Muse (band)

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For other uses, see Muse (disambiguation).
Muse

Muse is an English rock band formed in Teignmouth, Devon in 1997, comprising Matthew Bellamy (vocals, guitar, keyboards), Chris Wolstenholme (bass guitar, keyboards, vocals) and Dominic Howard (drums, percussion). More recently, Morgan Nicholls has been featured on guitar and keyboards in Black Holes and Revelations era live performances. The band blends alternative rock, progressive rock, classical music, funk, electronica, and heavy metal, to help form the new sub-genre of new prog. Muse is known for their energetic live performances and frontman Matthew Bellamy's eccentric interests in global conspiracy, theology and the apocalypse.[1] Muse have released 4 studio albums. The most recent, Black Holes and Revelations, was also the most critically acclaimed, garnering the band a Mercury Prize nomination and coming third in the NME Albums of the Year list for 2006.[2]

History

Formation and early years (1992-1997)

While students at Teignmouth Community College in the early 1990s, the members of Muse played in separate bands. The formation of Muse began after Matthew Bellamy successfully auditioned for the part of guitarist in Dominic Howard's band, Gothic Plague. They were left with a dilemma when their second guitarist Phys Vandit decided to leave, a dilemma fixed by asking Chris Wolstenholme, a drummer with another local band, Fixed Penalty, to learn to play the bass guitar.[citation needed]

In 1994, under the name Rocket Baby Dolls and with a Gothic/glam image, the group won a local battle of the bands contest, trashing their gear in the process (they were "the only real rock band" there).[3][4] "It was supposed to be a protest, a statement", Bellamy said, "so, when we actually won, it was a real shock. A massive shock. After that, we started taking ourselves seriously."[5] Shortly after the contest, they changed their name to Muse and decided to forego university, quit their jobs, and move away from Teignmouth.[5]

First EPs and Showbiz (1998-2000)

After a few years building a fan base in London, Muse played their first gigs in London and Manchester. The band had a significant meeting with Dennis Smith, the owner of Sawmills, a recording studio in a converted water mill in Cornwall, S.W. England.

This meeting led to their first proper recordings and the release of a self-titled EP, of which the front cover was designed by Muse's own drummer, Dominic Howard, on Sawmill's in-house Dangerous label. Their second EP, the Muscle Museum EP, attracted the attention of influential British music journalist Steve Lamacq and the weekly British music publication NME. Dennis Smith subsequently co-founded the music production company Taste Media especially for Muse (the band stayed with Taste Media for their first 3 albums). This was fortunate for the band, as it allowed them to preserve the individuality of their sound in the early stages of their career.

Despite the minor success of their second EP, British record companies were reluctant to back Muse, and many sections of the music industry asserted that - like many of their contemporaries - their sound was too similar to that of Radiohead. However, American record labels were keen to sign them, flying Muse out to the U.S. first-class for corporate auditions. They signed with Maverick Records on December 24, 1998. Upon their return from America, Taste Media arranged deals for Muse with various record labels in Europe and Australia, allowing them to maintain control over their career in individual countries. John Leckie, who had produced the influential The Bends by Radiohead, the Stone Roses, "Weird Al" Yankovic and The Verve, was brought in to produce the band's first record, Showbiz. The album showcased the band's aggressive style, and the lyrics made reference to the difficulties they had encountered while trying to establish themselves in Teignmouth.[3][4]

The release of this album was followed by tour support slots for the Foo Fighters and Red Hot Chili Peppers in the United States. 1999 and 2000 saw Muse playing major festivals in Europe and gigs in Australia, accumulating a considerable fan base in Western Europe, particularly in France.

Origin of Symmetry and Hullabaloo (2001-2002)

Their second album, Origin of Symmetry, again produced by Leckie, resulted in a heavier, darker rock sound, with Wolstenholme's bass, often overdriven, distorted or synthesized, and sometimes using more classical techniques on songs like "Space Dementia".

