“The 2nd Law” Songs Ranked

A lot of people loathe this album, but I think that’s a bit harsh – there are way too many good songs on this to be a bad album, but I have to concede it’s not a great effort from the band. I can appreciate the experimenting on some of the songs, but how would I rank them?

You can check out some of my other Muse lists below:

Meh

13 – Save Me

One of the two Wolstenholme contributions to the album. Sorry Chris, but “Save Me” isn’t really very good.

It’s not too bad, it’s quite a nice little song on the whole – it’s just the extremely basic choruses where the melody consists of two notes that lets it down.

Good

12 – Prelude

Is it a bit insulting to put an interlude track above an actual song? Yes. Do I stand by my decision? Absolutely.

“Prelude” is a lovely orchestral song, and it sets up the song after it quite nicely (even if the next song “Survival” is a bit jarring on the album).

11 – Big Freeze

This used to be my least favourite on the album, but with each subsequent listen this track grows on me.

The verses are the stand-out, and ever though the choruses are a bit over the top they still work in respect to the song.

10 – Liquid State

The other Wolstenholme contribution, except this time it’s actually a good rock song.

It’s great to hear Chris singing, and I think he should do it more often – he’s proven that he has some songwriting capabilities, and I hope he writes some more rock bangers in the future.

9 – The 2nd Law: Isolated System

The last song on the album is a nice one, albeit slightly underwhelming.

I can’t help but feel like they could have done more with the premise, and I find the new reports in the background really interesting. I am glad they chose this to be the ending instead of “Unsustainable”, otherwise it would have left the album on a sour note for most people.

8 – Survival

I remember watching the London 2012 Olympics and wondering who this random band singing the theme song was, and it was only much later that I would find out one of my favourite bands had been the ones who made this song.

It’s a great song that can pump anyone up and urge them on to victory, but I’ll admit it does seem a little out of place on this album.

7 – The 2nd Law: Unsustainable

I absolutely hated this song and thought it was the band’s worst, but when I saw it live my opinion changed completely.

This is an extremely well made song, and you can tell a lot of care went into getting the exact right sounds. It feels a bit weird ranking a Dubstep song so high, but here we are.

6 – Follow Me

Probably the most synth-heavy song after “Unsustainable”, except this song actually has a nice melody and memorable chorus.

Great

5 – Explorers

A highly underrated song, “Explorers” is a beautiful track that is so unbelievably well put together. The modulation near the end is euphoric, and Bellamy’s vocal performance is a large part as to why I like this song so much.

4 – Animals

The bad really found their groove with this one, and “Animals” is another highly underrated track.

I really like Chris’s bassline on this, and the subject matter that Bellamy sings about is an fascinating one.

Amazing

3 – Supremacy

An absolute banger to start the album, and it’s even more amazing when played live (especially in Rome).

This really has a James Bond feel to it, and it could have easily been a Bond song. Apparently this is one of Chris’s favourites to play live, and I agree that it has a great riff that’s fun to play. One of their best album openers.

2 – Panic Station

Straight from the get go, Chris’s bass is just fantastic.

After the slap bass on “Undisclosed Desires”, the band do one better with this brilliant funky track. I really like how this song is put together, and the trumpet parts add to the fun of it all. The music video is weird and wonderful as well, and I’d highly recommend checking it out.

1 – Madness

There aren’t many songs like this in Muse’s discography, but “Madness” is a stroke of genius.

It sets up the weird synth sounds of the album perfectly, and it has become a staple of their live shows ever since. The note that Bellamy hits at the end (“I need to looooooove”) gives me goosebumps every time I hear it. One of Muse’s masterpieces.

Aaaand that’s the list. Muse go back to pure rock on their next album, but until then you should check out some of my latest posts: