Newly born,nearly bliss!! (Origin Of Symmetry - Muse)

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Product:	Origin Of Symmetry - Muse
Date:	18/04/02 (59 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: 4 hit singles+3great album fillers

Disadvantages: not as good as showbiz

The second outing from Muse whose first release 'Showbiz' was a huge hit for a new Indie band.

Going on their previous success i was very much looking forward to album two this one!!

Often compared to Radiohead which must frustrate them because it must seem to them that there always playing in someones shadow.


Now Muse will not appeal to everyone because of there angst ridden,energetically driven vocals but theres no doubting they are good at what they do-Matt Bellamy(lead singer) is actaully classically trained and has a very fine voice.

Indie music is my favourite style of music and ive listened to enough of it and seen enough indie gigs to realise when someone is good or average and these guys are believe me very much above average-Dominic Howard the drummer i give particualr praise to as a musician.

OK anyway i bought this album upon its release and hadnt listened to the press at all so my opinion is very much a personal one from one of the original Indie kids so to speak.

The CD comes in a digibox with pullout lyrics showing the band are going upmarket,nice touch i like that!

I think an album has to get off to a good start and track 1 is 'New born' first single released from the album achieving top ten status so they couldnt fail there could they.
This song is fantastic live i hasten to add!

Superb single with a slow starting piano intro and explosive guitar/drum chorus it has many chord changes and hauntingly delivered vocals,what a fine start to the album!

'Bliss' doesnt ease up the quality,third released single from the album which also reached top ten status.
Trademark Muse slow intro, building up into a crescendo chorus.Its not as pacy as track1 but Matts vocals come more into play and is even better than track1 in my opinion.

The first album filler comes along in 'Space Dementia' and obviously the quality
drops a little here.Piano intro and overtone with very energetic vocals.

'Hyper Music' has a rugged noisy guitar intro but doesnt really deliver what it promises,great chord change a minute and a half in but a little one paced.

'Plug in Baby' second released single from the album and reaching top5 making it most sucessful single on the album.
Renowned for its fantastic guitar intro and video,i love the lyrics to this song but i think it falls short of 'Bliss' however still a 8/10 single.

'Citizen Erased' has some superb guitar work but is of a much slower pace than those gone before.

'Micro Cuts' takes thirty seconds to get going when Matt takes an opportunity to test his voicebox to the limit!Bit of a scream-athon and not to my liking really.

'Screenager' starts very slow but dont fast forward this very good album filler,unusual but well worth a listen.

'Darkshines' should have been released.I like this a lot with its changable pace and great vocals.

'Feeling Good' is a cover version of 'Nina Simone's hit and a very good one at that.You wouldnt expect Muse to re-release a song by Nina but it actually works quite well and achieved modest success upon single release.
Dominated by the guitars but also contains a cello and distorted lyrics in the middle,very interesting showing the bands willingness to experiment.

'Megalomania' completes the album and is also above average,another slow starter with tender vocals.Two minutes in the track bursts into life by means of an organ (yes an organ)overtone and great vocals .

Another point worth mentioning is that you can play tracks 1,2,5,9 and 10 through your PC via the Muse website accessing the accompanied videos!I think that demonstrates the bands willingness to embrace new technology something with which more
bands should copy.

The band are maturing and are not just a one album wonder and definately capable of staying around for years to come on this evidence.

Overall the album in my opinion is above average but just falls short of 'Showbiz' which shows just how good there debut album was because i would recommend this wholly to indie music lovers and others.

The album at 11 tracks and fifty one minutes is about right.

9/10.

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