there's a lot of things you can say about muse, especially if you're feeling uncharitable. that they're stadium rock; their lyrics are facile and immature; they're so slickly produced that it's sanded the edges right off their sound; they have a stock Muse (TM) sound that they've been copy-pasting for 15+ years now. i don't necessarily disagree, but goddamn is that sound *good*, especially here, when it emerged for the first time. on a list with so much indistinguishable sludgy brit pop/rock, this glossy, bombastic, ridiculous staple of mid-aughties alt rock is a welcome breath of fresh air. it's just such a fun album. it sounds like space lasers and flying by the moon at hyper speed. let yourself be as earnest as their lyrics ask you to be and enjoy the ride!