Daveportivo's Cultural Evaluation Facility

Now a track called The United States Of Eurasia is always going to go down well in my book. Now while it appears Matt is rather wailing about the US imperial overstretch, or even European centralization, but mostly the former. I've always liked the notion of a United Europe and Eurasia, in the EU vein. Of course that's not what's Matt's talking about, he's talking about our civil liberties being eroded, having to fall in line with the imperial super state. Now I'm sure some of you we're wondering where were Muse going to go after Black Holes & Revalations the big silly shimmering juggernaught, well they've actually managed to get even bigger, even sillier, and even more shiny and sequined.

United States Of Eurasia is built on a paino hook backed up by a soaring string arrangment for the ages. Matt Bellamy is going for an anti imperialist Freddie Mercury moment. It's big, it's huge, it's pompous, and it sounds more than a little like a raged filled Bohemian Rhapsody. They do a nice job of contrasting the European strings and piano arrangement in the first section with the gorgeous Arabic arrangement that follows. Now this track will be very devisive. Muse fans will likely take to this song as their new flag waving anthem, those not enamored with Muse will find this the ultimate example of the whiny apocalyptic wailing that drove them away in the first place. While I love the ambition of the peice, I can't help but ask where the fuck are the guitars? Knights Of Cydonia, Hurricanes & Butterflies and New Born were bloated and silly but at their core were incredibly riffs that we moshed to for days. So I'm torn as I'm sure many will be, I praise their intent, but honestly for a first single I much prefered the disco stomp of Supermassive Black Hole. United States Of Eurasia is a bold statement, it's love it or leave it.