I've been into Muse since first hearing Muscle Museum all those years ago, and have all their albums and live DVDs. I was disappointed with Black Holes and Revelations due to its tendency towards more electronic style music (never did like Supermassive Black Hole, for instance), and initially had similar feelings towards The Resistance after hearing the online previews. I've always tended to prefer their guitar heavy offerings with Hysteria, Plug in Baby and Showbiz probably being my top 3 Muse songs.
But after receiving the album from Mighty Ape 2 weeks ago, I find myself playing it constantly. I'm also surprised by the songs that I am being drawn back to. Unnatural Selection and MK Ultra are no-brainers, due to their heavier, guitar focused nature, but I am strangely drawn to I Belong to You. I even get excited when that clarinet solo is approaching :-)
The thee part Exogenesis symphony should also be singled out as a stunning piece which really demonstrates that the musicianship of the band, and how Matthew Bellamy is starting to grow as a composer. I'd be intrigued to hear an entire Muse album in this style.
Definitely give this one multiple plays before making a final judgement, as its a real grower. I initially rated it 3/5, but after listening to it for a while, this has been upped to 4.
Sure, there are some disappointments on the album (I never did get what was so good about USoE, and wouldn't miss Undisclosed Desires if it went walkabout), but there are enough interesting Muse moments to hold my interest. I doubt it will supplant Absolution as my favourite Muse album, but it certainly isn't going to me my least favourite one.