![]() The Nina Simone cover of “Feeling Good” almost feels out of place on this record. “Darkshines” has a tragic feel to it, the almost western sounding guitar leading into frenetic piano and a rock opera style chorus. ![]() The hollow sounding drumbeat and softer guitar work create an eerie atmosphere. “Screenager” is an excellent contrast to this, slowing the tempo, but feeling no less dark. It’s incredible that they got all these elements to work together so flawlessly! “Micro Cuts” feels apocalyptic, creating a huge soundscape that feels like the end of the world. Distorted guitars give way to an epic, almost metal, section moving to a more minimalistic atmospheric tone, then we’re treated to another stunning conglomeration of sounds, before ending with a sombre piano number. The energy is so strong in this one that it’s hard to sit still whilst listening to it! “Citizen Erased” is absolutely monumental, and in my opinion, the band’s “Bohemian Rhapsody”, with the amount of stunning evolutions it goes through. This leads seamlessly into the legendary “Plug in Baby”, with it’s unforgettable, iconic riff. “Hyper Music” brings in a hint of aggression, massive riffs and an unrelenting dream beat driving the song forward. “Space Dementia” is the complete opposite, and goes for a dark and twisted tone, with an urgent sounding piano melody and ending with destructive riffs. The space-like “Bliss” feels like being transported to another world with euphoric synths and an energetic pace. Any one of them could hold the rest of the band up on their own merits! The mystical piano notes of “New Born” kick off the proceedings, before we’re slapped in the face with an absolutely intense wall of sound from the trio. Meanwhile, Chris Wolstenholme’s energetic bass playing, and Dom Howard’s technical drum skills show that the band has a prowess not to be scoffed at. I do admit, I’ve never really been a fan of Matt Bellmay as a vocalist, or a lyricist, but they come across as psychedelic enough, that they actually work amongst all the insanity. There’s guitar work that is face melting, as well as beautifully crafted piano segments. It’s dark, cryptic and has haunting moments. After all, the golden age of Muse began with Origin of Symmetry and came to a close at the end of the Black Holes & Revelations cycle, but what an era it was! From start to finish, this album is excellence. ![]() Their records have arguably not reached the same level of quality since. The main crux is, that that they peaked way too early in their career, with this, their second album, being their best. ![]() ![]() Muse’s Origin of Symmetry is one of the reasons why I love and hate this band in equal measure, why I praise them and shoot them down at the same time. I’ve been wanting to write about my favourite albums ever for a very long time, and I figured that this would be the perfect opportunity to do so! So feel free to join me on my journey, as we look through my top 10 albums of all-time! And we always oscillate between those two things, and create something a bit different than both those things.” In 2022, they released their ninth studio album, Will of the People.I was nominated by a friend on Facebook to do the “Top 10 albums over 10 days” challenge. Speaking to Apple Music in 2015, singer Matt Bellamy recalled a night when bassist Chris Wolstenholme literally got stuck in an elaborate stage platform during a show-what Bellamy called “the Spinal Tap moment.” “There’s a seriousness in what we do,” Bellamy said. Still, the band has always maintained a good sense of humor about themselves. Though their approach has shifted and evolved over the years (the classical inflections of 2003's Absolution, the hard rock of 2015’s Drones, the electro sheen of 2018’s Simulation Theory), the core of their sound has stayed the same: Take something big and make it bigger. Formed in Devon, England, in the mid-’90s, the trio fashioned themselves as a modern answer to ’70s prog, mixing Queen-like arena rock with electronic music and glam, layering their sound with narratives about drone warfare, government oppression, the idea that we’re all just lines of code living in a program we call reality-blockbuster fantasies that restored rock to a state of wide-eyed wonder. The stage never happened, but the point stands: Few bands go as shamelessly big as Muse. To get a sense of where Muse is coming from, consider that in 2016 the band was venturing to design a stage made of magnets so it would look like they were flying-like superheroes. ![]()
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