I am a huge Muse fan and I came across this tattoo on their official forum. It’s a mix of their first three albums; Showbiz, Origin of Symmetry & Absolution, and it looks really cool.
A Tattoo Which Showcases Three Of Muse’s Albums.
I have always been an avid Muse fan. From ‘Showbiz’ to ‘The Origin of Symmetry’, from ‘Absolution’ to ‘Black Holes & Revelations’ to ‘The Resistance’. Like most Muse fans when ‘The 2nd Law’ was announced, I watched the album trailer and was excited to hear Muse’s latest offering.
However, after trawling forums and fan sites to see what others thought, I found that ‘Muse Go Dubstep’ was met with horror as well as excitement. ‘R.I.P Muse’ was written by those who felt that their experimentation had finally gone too far, that ‘The 2nd Law’ would be a disaster. But, like the unashamed Muse fangirl I am, I had faith, and they certainly haven’t disappointed me.
‘Supremacy’ opens the album and is a majestic track of orchestral hysteria in which Bellamy declares; ‘Your true emancipation is a fantasy’. I really like the drama this song imposes on you. To me, it is a cry for battle, the rallying of troops; the marching percussion whispers softly in the background and we know that; ‘The time, it has come, to destroy, Your supremacy’.
One of the stand-out tracks for me is ‘Madness’ and demonstrates Bellamy’s continuous ability to write powerful, innovative lyrics. Describing his inspiration for ‘Madness’ Bellamy stated; ‘You’ve had a fight with your girlfriend and she goes off to her mum’s house for the day and you’re on your own going: ‘What did I say? I’m sure a lot of blokes have that experience in the early stages of relationships where you go, “Yeah, she’s right, isn’t she?”’ The accompanying video to this song complements it perfectly. When Bellamy sings; ‘I have finally realised, I need to love’ the video breaks into beautiful chaos and is well worth checking out.
The stand-out track for most seems to be ‘Panic Station’ which is actually the very first album track Matt has sworn on, and only the third in Muse’s whole discography. At the beginning of ‘Follow Me’, you can hear a heartbeat, and that heartbeat belongs to Bingham Bellamy; Matt Bellamy and Kate Hudson’s son. Strange maybe, but this song is Bellamy’s ode to fatherhood and is actually a really cool track that incorporates upbeat melodies with hard bass, co-produced by dubstep duo, Nero.
What is very interesting about this album are the two songs penned and sung by Chris Wolstenholme. ‘Save Me’ is a refreshing song that warns; ‘Don’t let go, I need your rescue’, and pleads; ‘Wait just a while, while I’m drowning in denial’, indicative of Wolstenholme’s battle with alcoholism. Coming from the man himself, Wolstenholme describes ‘Save Me’ as; ‘having a difficult time and having a person in your life who can pull you through – my wife, in my case’. ‘I am nothing without you’ is a line that could so easily fall into the trap of ‘cheese’ but Wolstenholme and Muse pull it off as a striking reminder about finding stability through the person you love. ‘Liquid State’ is a much more rock-filled offering that touches upon similar themes. I interpreted it as fight between two entities, one good and one bad; one of them will ‘Warm my heart tonight’, the other will ‘Watch as I lose my soul’.
The last two tracks on the album; ‘The 2nd Law: Unsustainable’ and ‘The 2nd Law: Isolated System’ are nothing like Muse have ever done before. But, the multiple voice-overs from news-readers and scientists, mixed with the ominous music, makes for two very powerful tracks that had my spine tingling.
Some Muse ‘fans’ will say that ‘The 2nd Law’ is so far away from ‘Showbiz’ that it isn’t ‘Muse’ anymore. I disagree. Like everything else, music has evolved and is always evolving. This is why Muse are one of the best bands in the world; they know that to never take risks, to never experiment, is ultimately, ‘unsustainable’.
Published on www.zmemusic.com
London 2012 has been anticipated by Olympic enthusiasts in Great Britain since its successful bid in 2005. Seven years of waiting and the time is finally upon us; two weeks and two days of life-changing triumphs, heart-wrenching defeats, shocks, surprises, smiles and tears. Countries across the world will be willing on the victories of home-grown talent and nations will stand united in the global togetherness of the Olympic spirit.
Now, how to write a song that encapsulates all the varying emotions of such a unique event? The expectations of such a song would be huge; impossible to meet some might say. Well, cue Muse’s ‘Survival’, the track which has been adopted as the official song of London 2012, and you will realise that the Olympic committee clearly knew what they were doing.
As a Muse fangirl who has loved them since Showbiz in 1999, you may think I would be bias towards anything they release. However, my liking for ‘Survival’ took a while to develop. When it first premiered on 27th June on Radio One I couldn’t help feeling a little disappointed. I thought that the amount of instruments used in unison created a sense of overkill, that they were trying too hard, and that the song seemed disjointed.
But then the video was released a week later and my opinion completely changed. Played against a medley of Olympic moments throughout history, the song sends a shiver down your spine. I began to appreciate the subtle nuances and layers of the track; the male choir in the background mixed with Bellamy’s crooning polishing it off as an epic rock anthem worthy of the Olympics.
Forbes wrote an article on 28th June criticising the song for flying in the face of ‘the Olympic spirit’s endearing and enduring nature’, stating that ‘Bellamy appears to have a pretty shallow interpretation of the Olympics’, and that it is not the winning that matters; ‘when it comes to the Olympics winning tends to take, um, second place to the Olympic spirit’. I disagree with these statements entirely; the song mirrors the determination and conviction of every athlete preparing for the games. These people have given their life to their respective sports and Muse capture this in their lyrics; ‘Race, life’s a race, And I’m gonna win, Yes, I’m gonna win’.
Entering the stadium with ‘Survival’ playing will certainly motivate and inspire competitors to ‘keep up the pace’, ‘stay alive’ and ultimately, ‘choose to survive’.
Published on www.zmemusic.com