The band experimented with unorthodox instrumentation, such as a church organ, Mellotron, and an expanded drum kit. There were more of Bellamy's high-pitched vocal lines, arpeggiated guitar, and distinctive piano playing, inspired by the works of pianists of the Romanticism movement, particularly Russians such as Rachmaninov and Tchaikovsky. Also palpable is the influence of minimalists such as Philip Glass. Bellamy cites guitar influences such as Jimi Hendrix and Tom Morello (of Audioslave and Rage Against the Machine), the latter evident in the more riff-based songs on Origin of Symmetry, and in Bellamy's extensive use of pitch-shifting effects in his solos.[6] The album also features a reworking of Anthony Newley and Leslie Bricusse's "Feeling Good". This album was described by Neha Nimmagudda as "an electrifying thrillride through the ruins of a post-apocalyptic universe, strewn with the sonic fragments of contemporaenity."

The general eccentricity of Muse's fundamentally rock style has sparked comparisons with Queen, although this is partially due to their way of working the stage, with Bellamy's charismatic style reminiscent of Queen's Brian May.[7] Comparisons to Radiohead were still evident, Dean Carlson of the All Music Guide commented on the album saying "if you want to sound like Radiohead when even Thom Yorke doesn't want to sound like Radiohead, you might as well take it to such preposterous, bombastic, over the top levels."[8]

The album might have led to Muse making a significant impact on the American music scene, but Maverick had reservations about Bellamy's vocal style (considering it not to be "radio-friendly"), and asked Muse to change some of their songs prior to U.S. release. Insulted, the band declined and left Maverick altogether, resulting in Maverick's decision not to release Origin of Symmetry in the U.S. (The album was finally released in the U.S. on September 20, 2005, after Muse signed to Warner).

Having built up a strong reputation as a live band over the course of the Origin of Symmetry tour, Muse decided to release a live CD and DVD. The DVD, Hullabaloo, featured live footage recorded during Muse's two gigs on consecutive nights at Le Zenith in Paris in 2001 and a documentary film of the band on tour. A double album, Hullabaloo Soundtrack was released at the same time, containing a compilation of b-sides and a disc of recordings of some songs from the Le Zenith performances. A double-A side single was also released featuring new songs "In Your World" and "Dead Star", a move away from the grand operatic style of Origin of Symmetry. The single was greeted with a mixed reaction from existing fans, but radio friendly song lengths and styles helped to attract many new fans. The song "Shrinking Universe" from Hullabaloo Soundtrack was used as one of the main songs used in the 2007 film "28 Weeks Later."

In the February 2006 edition of Q Magazine, Origin of Symmetry was placed 74th in a fans' poll of the 100 greatest albums ever.

Absolution (2003-2005)

In 2003, a new studio album, Absolution, was released. Produced by Rich Costey (who had previously produced Rage Against the Machine), the album demonstrated a continuation of the experimentation displayed in Origin of Symmetry, while maintaining a sense of the band as a three-piece. The album yielded the hit single "Time Is Running Out".

Muse continued to blend classical influences into their hard rock sound, the overall effect being somewhat Wagnerian in style - especially on tracks such as "Butterflies and Hurricanes", which features a Rachmaninoff-inspired piano solo. The album is built around the theme of the end of the world, and reactions to that situation; despite this, Muse described it as an "uplifting" album, with a positive message coming through in songs such as Blackout and Butterflies and Hurricanes. The apocalyptic theme draws from Bellamy’s interest in conspiracy theories, theology, science, and the supernatural. The song "Ruled By Secrecy", for example, takes its title from the Jim Marrs novel Rule By Secrecy about the secrets behind the way major governments are run. Many lyrics on this album have political references.

Chris Wolstenholme of Muse performing at the Mod Club Theatre, Toronto in 2004. The international Absolution tour included the band's first shows in North America since 1999.

Finally receiving mainstream critical acclaim in Britain, and with a new American record deal, Muse undertook their first international stadium tour. It continued for about a year and saw Muse visiting Australia, New Zealand, the United States, Canada, and France. Meanwhile, the band released five singles (Time Is Running Out, Hysteria, Sing for Absolution, Stockholm Syndrome, and Butterflies and Hurricanes).

