Muse Muse comprise
Matthew Bellamy (lead vocalist, lead guitarist, and pianist),
Chris Wolstenholme (bass guitarist) and
Dominic Howard (drummer).
Muse came together at the age of 13, although the band was then known as Gothic Plague. The name changed to Fixed Penalty, then Rocket Baby Dolls, and finally to Muse, following a “battle of the bands” competition which they won despite playing music that was overtly aggressive and smashing everything on stage.
In October 1995, Dennis Smith discovered them playing in a Cornish village and eventually offered them free studio time. IN 1998, Muse released their self-titled EP, and the single “
Uno”.
Following the success of their second single “
Cave”, they released their first album “
Showbiz” in 1999. Produced by John Leckie, who also produced Radiohead’s “The Bends”, Showbiz drew a lot of criticism for its similarities with Radiohead, but nevertheless was successful - and the only real similarities lie in Matt Bellamy’s vocal style.
The following album, “
Origin Of Symmetry” was also produced by Leckie, but saw Muse becoming more experimental in the ways they created atmospheres; Wind Chimes, Bones, Llama claws and bubble wrap are all used to create effects.
A stream of awards and touring followed, and it wasn’t until 2004 that Muse finally released “
Absolution”. This time they employed Paul Reeve, John Corfield and Rich Costey to handle production. The latter will be familiar to The Mars Volta fans, but had also worked with the likes of Fiona Apple and Philip Glass. Costey’s finicky approach to recording and mixing makes “Absolution” stand out from the Leckie produced albums, in that the overall sound is "bigger" and the bombastic nature of the music is underscored heavily.
Following “Absolution”’s huge success Muse confirmed their status with a storming set at Glastonbury in 2004, more awards and singles success and a fourth upcoming album: "
Black Holes and Revelations".
Muse’s music is characterised by Matt’s vocals, which have a more than passing similarity to those of Thom Yorke – but in all fairness, also have a very unique slant, with a lot less drawl and a lot more passion. It is also characterised by a huge and bombastic sound, atmospheric and piano-driven episodes, and heavily effected guitars. At times it seems impossible that there are only 3 musicians.
Although not strictly Prog Rock, Muse have a progressive approach and a hypnotising aura about their work, even when it is aggressive, that lifts them out of the ordinary murk and into a truly interesting light that holds appeal for fans of heavy and progressive music alike.
In 2009, Muse released their album "
The Resistance"
One of my favourites:
Unintended.mp3You could be my unintended
Choice to live my life extended
You could be the one Ill always love
You could be the one who listens to my deepest inquisitions
You could be the one Ill always love
Ill be there as soon as I can
But Im busy mending broken pieces of the life I had before
First there was the one who challenged
All my dreams and all my balance
She could never be as good as you
You could be my unintended
Choice to live my life extended
You should be the one Ill always love
Ill be there as soon as I can
But Im busy mending broken pieces of the life I had before
Ill be there as soon as I can
But Im busy mending broken pieces of the life I had before
Before you
Back to my
music collection.
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