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Muse's first album was released in 1999, under the title "Showbiz", which was critically acclaimed. The lead singer, Matt Bellamy was soon renound for his singing - it's seemlessly welded into the mellow tunes of his peers. With the amazing guitar riffs and hard beats, Muse are hot property in music.
In 2001, Muse released their 2nd album - "Origin Of Symmetry", which also recieved good reviews from critics and fans alike. The first thing you may like to know is that the CD features a disappointing 11 tracks, but they are of decent length, so the playing field is somewhat leveled.
The first track is "New Born", which begins tenderly with Bellamy's voice, but as it continues, until it explodes into a collaboration of wonder and spectacle, really showing up the inner energy that Muse possess, a somewhat rarity in this album. The track continues for over six minutes with the same formula, and it's great! This is one of my favourite tunes on the album.
Following New Born is "Bliss", a hard tune that takes you through the bliss that this world can be. This is less intense than New Born overall, but gets you straight into the main beat of the song. There are some nice instrumental parts in there and Bellamy really can put his voice to it's full potential here. Another cracking tune!
Next up is "Space Dimentia", "a trawl through space", as it's put. It stars off with some very gentle sounds, but builds up with drums, guitars and Bellamy to a light explosion of all three. This is one of the more depression tracks on the album, with "You make me sick..." in the lyrics, but still good nonetheless. The drums are used to their full potential here, making for an effective build up to key parts of the song. Quite a good song after you listen a few times.
Carrying on with the powerful approach, "Hypermusic" storms in fourth, which shows lines of a power-ballad in the making. Hypermusic is possibly the most unique song on OOS, with it's own formula that is yet to be perfected by any other band. The song starts of with a strange set of riffs, which gets more and more intense until the song gets into full motion. The album gets back to it's less-depressing feel with this excellent song! The guitars really are effective, with their amazing riffs blasted out by Bellamy and Co. Another show-stopping anthem!
A change from casual Muse, you can tell that this is going to be special from the beginning guitar riff, this is "Plug In Baby". An excellent riff starts off the song, followed by Bellamy's vocals coming in good use, whilst two riffs are played throughout the song, with a steady drum beat. I really think that if you want the best of Muse, this should be one!
For some reason, "Citzen Erased" sounds very Placebo-esque from the start (a compliment), but soon begins to sound like a techno tune. Bellamy's voice comes in quite late and the song carries on with the same dark tune for a while, before turning mellow and back to the dark tune - over and over again for seven minutes! I found this song too depressing for my liking. At the start, it sounded good but just ended up being a seven-second-stinker.
The evil continues with "Micro Cuts", an unorthodox melody, which features the same dark riff over and over again on one guitar, whilst an ever-changing tune on the other. The song ends very nicely with some more rock-ish riffs. For once in this album, I can say that I found Bellamy over-bearing. I found the vocals way too dramatic, but the tune kept up the somewhat low standards that had to be maintained, following Citizen Erased.
Not is all bad for the rest of the album though, as Muse fight back their troubles with "Screenager", a dark ride through angst. The drum beat is different and the guitars sound more "retro", if you know what I mean. Not a bad track, but not a brilliant one. It's one of those tracks that you can listen to for a few minutes or a song you put on in the background.
Mellowness ensues with "Dark Shrines", a somewhat ligher outlook on life. This is nothing out of the ordinary and this is the start of where the album begins to get slightly boriing, in that the songs seem to be quite similar to the previous one.
The tenderness continues with "Feeling Good", a cover version, I might add. Bellamy sings almost as soon as the song begins and this follows the original version almost religiously, except for the tune, of course. However, this song still sticks in my mind as a rare song Muse, wherein it's much a harder tune than the others.
The album closes with a sombre track called "Megalomania". This track is slow and depressing, but to decent effect, with Bellamy's mood really taking to the track.
OOS is a great album and it should be purchased by anyone looking for a collaboration of sombre tunes, hard rock and beaufitul melodies from the pioneers. This is true Muse!
In 2001, Muse released their 2nd album - "Origin Of Symmetry", which also recieved good reviews from critics and fans alike. The first thing you may like to know is that the CD features a disappointing 11 tracks, but they are of decent length, so the playing field is somewhat leveled.
