Muse

Intro

1. Learn Vocabulary - Learn some new vocabulary before you start the lesson.

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• quirky
• sci-fi
• classical
• symphonic

• classic
• mainstream
• prog
• synthesizer

• straight up
• throwback

2. Read and Prepare - Read the introduction and prepare to hear the audio.

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Suddenly, your radio is taken over by an alien transmission. You hear strange beeping sounds and then the words, “They will not control us. We will be victorious.”

No, it’s not a message from outer space. It’s a British trio, Muse. This band has been popular in the UK for a long time, but their new song, “Uprising,” has an inspirational quality that is getting it played at sporting events, on TV and the radio, even if it’s a little weird.

Beren thinks Muse’s brand of weirdness is nothing new, just something new to the mainstream. Listen to her discuss it with Jason.

Dialog

1. Listen and Read - Listen to the audio and read the dialog at the same time.

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2. Study - Read the dialog again to see how the vocab words are used.

Jason

Beren

Jason:  You know what song I’ve been hearing just over and over and over on the radio?

Beren:  What song?

Jason:  “Uprising” by Muse.

Beren:  Yeah, man. It’s all over. I’m surprised. I remember when nobody knew who they were, like a year ago, even.

Jason:  I know. And now it’s, like, everywhere, you know. And it’s kind of unusual, quirkystuff to be that mainstream.

Beren:  Like the weird proggy, synth-heavy sound that you just don’t hear anymore. It’s like total throwback music I think to like ‘70s prog or late ‘60s.

Jason:  It sounds kind of scary to me almost. It’s like a sci-fi movie or something like that.

Beren:  Totally. And so, I remember when their first album came out I think in ‘99 and you couldn’t get it in the US.

Jason:  Really?

Beren:  It was an import only and it’s awesome.

Jason:  How did you know about them in ‘99?

Beren:  Um, that album came out in ‘99 and I was actually overseas in 2000 and that’s when I found out about them. I didn’t know who it was because it sounded old. I thought it was some old band I had never heard of. At that time…

Jason:  How do you think they did it? How did they get to be so popular, going from a pretty localized band in the UK to being worldwide?

Beren:  They stuck with it for 10 years. I don’t know another explanation. It doesn’t really make sense. And I think honestly I like their older stuff a little better.

Jason:  Oh do you?

Beren:  Yeah.

Jason:  Oh, I’ll have to check it out. Does it have a lot of the classical influences and stuff that their new…

Beren:  Not classical, like symphonic influences, more like classic Brittish, straight up rock and roll.

Jason:  So more classic influences than classical.

Beren:  Exactly.

Grammar Point

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Lesson MP3

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