Alternative Weekend: Focus on ‘Muse'
I have been posting most weekends using @detlev’s #metalweekend tag, but my main love of music is progressive and alternative music. Some of my posts have included these songs, but I feel they are not keeping with the spirit of metal.
I will continue to post article’s using #metalweekend occasionally but feel I have more to offer regarding these other genres that I am more familiar with.
Introducing #alternativeweekend. Post an article that highlights THREE great songs that are either progressive or alternative and use the tag #alternativeweekend or use the ‘Focus on’ series if you like. There are no rules, just make your own!
If you have a short story or something to offer regarding an opinion on your songs, then share it with us!
I was very late to realise that this band from Devon, England do have something special. 2010 was the year that I started listening to the Absolution album and was wondering why and how I had missed them.
I owe part of the band advertising to the Guitar Hero III game on the Xbox 360. One of the songs was ‘Knights of Cydonia’ and it struck a chord.
By this time, Activision had begun to buy the rights to the original recordings, so I was presented with the real thing and not some shoddy rip-off.
My knowledge of the songs of Muse are really from the Origin of Symmetry to the Black Holes and Revelations albums.
After listening to The Resistance and hearing that Queen nonsense I no longer gave them a chance. I mean Queen with their unique voice harmonies are simply that; Queen.
Personally, I feel that the band should stick with what they are good at, which is Space Rock. Who else creates Space Rock besides Muse? I can’t think of anybody and maybe that’s why I was attracted.
They have their own sound and are different enough to distinguish from the rest of the thousands of three and four-piece bands trying to make it. Here are my picks
Muse – Time is Running Out (Absolution – 2003)
If you want to have a listen to Muse, then start with the Absolution album. The reason is accessibility. The first FIVE songs on this album are so easy to listen too.
Absolution spawned SIX singles, FOUR of them being part of this FIVE that I mention.
When I listen to the start of ‘Time is Running Out’ I always think of Sly Cooper from the video games. He’s a stealthy thief and the initial twenty seconds are just that, sneaky and sly.
Muse – Fury (Absolution – 2003)
Why is that Japanese releases get these extra songs that we don’t? Fury is a fantastic driving track and yet westerners will never hear it unless we dig around. It’s omitted from both the UK and American release of Absolution.
I want to include something that you may never have heard for various reasons, and this one hits the spot.
Muse – Knights of Cydonia (Black Holes and Revelations – 2006)
I can’t really omit this anthem and the song that bought the attention of Muse to me. I had heard Hysteria somewhere before, but this crowd pleaser is something special.
Like City of Delusion, I feel there is a touch of Arabia in this song with the horses galloping at the start and the Knights theme. (though the video depicts the Wild West!)
Black Holes and Revelations is another Muse album which I feel is accessible, and not at all like the next one I will mention.
Muse – Space Dementia (Origin of Symmetry – 2001)
If anything epitomises that Space Rock I mentioned, it’s this song. That echoing piano that explodes is quite typical of Matt Bellamy unitising his many talents as an outstanding musician.
When I first started listening to Origin of Symmetry I simply couldn’t understand why it wasn’t hitting me. Unlike the other two albums mentioned, this one is quite inaccessible and yet it seems to be the hard-core fans favourites.
I preserved and eventually it did sink in. This album is simply outstanding, and any prospective listener should persevere with it. How he manages to sing and play with that all that fury, I cant comprehend.
Matt Bellamy is the heart and soul of Muse. His vocal range is incredible, and he regularly sings in falsetto without any fear or quivering of his voice. I wonder if he will be able to use those talents in 30 years when he is much older?
The band have a huge following and I know I am missing some gems from the later albums after casually listening to some Glastonbury footage a couple of years back. Perhaps I should give their newer material another chance.