The first track is "New Born", which begins tenderly with Bellamy's voice, but as it continues, until it explodes into a collaboration of wonder and spectacle, really showing up the inner energy that Muse possess, a somewhat rarity in this album. The track continues for over six minutes with the same formula, and it's great! This is one of my favourite tunes on the album.
Following New Born is "Bliss", a hard tune that takes you through the bliss that this world can be. This is less intense than New Born overall, but gets you straight into the main beat of the song. There are some nice instrumental parts in there and Bellamy really can put his voice to it's full potential here. Another cracking tune!
Next up is "Space Dimentia", "a trawl through space", as it's put. It stars off with some very gentle sounds, but builds up with drums, guitars and Bellamy to a light explosion of all three. This is one of the more depression tracks on the album, with "You make me sick..." in the lyrics, but still good nonetheless. The drums are used to their full potential here, making for an effective build up to key parts of the song. Quite a good song after you listen a few times.
Carrying on with the powerful approach, "Hypermusic" storms in fourth, which shows lines of a power-ballad in the making. Hypermusic is possibly the most unique song on OOS, with it's own formula that is yet to be perfected by any other band. The song starts of with a strange set of riffs, which gets more and more intense until the song gets into full motion. The album gets back to it's less-depressing feel with this excellent song! The guitars really are effective, with their amazing riffs blasted out by Bellamy and Co. Another show-stopping anthem!
A change from casual Muse, you can tell that this is going to be special from the beginning guitar riff, this is "Plug In Baby". An excellent riff starts off the song, followed by Bellamy's vocals coming in good use, whilst two riffs are played throughout the song, with a steady drum beat. I really think that if you want the best of Muse, this should be one!
For some reason, "Citzen Erased" sounds very Placebo-esque from the start (a compliment), but soon begins to sound like a techno tune. Bellamy's voice comes in quite late and the song carries on with the same dark tune for a while, before turning mellow and back to the dark tune - over and over again for seven minutes! I found this song too depressing for my liking. At the start, it sounded good but just ended up being a seven-second-stinker.
The evil continues with "Micro Cuts", an unorthodox melody, which features the same dark riff over and over again on one guitar, whilst an ever-changing tune on the other. The song ends very nicely with some more rock-ish riffs. For once in this album, I can say that I found Bellamy over-bearing. I found the vocals way too dramatic, but the tune kept up the somewhat low standards that had to be maintained, following Citizen Erased.
Not is all bad for the rest of the album though, as Muse fight back their troubles with "Screenager", a dark ride through angst. The drum beat is different and the guitars sound more "retro", if you know what I mean. Not a bad track, but not a brilliant one. It's one of those tracks that you can listen to for a few minutes or a song you put on in the background.
Mellowness ensues with "Dark Shrines", a somewhat ligher outlook on life. This is nothing out of the ordinary and this is the start of where the album begins to get slightly boriing, in that the songs seem to be quite similar to the previous one.
The tenderness continues with "Feeling Good", a cover version, I might add. Bellamy sings almost as soon as the song begins and this follows the original version almost religiously, except for the tune, of course. However, this song still sticks in my mind as a rare song Muse, wherein it's much a harder tune than the others.
The album closes with a sombre track called "Megalomania". This track is slow and depressing, but to decent effect, with Bellamy's mood really taking to the track.
OOS is a great album and it should be purchased by anyone looking for a collaboration of sombre tunes, hard rock and beaufitul melodies from the pioneers. This is true Muse!
Good review, good album. But there are some tracks that annoy me, like 'Feeling Good'. My favourite has to be either 'Hyper Music' or 'Plug In Baby'. At least they haven't gone downhill like the Phonics!
Origin Of Symmatry Review:
Guitars LOUD
Drums HEAVY
Voals eeeeEEEAAAARRRGGGHHHHHHOOOOoooooooo baby.
I like it sometimes,other times I want to shoot them.
Still better than Radiohead.
Guitars LOUD
Drums HEAVY
Voals eeeeEEEAAAARRRGGGHHHHHHOOOOoooooooo baby.
I like it sometimes,other times I want to shoot them.
Still better than Radiohead.
