Ok La Szum, I'm doing Muse. Listening to Each Studio Album In Order.

[TSJMajesty]

Today was Showbiz. Man, I really dig most all of the songs on this album. Matt was 21 at the time of recording, and his writing is as good as any I've ever really paid attention to.

I especially like how he'll write a chord progression by just moving 1 note of each chord, until he's worked his way back to a chord that resolves the progression. It truly makes the chord voicings catch your ear, and creates a sort of voice-leading in the process.

I could see anyone listening to this album at the time it came out as thinking- "This is a stellar 1st-release, and this band will be one to follow, because they're going places!"

This music ain't Dream Theater, so I'll probably be able to "handle" more than 1 album a day. Plus, it's the weekend.

Favorite tracks:

• Sunburn
• Cave
• Showbiz
• Unintended

I LOVE how Matt uses the Whammy pedal, and how he creates a rollercoaster of changing energy in the songs, when he brings in the guitar.

It's just an amazing piece of work for a first-release!

4 (of-5) Stars!

 

[TSJMajesty]

Origin of Symmetry

I'm up and down on this one- I love some songs; others don't do much for me. But of the ones I like, I love.

I'm starting to hear similarities to other things by them, but I'm not sure if it's songs from later albums. This album has some fire though, no doubt. I love how instrumentation is used to bring in quiet parts, then ramped up into head-bobbing fervor. Or the other way around.
And that chromatic arpeggio riff in Citizen Erased is !!
And I love their take on Feeling Good.

Favs:

• New Born
• Bliss
• Plug In Baby
• Citizen Erased
• Feeling Good

4 Stars!

 

[TSJMajesty]

Absolution

I can really hear Muse getting completely comfortable on this album. As in, relaxed, they know what they're doing. The songs have a polished, accessible-to-the-masses feel. Time Is Running Out is so well-formed, and then to put Sing For Absolution right after it was a great move. I hear several radio-friendly hits on this release.

And the intensity of some tracks is unreal. Like the ending to Stockholm Syndrome. And things seem to really change gears here, not just within the songs, but also from song to song (Hysteria to Blackout, e.g.) Even more than on previous albums.

And what came first? Hysteria or Never Enough? (It was Hysteria.)

I think the "modern" guitar sounds, like the bass intro in TIRO, is what first attracted me to Muse. That and how several of their songs are so well-produced, starting off in practically a whisper, then increasing in intensity, and you don't know which way it's going to continue: Butterflies & Hurricanes.

One common element I'm picking up on is what I mentioned in the first post- how Matt will just move a note of a chord chromatically, until he gets where he wants to be. It's very interesting to listen to.

Favorites:

• Time Is Running Out
• Sing For Absolution
• Stockholm Syndrome
• Hysteria
• The Small Print
• Thoughts Of A Dying Atheist

4.5 Stars

 

[la szum]

This is cool. I love Muse. Need to dive in more.

 

[DrewJD82]

I want to see these guys live. I'm always at the halfway point with their songs, like I halfway like them but never go over the edge. Love the Absolution album though. The more rocked out they get, the more I dig 'em.

This is nuts-

 

[TSJMajesty]

I want to see these guys live.

Up until I saw Muse on Simulation Theory, PF's MLOR was the arena show that everything else had to measure up to. Muse does have the advantage of being newer, and all the tech that now exists that didn't when Floyd was still touring, but Muse is now the best I've seen.

 

[DrewJD82]

Up until I saw Muse on Simulation Theory, PF's MLOR was the arena show that everything else had to measure up to. Muse does have the advantage of being newer, and all the tech that now exists that didn't when Floyd was still touring, but Muse is now the best I've seen.

Hahah yeah, I had the ‘94 Floyd tour as my benchmark, but I’d be lying if I said Tool didn’t top it on the 10,000 Days tour when the whole f*cking stage was a screen and they had more lasers than Floyd could even rent in ‘94.

 

[Orvillain]

Showbiz and Origin are all you need really.

 

[la szum]

Is Muse what Radiohead would be if they were a Power Trio?

 

[TSJMajesty]

I'm listening to Black Holes and Revelations today. With the exception of their newest release, Will of the People, I know all of Muse's music, so it's not like any of this is new to me. And the time period that I discovered them, they already had several albums released, so I suppose that plays into the fact that I don't hear huge differentiation between them, from OOS to T2L.

For me, each one has a few absolute gems, a few I just don't care for, and the rest are in between. Black Holes is no different.

Although this is the first time I'm hearing what I'd call 'radio-friendly pop music' sprinkled in.

My top picks:

• Starlight
• Supermassive Black Hole
• Map of the Problematique
• Assassin
• Exo-Politics
• City of Delusion
• Knights of Cydonia

Exo-Politics is one of my top 3 favorite Muse songs, and Knights of Cydonia has one of the all-time greatest rock riffs ever written!

 

[la szum]

Who does Fuzz'd out Bass tones in the last 20 years better than Chris Wolstenholme?

 

[the swede]

Cool. I was into them a lot when they debuted, showbiz and origin of symmetry are my favorites, even though they developed tremendously after that.. it’s just… it was rawer back then.

This song, Citizen Erased is my absolute favorite. This very tour and exactly this show for me is the most memorable. This video is a must watch, as this song is performed even better than the studio version with more improvisations and twists.

 

[the swede]

That moment, when he transfers from the guitar to the piano.. those chords, melody and vocals.
Masterclass… pure genius.

 

[TSJMajesty]

Cool. I was into them a lot when they debuted, showbiz and origin of symmetry are my favorites, even though they developed tremendously after that.. it’s just… it was raw damn it.


This song, Citizen Erased is my absolute favorite. This very tour and exactly this show for me is the most memorable. This video is a must watch, as this song is performed even better than the studio version with more improvisations and twists.

That little clean part Matt does at 1:26 is SO GOOD!! I love his way of writing riffs like that, where he'll move certain notes chromatically, producing the different chords, then the whole thing resolves.

And could you imagine how hard you'd get, being on that stage, and hearing that guitar coming back at you?

 

[TSJMajesty]

Whole song is an emotional ride!

 

[the swede]

Is Muse what Radiohead would be if they were a Power Trio?

Well.. those three guys were always going to festivals when they were in school. Radiohead is one of their influences. Matt also stated after seeing Jeff Buckley perform solo, it floored him and was also one of his early big influences.

 

[the swede]

That little clean part Matt does at 1:26 is SO GOOD!! I love his way of writing riffs like that, where he'll move certain notes chromatically, producing the different chords, then the whole thing resolves.

And could you imagine how hard you'd get, being on that stage, and hearing that guitar coming back at you?

Matt has a classical schooling in the bottom, explains a lot of the early work. Many of the chord progressions and resolving melodies is very classical. Also some of the chord choices are plain text book classical composition. Imo.

 

[TSJMajesty]

Wasn't sure there was much interest here, but it's now The Resistance.

This was when I first heard of Muse, hearing Uprising on the radio. I instantly loved it, really drawn to their sound. It had elements of things I really dug, but also a feeling of, this is pushing musical genres. Couldn't really put my finger on why they hit me the way they did, but soon after I found their ACL show for The 2nd Law, and I was hooked!! That live sound was unbelievably FULL!!

 

[TSJMajesty]

Matt has a classical schooling in the bottom, explains a lot of the early work.

That's why I can't write like that.

 

[the swede]

That's why I can't write like that.

I remember being so angry of jealousy and envy on him when I was younger, like 22 and thought I was cool playing guitar… how the fuck can you write so groundbreaking “rock” music, and add to that… fucking sing like a god damn angel on that.