The band played at the Glastonbury festival in June 2004. At the time, Bellamy described the concert as "The best gig of our lives",[9] but very shortly after the concert, drummer Dominic Howard's father, Bill Howard, who was at the festival to watch the band, died from a heart attack. "It was the biggest feeling of achievement we've ever had after coming offstage," Bellamy said. "It was almost surreal that an hour later his dad died. It was almost not believable. We spent about a week sort of just with Dom trying to support him. I think he was happy that at least his dad got to see him at probably what was the finest moment so far of the band's life."

Muse continued their tour. Their last dates were in the U.S. and at the Earls Court arena in London, where they played an extra date due to the high demand for tickets. They won two MTV Europe awards, including "Best Alternative Act," and a Q Award for "Best Live Act." At the end of 2004, Vitamin Records released The String Quartet Tribute to Muse by The Tallywood Strings, an album of instrumental string versions of some of Muse's songs. Muse received award for "Best Live Act" at the 2005 BRIT Awards.

The band finished touring in January 2005, but visited the U.S. in April and May, as their profile there was considerably higher than before. On July 2 2005, Muse participated in the Live 8 concert in Paris, where they performed their singles "Plug In Baby", "Bliss", "Time Is Running Out" and "Hysteria".

An unofficial DVD biography called Manic Depression was released in April 2005; the band was not involved with the project and did not endorse the release. Another DVD, this time official, was released on December 12 2005, Absolution Tour, containing re-edited and re-mastered highlights from the Glastonbury Festival 2004, and previously unseen footage from London Earls Court, Wembley Arena, and the Wiltern Theatre in Los Angeles. However, three songs were cut from the original BBC edit for reasons unknown (although this was possibly due to lack of space on the disc): "Interlude", "Stockholm Syndrome" and "Citizen Erased". (Fans have speculated that "Citizen Erased" was omitted due to a piano interlude played at the end of the song, which developed into "Take A Bow", the opening track on the later Black Holes and Revelations" album.) However, "Stockholm Syndrome" was included in the Earls Court footage. Two songs, "Endlessly" and "Thoughts Of A Dying Atheist", are hidden tracks on the DVD taken from Wembley Arena. The only song from the album "Absolution" not to appear on the live DVD is "Falling Away With You" due to the fact that it has never been performed live[1]. Absolution eventually went gold in the US.

Black Holes and Revelations (2006-present)

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 In 2006, Muse announced that they were to release a new album (produced again by Rich Costey) entitled Black Holes and Revelations. The album leaked onto the Internet on June 7, less than a month before it was due to be released. The album was released officially in Europe on July 3, 2006 and in North America on July 11, 2006. It was released to the Japanese market a few days earlier, on June 28, 2006. The Japanese edition included an extra track, "Glorious", which is only available globally as the b-side to the Invincible vinyl. The album charted at No. 1 in the UK, much of Europe, and Australia and also achieved American success, reaching No. 9 in the Billboard 200 album chart. Black Holes and Revelations was nominated for the 2006 Mercury Music Prize; however, Muse lost to Arctic Monkeys. The album did, however, earn a Platinum Europe Award after selling one million copies in the continent, and the band received the 2006 Q Award for Best Live Act.

The album's title and themes are the result of the band's fascination with space, particularly with Mars and Cydonia. The cover artwork was designed by Storm Thorgerson and depicts a Martian landscape with four men seated around a table and four miniature horses on it - presumably the Four Horsemen of Apocalypse, who have outgrown their horses.

The song "Exo-Politics" refers to a government conspiracy of faking an alien invasion for corporate gains and a dark manipulative way of controlling the world population to submit to their will.