Nice review. I liked showbiz so much that I sent it to a friend in America where it also found a loving home. So it was with baited breath that I rushed home from HMV with a new copy of origin of symmetry tucked under my arm. I've got to say I was disappointed. Don't get me wrong I'm not saying that it was a bad album; it just wasn't my thing. Muse have evolved from being Buckley-clones with a dash of Tom Morello to being Morello clones with a dash of Buckley, and to be honest, I prefered them in their original state. OOS had no "unintended" equivalent, in that there was nothing of such ethereal beauty, nor did it have the coehesion of showbiz. I could listen to showbiz all the way through but OOS was more like a series of disjointed songs. Muse have released some great singles off the album, most notably "Feeling Good" and "Bliss" but when you hear the album as a whole it doesn't feel right somehow.
This is my disclaimer bit now, because sometimes people mistake a critical attack for a personal one. I thought your review was very good, but I am going to stick to my Jeff Buckley cds and consider buying myself another copy of showbiz for now.
This is my disclaimer bit now, because sometimes people mistake a critical attack for a personal one. I thought your review was very good, but I am going to stick to my Jeff Buckley cds and consider buying myself another copy of showbiz for now.
Muse's first album was released in 1999, under the title "Showbiz", which was critically acclaimed. The lead singer, Matt Bellamy was soon renound for his singing - it's seemlessly welded into the mellow tunes of his peers. With the amazing guitar riffs and hard beats, Muse are hot property in music.
In 2001, Muse released their 2nd album - "Origin Of Symmetry", which also recieved good reviews from critics and fans alike. The first thing you may like to know is that the CD features a disappointing 11 tracks, but they are of decent length, so the playing field is somewhat leveled.
The first track is "New Born", which begins tenderly with Bellamy's voice, but as it continues, until it explodes into a collaboration of wonder and spectacle, really showing up the inner energy that Muse possess, a somewhat rarity in this album. The track continues for over six minutes with the same formula, and it's great! This is one of my favourite tunes on the album.
Following New Born is "Bliss", a hard tune that takes you through the bliss that this world can be. This is less intense than New Born overall, but gets you straight into the main beat of the song. There are some nice instrumental parts in there and Bellamy really can put his voice to it's full potential here. Another cracking tune!
Next up is "Space Dimentia", "a trawl through space", as it's put. It stars off with some very gentle sounds, but builds up with drums, guitars and Bellamy to a light explosion of all three. This is one of the more depression tracks on the album, with "You make me sick..." in the lyrics, but still good nonetheless. The drums are used to their full potential here, making for an effective build up to key parts of the song. Quite a good song after you listen a few times.
Carrying on with the powerful approach, "Hypermusic" storms in fourth, which shows lines of a power-ballad in the making. Hypermusic is possibly the most unique song on OOS, with it's own formula that is yet to be perfected by any other band. The song starts of with a strange set of riffs, which gets more and more intense until the song gets into full motion. The album gets back to it's less-depressing feel with this excellent song! The guitars really are effective, with their amazing riffs blasted out by Bellamy and Co. Another show-stopping anthem!
A change from casual Muse, you can tell that this is going to be special from the beginning guitar riff, this is "Plug In Baby". An excellent riff starts off the song, followed by Bellamy's vocals coming in good use, whilst two riffs are played throughout the song, with a steady drum beat. I really think that if you want the best of Muse, this should be one!
For some reason, "Citzen Erased" sounds very Placebo-esque from the start (a compliment), but soon begins to sound like a techno tune. Bellamy's voice comes in quite late and the song carries on with the same dark tune for a while, before turning mellow and back to the dark tune - over and over again for seven minutes! I found this song too depressing for my liking. At the start, it sounded good but just ended up being a seven-second-stinker.
The evil continues with "Micro Cuts", an unorthodox melody, which features the same dark riff over and over again on one guitar, whilst an ever-changing tune on the other. The song ends very nicely with some more rock-ish riffs. For once in this album, I can say that I found Bellamy over-bearing. I found the vocals way too dramatic, but the tune kept up the somewhat low standards that had to be maintained, following Citizen Erased.
Not is all bad for the rest of the album though, as Muse fight back their troubles with "Screenager", a dark ride through angst. The drum beat is different and the guitars sound more "retro", if you know what I mean. Not a bad track, but not a brilliant one. It's one of those tracks that you can listen to for a few minutes or a song you put on in the background.
Mellowness ensues with "Dark Shrines", a somewhat ligher outlook on life. This is nothing out of the ordinary and this is the start of where the album begins to get slightly boriing, in that the songs seem to be quite similar to the previous one.
