Anyone listen to Muse? (1 Viewer)

In February I'd heard this song on our local "alternative" station a few times. Fuzzed out bass doing a cool little line, and a vocalist that wasn't afraid to sing. Really cool pre-chorus and some killer playing. I thought it was Incubus at first because of the vocal stylings (actual singing and liberal use of falsetto). The song stuck in my mind and soon I found out it was not Incubus but a song called Time Is Running Out by a band called Muse.

Doing some research I found out that they're a trio (I have a big soft spot for a trio) from England and have been playing together for 10 years or so. They started when they were teenagers and have been together ever since. Since being signed, they released 3 major label records, of which only one was available in February. It's called Showbiz and was released in 1999. So off to Barnes & Noble I went and took a brief listen.

What I heard really surprised me. Soaring vocals, powerful, maddeningly agile basslines, deft guitarwork and lush, lush keyboard playing wrapped around thought-provoking, dramatic, prog-tinged songs. I don't know exactly why Muse clicked so deeply with me, but since I first heard TIRO and then Showbiz, I've been obsessed with them.

People have compared Muse to Radiohead for two reasons: vocals and songs. Well, I don't know much about Radiohead to say one way or another. A friend of mine said they are like Radiohead, but a more accessible version; a band that isn't being quirky for quirky's sake.

Fast forward to March 23rd, when Absolution was released to the US. It took me two trips to the record store before I found a copy. Once again, I was blown away by what I heard. This record, their third (the second, Origin of Symmetry is unavailable in the US, though mine is coming via ebay!), isn't necessarily better or worse than Showbiz, but more of an evolution of the sound. The aforementioned musical qualities are still there, but, unlike Showbiz, with its concise, "radio friendly" songs, Absolution takes more chances with some operatic, almost over-the-top moments. To me, though, they work. From TIRO, to Hysteria with its insane bass riff, to Butterflies and Hurricanes with its classical piano interlude in the middle, it's all amazing music.

Muse is currently on a US tour, hitting small clubs around the country. In the UK, they're usually playing in front of 5k or more, but in the US, it'll be to 300 or so capacity clubs. I'm seeing them next month in Seattle and I can't wait. From the live videos I've seen, it should be an amazing show.

For anyone interested in a band that is simply not afraid to play and create, do yourself a favor and check out Muse. Go in with an open mind and you will not be disappointed.

Links:

Muse's official site

A pretty cool Muse fansite

I'm a big fan of Muse. Their Absolution CD is always in my changer. There's a nice 2-disc set available in England called Hullabaloo. Disc 1 is composed of 10 b-sides while the second disc is a hybrid SACD of a live concert in 5.1! I highly recommend this to any Muse fan.

yeah, just got absolution
so many mainstream bands are not so great, such as Incubus, you should listen to Elbow, Snow Patrol, Doves, and Nada Surf for starters =)
im going to see them at Coachella www.coachella.com
next week =)

John:

I have the Hullabaloo DVD and should be winning an Ebay auction for the Hullabaloo soundtrack.

I just saw them in Detroit at a free concert at St Andrews hall last week. It was the first time I ever heard them and they blew me away with their energy onstage. Excellent band and I will be looking in to getting some cds from them.

Just wanted to bump up this old thread, and express my new-found love of Muse. I heard Time is Running Out on the radio about a year ago, and dled some MP3s, but didn't do much more than that. Last October I was watching the horror film Haute Tension, and noticed their song New Born (which is awesomely used, BTW). I queued up the MP3s again, and have been listening to them off and on since. I picked up Absolution a month ago, and have Showbiz and Origin of Symmetry on the way from Amazon right now. I'm looking forward to Showbiz, as I haven't heard any of it. I'll definitely have to look into picking up Hullabaloo as well.

An Australian colleague let me listen to Absolution. Wonderful stuff. Have bought the other two albums but haven't listened to them so much yet - Absolution gets regular play!

Also liking Evanescence & Scissor Sisters lately.

Any word on an new Evanescence CD yet?

Not that I've seen. I'm waiting that one out too.

Still enjoying Muse

I have to add that I highly recommend The Origin of Symmetry. This is, without a doubt, my favorite of the three studio Muse albums. It is a complete shame that it is not readily available here in the states. I think it is their best work to date. Do yourself a favor and import it from amazon.co.uk NOW.

Justin

Agreed, Justin. You can actually buy it as an import from Amazon.com as well (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...music&n=507846). It's a little pricey, but absolutely worth it.

Yeah, I paid like $36 for my copy when I got it from amazon.com back in late '01. Needless to say, I've never regretted the price.

Has anyone here heard the Hullabaloo SACD? I haven't managed to get my paws on a copy so far. Is it worth the trouble?

Justin

I haven't listened to the 5.1 on Hullabaloo, but overall I recommend the set. One disc is a concert and the other is b-sides. The b-sides are hit and miss, but the concert is pretty good. If you're a fan, you should definitely pick it up.

BTW, if I recall correctly, the concert footage is region-free PAL. If you don't have PAL->NTSC conversion you can still get the audio.