So does the rest of the album sound any better?

my friends are all like its so good, second best muse album ever. but it's pretty meh.

I've listened to it a couple of times, my friends insist I give it a real chance. One guy calls it one of the best albums he's ever heard, surprisingly a guy whose taste in music tends to coincide with mine.

I've never been a real fan of Muse and the first... 7 tracks did nothing to change that. I really did enjoy the 3-part Symphony at the end (Exogenesis), but it still didn't do much for me in an overall sense.

I love their older stuff, but their newer albums aren't too bad either. Black Holes and Revelations did kind of disappoint, but I'm liking the Resistance so far. It's got a lot of Mediterranean/middle-eastern music in it, and I've always been a fan of that. They definitely have gone from a very unique and original band to a more pop-oriented band. I guess they want to make more money. They're still young (early 30s), and from what I've seen in music, talent improves over time, so I'm definitely looking forward to some more interesting stuff. I'm hoping that in the future, when they've made enough money and been recognized by the world, they'll come back to experimenting and just having fun, kind of like Radiohead, who now make music just for the sake of making music, not money.

Rei: If you really want to get to know Muse, I suggest you check out their earlier albums "Hullabaloo," "Origin of Symmetry," and "Showbiz." Muse is all about live performances. They have like 3 DVDs: Absolution Tour (Glastonbury 2004), Hullabaloo (Paris 2001), and HAARP (London 2007). My favorite DVD would have to be Hullabaloo, the 2001 Le Zenith (Paris) live performance. It literally blew me away when I watched it.

Here's an example:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JSNyIK1C8V8

I've more than listened to my fair share of Muse, I have the full discography. I don't put forth any real opinions on a band without listening to all they've had to offer.

Having the "Live" experience define a bad doesn't make listening to their studio recordings any better.