Pick four songs from any band and you can tell a lot about their sound. This summer, I’m featuring #RockBlocks, four picks from bands across various genres. They might be wildly different from each other, but what binds them together is the fact that they’re all a part of my life soundtrack.
The natural pacing of a band’s music tells you a lot about their approach. It’s a lot like basketball where some teams prefer to push the ball up the court and play fast while other teams are better at slowing things down and playing in half-court sets. Muse is almost all run-and-gun. Their natural inclination is to go hard and fast, which makes a track like “The 2nd Law: Isolated System” a real test of their capabilities. This is where they downshifted without stepping on the brakes.
Together with its companion track, “The 2nd Law: Unsustainable”, this track helped wind down the album to a contemplative, other-worldly state. It’s more science, less fiction. It’s cinematic. And it’s the kind of track that can double as a film score because its vast, orchestral soundscape works in layers. Each of the layers are worth unpacking and enjoying on their own. Muse has always amazed me at the sheer amount of sonic bliss that they’re able to create from just three musicians — and “The 2nd Law: Isolated System” is no exception.
