25. Animals
http://youtu.be/tFG_5PBl2K8 One of Muse's many anti-establishment anthems, 'Animals' was one of the few moments on 'The 2nd Law' that seemed to have a beating heart and genuine emotion at its core. Some jazzy guitar backed by twinkling harpsicord and a driving rhythm makes for more subtlty than Muse have delivered in recent times. That subtlty does not extend to the lyrics, but there is no shame in that. If a fat-cat banker listened to this song and heard the plea of "Kill yourself. Go on and do us all a favour", he might, maybe, take a look in the mirror. Well probably not. The great thing about many Muse songs is the build-up to an inevitably dirty guitar climax, and 'Animals' is no different. The choppy riffs in the songs closing section, blended together with the frantic screaming of an end-of-day stock market crowd earn this song a well-deserved place on this list.
24. Hoodoo
http://youtu.be/urWsYlkqhbk One of the wonderful things about music, is that sometimes a song can be made memorable by lyrics alone, elevating what might otherwise be fairly standard material to more than the sum of its parts. 'Hoodoo' is one of those songs. Ennio Morricone was a strong influence on the 2006 album 'Black Holes And Revelations', and this was particularly evident here, as Muse married their typical crashing piano chords and drama with some twiddly desert-drenched guitar riffs. At least when it gets going. The quieter parts are where the lyrics really shine, with the final couplet proving quite touching for a band often accused of being apocalypse-obsessed mad scientists.
"I've had recurring nightmares that I was loved for who I am / Missed the opportunity to be a better man."
One gets the impression lead singer Matt Bellamy has felt the meaning of that all too well, as Muse have certainly left their old riff-laden sound behind of late. Listening to this though, how much better can a man really get?