The first single from the album, "Supermassive Black Hole," was first released as a standalone download on May 9, 2006, accompanied by a music video directed by the acclaimed Floria Sigismondi. Reactions to the single were diverse as it represented a departure from the style of the band's previous work; later on in 2006, the band revealed the song was inspired by the work of Soulwax and one-time support band Millionaire; a thank you was posted on Millionaire's website but can no longer be found. The single was officially released online on 12 June, 2006, with the CD release taking place on June 19. The CD release contained the B-side "Crying Shame." The second single, "Starlight", was released on September 4, 2006. "Knights of Cydonia" was released in the U.S. as a radio-only single on June 13, 2006 and in the UK on November 27, 2006. It charted in the Top 10 and was accompanied by a six-minute promotional video filmed in Romania. The fourth single from the album, Invincible, was released on April 9 2007,[10] Another single, "Map of the Problematique", was released for digital download only on June 18 2007, following the band's performance at Wembley Stadium.[11]

On November 2, 2006, Muse won the Best Alternative and Best Live Act awards at the 2006 MTV European Music Video Awards in Copenhagen, and performed their single "Starlight". Justin Timberlake, presenting the awards, commented that Muse was the best band there when introducing their performance of "Starlight", and lead singer of The Killers, Brandon Flowers, mentioned Muse while receiving their Best Rock award, saying that the award belonged to Muse. The band also recently won the BRIT award for Best Live Act in February 2007, however losing Best Album and Best British Band to Arctic Monkeys.

Muse recorded a live session at Abbey Road Studios for Live From Abbey Road in August 2006.

The band started performing live again on May 13, 2006 at BBC Radio 1's One Big Weekend, followed by a number of other promotional TV appearances. The main live tour started just before the release of their album and initially consisted mostly of festival appearances, most notably a headline slot at the Reading and Leeds Festivals.[12] A tour of North America took place from late July to early August 2006, and after the last of the summer festivals, a tour of Europe began, including a large arena tour of the UK.[13] The band spent November and much of December 2006 touring Europe with British band Noisettes as the supporting act. The tour continued in Australia and South-East Asia; Muse have published further tour dates up to October 2007. Major performances included the Big Day Out 07 and the headlining spot at the Isle of Wight Festival on June 9 2007.

Towards the end of 2006, Muse announced that they would play a 75,000-capacity gig at the newly-rebuilt Wembley Stadium on June 16, 2007.[14] The first Wembley concert sold out within a matter of hours, prompting the band to add a second date on June 17.[15] The support acts for the Wembley shows were The Streets, Rodrigo y Gabriela, and Dirty Pretty Things on June 16, and My Chemical Romance, Biffy Clyro, and Shy Child on June 17.[16] Both Wembley concerts were filmed for a future DVD, slated for release in time for Christmas in 2007.

After the BRIT Awards the band announced that they were asked to play at one of the Live Earth concerts, also staged at Wembley Stadium, on July 7 2007, but declined as they were already scheduled to play the Oxegen festival in Ireland on the same day.[17]

Muse were forced to withdraw from several tour dates with My Chemical Romance in May because some of the crew and My Chemical Romance had food poisoning.[18]

Muse headlined Saturday night of Lollapalooza in Chicago on August 4, 2007 drawing their largest US audience to date.

It was announced that the band will play at Madison Square Garden on August 6 2007, Philadelphia's Festival Pier on August 10 2007,[19] and the Austin City Limits Festival in September 2007. Further to claims by Matthew Bellamy that Muse may be playing a one-off gig with the recently reunited Rage Against the Machine[20], Muse were confirmed as part of the lineup for October 2007's Vegoose Festival in Las Vegas, alongside bands like Rage Against The Machine, Daft Punk, and Queens of the Stone Age.

Though it was speculated the band would be playing at the 2008 Glastonbury Festival, Michael Eavis has since denied this by saying "We’ve already got headline acts for next year, but it’s not Muse or U2,"[21] although according to NME Magazine, so far only two of the three headliners have been booked for the 2008 festival. Stuart Galbraith, the organizer of the Download Festival at Donington Park is also confirmed as being interested in having Muse headline the festival.[22].

Muse came ninth in Q Magazine's "10 Most Exciting Bands On The Planet Right Now" list in the 252nd issue (July 2007).

