Muse
In spite of a sound that suggests otherwise, Muse number three (vocalist/guitarist Matt Bellamy; bassist Chris; drummer Dom), the contingents of which forming a musical-entity of drastically immeasurable proportions.
OK, we tell a lie, because we know that – across four years, and two albums – the Devonshire trio have sold a staggering two-million records globally. But it wasn’t via means of hype. Far from it. The band’s debut-LP of ‘99 reared its head to criticisms of ‘glaringly apparent’ Radiohead-esque tendencies and melodrama from frontman Bellamy’s behalf that was simply too tragically un-hip to fit in with the Lycra-tight small-mindedness of cynical Britain.
Apart from the alt indie-stations and fan-bases, that is, whose embrace to Muse was instantaneous. Singles such as ‘Sunburn’ and ‘Muscle Museum’ from the group’s outlandish, sky-gracing, bold first record ‘Showbiz’ entered the top-40, whilst the press caught up only late afterwards, soon gushing praise upon the band’s early signs of considerable success.
Overseas markets embraced – Japan, Europe – whilst second album ‘Origin Of Symmetry’ (2001) took proceedings to an inevitable, higher level, whether via memorable top-20 stabs (‘Plug In Baby’, ‘New Born’), or Bellamy’s even further enhanced, deranged, developed form of rock-operatics, incorporating both skilled musicianship and a songwriting-acumen which took them to the heady heights of one-off-the-top, headline festival-appearances.
With a third record – rumoured to be titled ‘Absolution’, as produced by Rich Costey (RATM, Audioslave, Cave-In) – waiting in the wings for an autumn-release, the cliché and tacky pop-song of the 80s rings true even now: the only way, still, is up.
OFFICIAL SITE: As you\'d anticipate, ridden with features and flashy gimmicks that equate to an (almost) exact web-version of Devon\'s taut trio themselves.
MICROCUTS: A strikingly good-looking and well-crafted fan-space on the Muse vibe, man.