Muse Experiments on “Simulation Theory”
Muse’s latest album, Simulation Theory, explores the idea of living in a simulated existence while steeped in ’80s culture references. The album artwork was designed by “Stranger Things” artist Kyle Lambert, and all the music videos reference film like Back to the Future, Thriller, and Teen Wolf. Muse also dig into the sounds of the era.
As opposed to the more guitar/bass/drums-focused Drones, Simulation Theory expands their musical palette with plenty of synthesizers and more. Bassist Chris Wolstenholme told GigWise that the band aims to experiment while keeping things familiar.
“If [Phil Spector or Brian Wilson] wanted to create a new sound or instrument they would get a violin and flute and play the same line at the same time so it didn’t quite sound like a violin, didn’t quite sound like a flute it created a new thing. It still had a familiarity,” he explains. “I guess you could consider ‘Pressure’. It is still a rock song, but then we’ve taken that and we’ve blended it with a funky brass section that feels very different to what we’ve done. And there’s a Brian Wilson high-falsetto backing vocal that goes through the chorus that I did and you process it in a way and go, is it a vocal or what? It sounds quite unusual.”
Check out the video for “Pressure”:
Simulation Theory is available now on CD and as a digital download (iTunes and Amazon MP3).
Simulation Theory Track List:
- Algorithm
- The Dark Side
- Pressure
- Propaganda
- Break It To Me
- Something Human
- Thought Contagion
- Get Up and Fight
- Blockades
- Dig Down
- The Void