Future

In an interview given in May 2007 to Rock Mag and published in the July 2007 issue, Bellamy confirmed that he has begun to work on a new album and new songs, some more in line with electronic or "dance" music and others more with classical or symphonic music. The band is also thinking of hiring an orchestra for some of them. He also revealed that the next album should be self-produced, in order to have more freedom. Bellamy also talked about a DVD of footage from the Black Holes and Revelations tour, which could be released by the end of 2007.[23]

Discography

Main article: Muse discography
Release date Album name
October 3, 1999 Showbiz
June 17, 2001 Origin of Symmetry
September 21, 2003 Absolution
July 2, 2006 Black Holes and Revelations

Awards

Year Award Category Region
2000
NME Awards Best New Artist United Kingdom
2001
Kerrang! Awards Best British Band United Kingdom
2004
Q Awards Innovation Award United Kingdom
Kerrang! Awards Best Album United Kingdom
Q Awards Best Live Act United Kingdom
MTV EMA Best Alternative Europe
MTV EMA Best UK & Ireland Act Europe
2005
BRIT Awards Best Live Act United Kingdom
NME Awards Best Live Act United Kingdom
MTVU Woodie Awards Best International United States
2006
Q Awards Best Live Act United Kingdom
MTV EMA Best Alternative Europe
Kerrang! Awards Best Live Act United Kingdom
UK Festival Awards Best Rock Act United Kingdom
BT Digital Music Awards Best Rock Artist United Kingdom
BT Digital Music Awards Best Unofficial Website ([2]) United Kingdom
UK Festival Awards Best Headline Act United Kingdom
Vodafone Live Music Awards Best Live Act United Kingdom
2007
BRIT Awards Best Live Act United Kingdom
NME Awards Best British Band United Kingdom

Notable covers of Muse songs

References

  1. ^ "NME.COM - News - Muse play supermassive free show". NME. December 4, 2006. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  2. ^ "NME Albums Of The Year 2006". NME. 2006. Retrieved 2007-08-05.
  3. ^ a b "muse: biography". microcuts.net. Retrieved 2007-08-04.
  4. ^ a b Kerrang!, 1999 http://www.rocketbabydolls.com/ {{citation}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  5. ^ a b "Band Biography". Taste Media. 2001. Retrieved 2007-08-04.
  6. ^ "Muse's Matt Bellamy Talks". Ultimate-Guitar.com (possibly reprinted from Total Guitar (UK Magazine)). December 25, 2003. {{cite web}}: External link in |publisher= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  7. ^ "Muse". Meanstreet. December, 2004. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  8. ^ Carlson, Dean. "Origin of Symmetry - Review". All Music Guide. Retrieved 2007-04-09.
  9. ^ "Muse - Absolution Tour [original edit]". BBC News. June 2004. Bellamy: "[T]his has been the best gig of our lives, this is our last song tonight, this is called Stockholm Syndrome"
  10. ^ "Muse confirm new single". Retrieved 2007-07-26.
  11. ^ "MOTP - Wembley Souvenir Download". Microcuts.net. June 8, 2007. Retrieved 2007-08-04. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  12. ^ "Confirmed Festival Dates and Album Release Date". Muse Management. March 13, 2006. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  13. ^ "Muse Syndrome - Current Tour Dates". Muse Syndrome. February 5, 2006. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  14. ^ "Wembley Stadium - Press Releases". December 4, 2006. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  15. ^ "Muse add second Wembley show". NME.com. December 9, 2006. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  16. ^ "Muse Name Wembley Supports".
  17. ^ "Muse asked to play at Climate Change Concert". Xfm.co.uk. February 16, 2007. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  18. ^ "Muse Fall Victim To Food Poisoning". StrangeGlue.com. May 2, 2007. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  19. ^ "Muse Announce Massive New York Show". NME.com. May 2, 2007. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  20. ^ "Muse headlining Madison Square Garden". The Rock Radio. May 4, 2007. Retrieved 2007-05-12. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
  21. ^ "Glastonbury Festival".
  22. ^ "Download Festival at Donington Park".
  23. ^ "DVD and new Album Info". Retrieved 2007-07-26.

External links


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