Muse: 'The Resistance'

It says something about how far Muse have come that even in a week where pretty pop starlets (Pixie Lott), influential hip-hop superstars (Jay-Z) and tabloid promotion machines (Peter Andre) are peddling their latest wares, the Teignmouth trio can still stroll to the top of the albums chart. Their kitchen-sink space-rock may be quite removed from the likes of Coldplay and U2, but Muse are just as much a part of the cosy Brit-rock furniture. The band once derided as lame Radiohead copyists now find themselves outselling Thom Yorke and co, discussing the possibility of Bond themes and giving show-stopping performances at the MTV VMAs. Muse ooze musical nerdiness, but the British public have taken them to their hearts.

Pretty much every review of every Muse album since 2001's Origin Of Symmetry has featured the line, 'But where do they go from here?' Their last record, 2006's Black Holes And Revelations, found them pushing the bar for rock silliness, with Bellamy even requesting flying saucers for the live shows. However, concerns that Muse may have run out of far-out ideas are quickly dispelled on The Resistance. If the band feels restrained by its mainstream success, it doesn't show, as no prog-rock noodling or silly sound effect is left unturned. The barmy sci-fi glam of lead single 'Uprising', which sounds a bit like Goldfrapp teaming up with the ghost of Freddie Mercury to write a new Star Trek theme tune, is just the thin end of the wedge.

It feels like lazy reviewing to describe Muse tracks as bombastic, pretentious and overblown, but there's little else you can say about The Resistance. With a tenuous underlying love story lurking in the background and a strong whiff of George Orwell's dystopian classic 1984 running through the album's core, there's plenty for Muse fanatics to get their teeth stuck into. But, it has to be said, it does seem peculiar that so many people can take Muse seriously when they keep releasing records as bonkers as this. The primary example? 'United States of Eurasia', which builds from a grandiose piano intro into a 'Bohemian Rhapsody' rock odyssey complete with 'Flash Gordon'-style cries of "Eurasia!" at the crescendo. Oh, and there's some quasi-political mumbo-jumbo about the end of the world thrown in for good measure.

As ever, Matt Bellamy's musicianship is second-to-none and fans of his ambitious compositions and impressive guitar skills won't be left wanting. 'Unnatural Selection' is a thrill-seeking romp built around a classic Bellamy riff and some imposing drum work from Dominic Howard. 'Guiding Light' is a ramped-up version of 'Starlight' from the last album, which should prove spellbinding in whatever arena/stadium/spaceship they end up playing it. The much-discussed three-part symphony 'Exogenesis' is probably the only let-down, feeling almost ordinary coming after the French vocals and R&B jamming of 'I Belong To You'. This record won't build bridges with the band's haters, people who can't look beyond their eccentricities without thinking of the worst moments of Queen and The Darkness. However, if the only question you wanted to know was can Muse get any bigger? Well, your answer is yes - and then some.