Nice succinct name for a band.   Another (originally) innovative, alt, prog British 1990s band that's heading into their 20th anniversary year, Muse is on a major tour swing stateside; they're performing at the TD North / Boston in April, FYI.   They seem to have sold out at least one of their MSG tour dates thus far.   Still packing the house.  

So how do you view Muse at this point in their 20-year route?   They flew under the radar for me until 6-7 years ago, when I began to be more drawn to their music.    Apparently, it's their live shows that shine a light on their talents.    Anyone know firsthand?   They've either been nominated or won awards for their music, videos, and live performances.   Some of their albums have had more success in the UK than in the US, but that's not to say they haven't been extravagantly successful here.   

Last year Muse released, The 2nd Law, their 6th album, to critical acclaim.   A single from that album,  "Madness" was deemed one of the best songs of 2012 -- IMHO a good song, but not a great song.   So it goes with opinions ... 

Matthew Bellamy's falsetto might be a "Like" or "Don't Like" proposition, along with his use of vibrato.    This is not a  band that sings about bein' in love, blue skies and candy-coated subject matter, either.   Social alienation,  technological fear, and otherwise apocalyptic themes will give you a run for your money, however.    Do any of you see the comparison between Muse and Radiohead as valid?   Or is it just Bellamy's voice ...?   Or nonsense?

So what's your *opinion*?   Thoughts, anyone?

No surprise, I am a fan of this band. Yeah, there are similarities between Radiohead and Muse, outside of the obvious comparissons in looks and voices of Matthew Bellamy and Thom Yorke. If you listen to Bliss, you hear Weird Fishes. I saw the "Origins of Symmetry," tour a few years ago, and it was intense. Bellamy is great guitar player.  I sometimes feel that Muse gets a bad rap because people think they are Radiohead clones, but in my mind, Muse combines many more progressive rock elements in their music, and has a deeper, more guitar, bass driven sound than Radiohead's electronic ambience.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I say "yes"...I like them.  They were on Saturday Night Live not too long ago, sounded good live.

To your point polar123, a lot of bands get that comparison complex - Led Zep/White Snake comes to mind. I think MUSE stands alone as a band with their own unique sound - IMHO.

In response to polar123's comment:

Thanks.   (quiet here today)   No surprise you're a fan.  :)   Many, if not most,  Muse fans are also Radiohead fans, don't you think?  I agree that Muse gets short shrift in reference to Radiohead, that's why I appreciate the sanity check.   I like your assessment in stating their differences; they have some of the same 'DNA' and were born in the same era, so there are bound to be similarities.   When I saw that Muse was playing in Boston next month, I couldn't remember ever discussing them here, so I thought it would be good timing to create a thread.    Did you buy The 2nd Law -- or aren't you interested?

In response to RogerTaylor's comment:

Thanks for the reminder that Muse played live on SNL recently; I didn't see the show, but I'll look for it on youtube.    Glad you like them, too.   I'm not completely surprised, although Muse does seem to be a departure from your usual taste, which is pretty good.  :)

meh-be... Not a huge fan

In response to yogafriend's comment:

*****************

I would describe my taste in music as - eclectic. Opera, Jazz, Doo Wop, Country are all part of my library. I'll listen to anything - yes, even Dylan ;)P . I think I shared here that when I worked in a Hi Fi store we got 40 albums a month, chosen by 5 employees with vastly different tastes in music. Someone mentioned Morphine here and I went out and purchased a Best of CD - money well spent! GREAT BAND! It's also one of the reasons I ask that posters include a link to a youtube video of a song or artist. My taste isn't stuck in any one genre, I consider myself pretty much open to any kind of music that sounds good - to me.

In response to yogafriend's comment:

Mindful of the recent discussion on "good/bad" music, I'll just say that Madness was my favorite song of last year and maybe the decade thus far.  I hadn't had much conscious exposure to Muse prior to that, but of course I picked up the new album and have enjoyed that, so I'll need to be checking out the earlier material.

Also in my opinion "Radiohead clone" is a compliment.  More of that musical style, especially its complexity and overall soundscape, is a good thing.

They're alright, although I have to admit they've strayed a bit from what attracted me to the band a decade or so ago.

I've never really thought about the Radiohead-Muse connection that much - which to me is incidental at a glance.  As bands, they seem to operate different wavelengths, IMNSHO.

Absolution is still probably my favorite LP.  The guitar attack on the former is impressive and impressionistic.  But since Black Holes..., I haven't seen them as a must-have.  The live stuff is more interesting to me.

 

 

 

In response to RogerTaylor's comment:

I've been a HUGE Morphine fan since the early days.  Truly one of my favorite bands of the 90s and the last 20-odd years.  Mark Sandman was a real innovator, great performer, uncanny songwriter...the whole package.  His death was a genuine tragedy.

If you like the best of disc, then you might also like At Your Service - a double disc of live cuts, demos and ephemera.  I think it's a must-have for any Morphine fan, but I'm biased.

 

 

In response to gerbs' comment:

I'm more than happy you discovered Muse via The 2nd Law -- I actually love discovering a band with out of the blue like that (reminds me of the way I figured out who Paul Weller *really* is, from one single I heard that I loved).  Perhaps I was a bit "blase" re: "Madness" but as you said, you had no prior exposure to them, and I have ... so I can't say that the song took me by surprise.    It's a good song ... no question, and per released songs in 2012, it probably was one of the best songs of last year.   The Resistance has a better collection of songs, IMHO, that's all.   

And yes, it's often a compliment to be told you "resemble" a certain type of style; great point.   Unfortunately, I'm not sure Muse has always handled the comments re: similarities to Radiohead very well, and that may be part of the issue; not entirely sure about that, though.  

In response to yogafriend's comment:

I tend to view RH as more of a band and Muse as more of a Bellamy vehicle, but you're right...it can be very hard to tell.

 

I'd vote for hara-kiri if I thought it wouldn't give those brain dead, soul-less nothings more press.  In the words of St. Gertrude the Cool "There is no there there".

If Gertrude Stein, Man Ray, Picasso and Dorothy Parker went to hear Muse play.....I can't finish this thought, it's shameful to conflate them.