The tenderness continues with "Feeling Good", a cover version, I might add. Bellamy sings almost as soon as the song begins and this follows the original version almost religiously, except for the tune, of course. However, this song still sticks in my mind as a rare song Muse, wherein it's much a harder tune than the others.
The album closes with a sombre track called "Megalomania". This track is slow and depressing, but to decent effect, with Bellamy's mood really taking to the track.
OOS is a great album and it should be purchased by anyone looking for a collaboration of sombre tunes, hard rock and beaufitul melodies from the pioneers. This is true Muse!
In 2001, Muse released their 2nd album - "Origin Of Symmetry", which also recieved good reviews from critics and fans alike. The first thing you may like to know is that the CD features a disappointing 11 tracks, but they are of decent length, so the playing field is somewhat leveled.
The first track is "New Born", which begins tenderly with Bellamy's voice, but as it continues, until it explodes into a collaboration of wonder and spectacle, really showing up the inner energy that Muse possess, a somewhat rarity in this album. The track continues for over six minutes with the same formula, and it's great! This is one of my favourite tunes on the album.
Following New Born is "Bliss", a hard tune that takes you through the bliss that this world can be. This is less intense than New Born overall, but gets you straight into the main beat of the song. There are some nice instrumental parts in there and Bellamy really can put his voice to it's full potential here. Another cracking tune!
Next up is "Space Dimentia", "a trawl through space", as it's put. It stars off with some very gentle sounds, but builds up with drums, guitars and Bellamy to a light explosion of all three. This is one of the more depression tracks on the album, with "You make me sick..." in the lyrics, but still good nonetheless. The drums are used to their full potential here, making for an effective build up to key parts of the song. Quite a good song after you listen a few times.
Carrying on with the powerful approach, "Hypermusic" storms in fourth, which shows lines of a power-ballad in the making. Hypermusic is possibly the most unique song on OOS, with it's own formula that is yet to be perfected by any other band. The song starts of with a strange set of riffs, which gets more and more intense until the song gets into full motion. The album gets back to it's less-depressing feel with this excellent song! The guitars really are effective, with their amazing riffs blasted out by Bellamy and Co. Another show-stopping anthem!
A change from casual Muse, you can tell that this is going to be special from the beginning guitar riff, this is "Plug In Baby". An excellent riff starts off the song, followed by Bellamy's vocals coming in good use, whilst two riffs are played throughout the song, with a steady drum beat. I really think that if you want the best of Muse, this should be one!
For some reason, "Citzen Erased" sounds very Placebo-esque from the start (a compliment), but soon begins to sound like a techno tune. Bellamy's voice comes in quite late and the song carries on with the same dark tune for a while, before turning mellow and back to the dark tune - over and over again for seven minutes! I found this song too depressing for my liking. At the start, it sounded good but just ended up being a seven-second-stinker.
The evil continues with "Micro Cuts", an unorthodox melody, which features the same dark riff over and over again on one guitar, whilst an ever-changing tune on the other. The song ends very nicely with some more rock-ish riffs. For once in this album, I can say that I found Bellamy over-bearing. I found the vocals way too dramatic, but the tune kept up the somewhat low standards that had to be maintained, following Citizen Erased.
Not is all bad for the rest of the album though, as Muse fight back their troubles with "Screenager", a dark ride through angst. The drum beat is different and the guitars sound more "retro", if you know what I mean. Not a bad track, but not a brilliant one. It's one of those tracks that you can listen to for a few minutes or a song you put on in the background.
Mellowness ensues with "Dark Shrines", a somewhat ligher outlook on life. This is nothing out of the ordinary and this is the start of where the album begins to get slightly boriing, in that the songs seem to be quite similar to the previous one.
The tenderness continues with "Feeling Good", a cover version, I might add. Bellamy sings almost as soon as the song begins and this follows the original version almost religiously, except for the tune, of course. However, this song still sticks in my mind as a rare song Muse, wherein it's much a harder tune than the others.
The album closes with a sombre track called "Megalomania". This track is slow and depressing, but to decent effect, with Bellamy's mood really taking to the track.
OOS is a great album and it should be purchased by anyone looking for a collaboration of sombre tunes, hard rock and beaufitul melodies from the pioneers. This is true Muse!