If you can’t think of ten, you don’t really love it.
1) It’s a Bohemian Rhapsody, three bird roast of a song, split into three completely different sections conveying three different styles.
2) You might even say its a four bird roast, because on the album it leads straight into the Benedictine chant of Drones (the song). And I never thought I’d hear Muse use THAT on an album.
3) We start with a bit of spaghetti western type whistling from Matt Bellamy and a military drum beat from Dominic Howard. The Magnificent Seven condensed to The Magnificent Three are swaggering up to let you know they mean business and they’ve got something important to say. The hand isn’t near the holster at this point, but there’s a brooding overtone.
4) Part one gives Matt the chance to show off his vocal range as he goes growly low to falsetto high in the space of a couple of notes, coupled with his slide guitar skills.
5) “You were never truly loved, You’ve only been betrayed, You were never truly nurtured, By the churches and the state, You were left unprotected, To these wild and fragile lands…”
This song encapsulates the overarching message of many of Muse’s songs – the nature of power, oppression, how individuals are mistreated, the need to ask big questions which have no easy answers and to continue to press for individual rights. It’s a song within a concept story album, which stands alone as it’s own story. Without it, the Drones album would be perfectly coherent, but with it, there’s an extra dimension.
Incidentally, a globalist is someone who believes that policies should be planned in an international way rather than for the benefit of individual nations. It’s the sort of term that could generate political arguments that make the Brexit pros and cons look like a Mr Man book.
6) At 5 minutes in the guitar kicks in and it is one of the most thrilling rock sections you will ever hear. Bellamy the guitar beast is on solid ground here and the hand is hovering over the pistol.
7) We get a 10 to 1 countdown just to make absolutely sure that we know that there’s a big moment coming and at 6:15 the world pretty much gets knocked off its axis – the trigger is pulled. Bellamy jumps up and down like an excited five year old who is very pleased with himself for making such a big noise.
8) Finally, as Bellamy hands over his echoing Fender, he moves into Richard Clayderman mode as he sits before the keyboards for the next section. Yes, it’s another display of instrumental talent from a ridiculously talented musician.
9) This rousing finish to the song is very theatrical and is begging to be the finale of Drones:The Musical. Can someone please make this happen? I’m not an MT fan as a rule, but here we’ve got potential for a really good stage show – the storyline, great songs and the potential for spectacular visuals.
10) Speaking of which, although this clip is a straight gig performance, on the Drones Tour the stage was central to the audience, and the 360 degree set up meant that the accompanying stage show enveloped you in a sensory experience which was simply breathtaking. Muse are an exceptional live band and this song allows them to display so much of what makes them great.
music waffle. 