They know ahead of time what the results of the review will be. It really shows a lack of journalistic integrity.

[NogbadTheBad]

Guess I'll probably buy it if it's more in the Absolution vein. I loved that one and Black Holes.

[JKL2000]

The guy basically disparages prog, then is only interested in talking about the album's concept instead of the music. I couldn't care less about the concept - I want to know what the music is like.

[Rarebird]

That's an awesome idea!

No thanks. So no art critics, unless they painted a masterpiece? No classical music critics, unless they composed a symphony? No book critics unless they wrote a book that was a succes? And of course no critisism of politicians, unless one was politically active.

Besides, I wonder if one would get better reviews that way.

The newspaper I read gave the album a nice review 3 stars out of 5 and from someone who isn't big on traditional prog.

[spacefreak]

The music of Genesis continues to entertain and inspire millions of people all over the world every single day. Does any body any where even give half a crap about the Sex Pistols?

[battema]

The guy basically disparages prog, then is only interested in talking about the album's concept instead of the music. I couldn't care less about the concept - I want to know what the music is like.

The lady, not the guy. The reviewer is a woman named Allison Stewart.

I see reviews for bands like Muse and 30 Seconds to Mars, describing them as prog bands, and my general take is that the reviewers don't really know much about prog. Rather, they see it as any band that does anything slightly artsy (i.e. a bit of bombast, maybe lyrics not quite all about sex, or a sci-fi theme in the artwork) as having "prog" in their DNA. Which let's them frame the reviews with nonsense like "oh, they are a prog band that isn't ACTUALLY a prog band because they're really pretty good!"

In the end...meh, whatever. It's not like the reviewer described prog bands as sex offenders or anything truly damning.

Moving on, for those of you who HAVE heard the new Muse...how is it? I'm kind of in NogIan's camp...I liked Black Holes but haven't quite clicked with stuff since.

[Mstove]

That's an awesome idea!

That same logic brings ex-athletes in to cover every sport even when they suck at it...which they usually do. Maybe only people who've been elected to the level of office they are covering should be able to write about politics? Or researchers should be the only ones writing about science. I prefer to let writers write even if I find much of the writing about Prog to be hacky when done by mainstream music press. We like a type of music (I know, many types labeled together) that is a niche to some degree and that means people who aren't interested in it will sometimes cover it. So be it.

Being able to play something means one is able to play it. It doesn't mean one should necessarily write about it.

[battema]

I prefer to let writers write even if I find much of the writing about Prog to be hacky when done by mainstream music press. We like a type of music (I know, many types labeled together) that is a niche to some degree and that means people who aren't interested in it will sometimes cover it. So be it.

Nicely put.

[TheNefariousHED]

Here is the reviewer, for those curious: http://alisonstewart.net/

Not the same Stewart. Allison is the music reviewer. Alison is the respected journalist. I assume both are female.

[Facelift]

Great article.

I have no idea if Muse's new album is any good because I go out of my way to avoid their music.

[battema]

Not the same Stewart. Allison is the music reviewer. Alison is the respected journalist. I assume both are female.

Wow...my apologies. I did hunting for Allison Stewart Washington Post and made the assumption that it was the same person who came up. I suppose the respected journalist has also at some point contributed. Thanks for pointing out my error. I've deleted my post pointing to the latter's website.

[Adrian]

What a pointless, ridiculous, lazy review. I would think the Post would have more journalistic integrity than to assign someone to a review who they have to know won't actually write anything about the music. If I were the managing editor, I'd send it back to the writer and tell her to drop the cliches, at the very least.

[bill g]

What a pointless, ridiculous, lazy review. I would think the Post would have more journalistic integrity than to assign someone to a review who they have to know won't actually write anything about the music. If I were the managing editor, I'd send it back to the writer and tell her to drop the cliches, at the very least.

Yep. Songs about elves? I can't think of one in my entire prog collection. Unless you count Bo Hansson's music inspired by 'Lord of the Rings'?

[Digital_Man]

I doubt many on here would cite Muse as one of the best examples of modern progressive rock. If you are into retro prog rock then they are even more removed from the genre. On the plus side they are popular and a possibly a good gateway band for those otherwise unaware of the term prog.