(Excerpts from the upcoming October 2012 issue of Electronic Musician)
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On The 2nd Law, the British rockers craft an apocalyptic rock opera of surreal tstures, orchestral soundscapes, and organic dubstep elements
By KEN MICALLEF
Is Matthew Bellamy the Orson Welles of rock? Striding into Muse's Q Prime management office in New York, Bellamy appears intense, talkative, and extremely focused. As bellamy explans the songwriting and production processes behind Muse's sixth studio album, The 2nd Law, it's as if he's giving tutorials in thermodynamics; self-production, solo vocal, guitar, and keyboard tracking; and innovative miking techniques; bookended by paranoia-inducing Doomsday scenarios.
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Recorded in AIR London's Studio One, East West Recording Studios (Los Angeles), and Shangri-la (Malibu), The 2nd Law is Muse's second self-produced album following 2009's The Resistance. Engineered by Adrian Bushby and Tomasso Colliva, mixed by Chris Lord-Alge, Spike Stent, and Rich Costey, and mastered by Ted Jensen, the record was tracked on AIR''s custom vintage 72-channel Neve/Focusrite console with original "AIR Montserrat" 1081 mic preamps and GML automation From soaring opener "Supremacy" to hope-inspiring pounder "Follow Me" to the dubstep-drenched title track and the epic final track (which closes with the sound of the earth slowly dying), The 2nd Law is a stunner, a downer, and just perhaps, a masterpiece.