Other articles in the ‘Focus on’ series:
Focus on ‘Nirvana' // Focus on ‘Anathema'
Focus on ‘Genesis’ - The Collins Years Part One // Focus on ‘Genesis’ - The Collins Years Part Two
Focus on ‘Genesis’ - The Gabriel Years // Focus on ‘The Pixies’
Focus on ‘Sonic Youth’ // Focus on ‘Talking Heads’
Focus on ‘Blackfield’ // Focus on ‘Karnivool’
Focus on 'Tears for Fears' // Focus on 'The Cranberries'
Focus on 'Kate Bush' // Focus on 'The Smiths'
Focus on 'Radiohead' // Focus on 'Rush'
If you found this article so invigorating that you are now a positively googly-eyed, drooling lunatic with dripping saliva or even if you liked it just a bit, then please upvote, comment, resteem, engage me or all of these things.
I am not super familiar with Muse, but I use to play my fair share of Guitar Hero! I was never that good at it though. I might have to add them to my list of bands to check out. I think I do know the one song they had some success on the radio with.
Knights of Cydonia is definitely my favourite song of them, probably their most popular one though. I always loved playing it on Guitar Hero :')
Now you coming from where I did. Did you notice they seemed to emphasize the guitar parts on those games.. somehow raise the volume levels of the guitars higher than usual so you could plainly here them?
Yeah, I think they've remastered all the songs on Guitar Hero for that purpose. I've always noticed something was a little bit 'off' compared to the original tracks.
Wow! That Space Dementia is incredible. I've always loved Muse, but I'm so lazy about buying albums. I'm a Radiohead fan, and I think they shared the same producer. Fury is amazing too, with that bass guitar sound. I know the other two tracks, though I hadn't seen the Knights of Cydonia video before, which is gripping!
Good to hear you got something from it.. Space Dementia is something special.. that keyboard work is phenomenal.
I still use Muse as one of the best ways to tell how good your speakers actually are when you buy them.
That's an interesting way of listening to the band, any song in mind for the 'test'?
There can be only one brother. Madness.
Congratulations! This post has been chosen as one of the daily Whistle Stops for The STEEM Engine!
You can see your post's place along the track here: The Daily Whistle Stops, Issue 416 (03/02/19)
Oeeee you have hit a string there. Personally I still like the 2nd Law album but only the first 5 songs on it hahahah. I have that with almost every album of them. There are a few fan-tas-tic songs on there and there are also some songs on every hour which I have literally never listened to in my life.
I went to their movie of the Drones tour last year in the cinema (and wrote a post about it) and that was weird.. but damn those guys live....sooooo good!
Favorite song: plug in baby
2nd Law,... I need to make an effort the check that out. I know there's some good stuff still to be heard. A band that was great can't suddenly become 100% pants overnight!
Plug in Baby is great... off their probably greatest album too.
agree with you on that album thing, totally...
Try the combo from the Second law with the prelude with immediately survival after it...(also used at the olympics a couple years back) super winning
Nice! The first time I’ve ever heard Fury, thanks for it!
It's interesting that you came to them via a game! The last time that I got into music was the music of Fallout 3 and 4. I never knew the stuff from that 50s, 60s era... and I totally got hooked by it!
Yes, some of the Fallout music was really cool... very old but I recall one song that had me looking it up... Fallout 3 I think it was from.
Let's go sunning? That was the one that got me!
I cant remember... Fallout 3 was years ago now!
Then your hobby should surely be called music
Congratulations! This post has been upvoted from the communal account, @minnowsupport, by Slobberchops from the Minnow Support Project. It's a witness project run by aggroed, ausbitbank, teamsteem, someguy123, neoxian, followbtcnews, and netuoso. The goal is to help Steemit grow by supporting Minnows. Please find us at the Peace, Abundance, and Liberty Network (PALnet) Discord Channel. It's a completely public and open space to all members of the Steemit community who voluntarily choose to be there.
If you would like to delegate to the Minnow Support Project you can do so by clicking on the following links: 50SP, 100SP, 250SP, 500SP, 1000SP, 5000SP.
Be sure to leave at least 50SP undelegated on your account.