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Muse
Absolution
East West
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Feel like taking a ride on a biblical roller coaster bound for destination Apocalypse? If so, Absolution may be just what you’re looking for. A nauseating, bumpy ride full of ecstatic highs and screeching lows. Although it’s definitely not one of those albums you listen to when you’re looking to heighten a particular mood or sustain a distinct vibe, it does have it’s exciting and enticing moments. It takes the listener on a whirlwind journey through a menagerie of tones and tempos that fluctuate between ideas of desolate hopelessness all the way to invigorating moments of uplifting hope. Although most of the tracks can be a bit unimpressive, they vary with elements of warped bass lines, blissful pop moments, weary minor chords, flamboyant string arrangements and even grandiose classical piano movements.
Track listing:
01 Intro
02 Apocalypse Please
03 Time Is Running Out
04 Sing for Absolution
05 Stockholm Syndrome
06 Falling Away with You
07 Interlude
08 Hysteria
09 Blackout
10 Butterflies and Hurricanes
11 Endlessly
12 Thoughts of a Dying Atheist
13 TSP
14 Rule by Secrecy
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Muse originates from the hamlet of Teignmouth in the breathtaking Devon countryside, so Britain is where they call home and furthermore have found their greatest following. Currently all of Muse’s albums are platinum in the UK, and predominantly gold in the major European territories. Matt Bellamy (lead vocals, guitar and keyboards), Dominic Howard (drums and percussion), and Chris Wolstenhome (bass and backing vocals) had known each other since childhood and were long time friends. In 1994 they formed Muse and performed their first gig at a local battle of bands after being together one short week. Six years later, after a string of independent EP’s, a growing following crowd and exposure from a national British radio station, Muse joined forces in America with Maverick and released Showbiz. That became the foundation for their music career, then later in 2001 released Origin of Symmetry.
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One mystery behind the band is the front man, Matt Bellamy. He’s previously informed interviewers he could communicate with the dead and claimed his band’s early fan base had been dependent on local witches. He spent his early-acquired royalties on a device called a Paramotor; a motorized paraglider made from aircraft materials. Apparently this was so Bellamy could soar over the Devon Riviera at whim. How this all ties into Absolution, I’m not sure. Maybe it’s just a minor portion of the template for what is contained in the album. Ideas of Apocalypse, chaos theories, miracles, eternal victory, souls, faith, hysteria and even hell permeate the wavering tracks.
The album opens with the confrontational sound of “Apocalypse Please," undaunted piano movements, iconoclast harmonies, synthesizer dabble and melodramatic vocals infiltrate. “Stockholm Syndrome” possibly the most reckless rock song on the album contains gruesome lines pronouncing “look to the stars/ let hope burn in your eyes/and we’ll love and we’ll hate/ and we’ll die/ all to no avail, all to no avail.” “Falling Away” starts off like a timid lullaby with a subtle acoustic guitar then abruptly shifts to a guitar interlude, massive bass line, and scattering riffs that create a very unexpected resonance. “Change everything you/ and everything you were/ your number has been called” is an allotment of the prophetic lyrics of “Butterflies and Hurricanes.”
Like the rest of Absolution, Muse is complex, unique, perplexing, and at times highly entertaining and talented. Their sound derives solely from three young men’s imaginations that emerge past the boundaries of the everyday, run-of-the mill rock band of today. When beginning this review I thought I would be very cynical and harsh. After listening more thoroughly and doing some research they’re quite a bit more intriguing. One thing to be beware of, at first encounter they sound eerily similar to Radiohead. After a deeper listening you realize vocals may sound similar but the all over content is highly incomparable. If a jaunt over unexpected peaks and valleys is what appeals to you, Muse will deliver an excursion of some of the most climatic, bewildering music around.
-Christine Beals 05/07/04
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