After 2004's U.S. breakthrough success for U.K. favorite Muse, the band's second album, 2001's Origin of Symmetry, finally earns its stateside release. Last yeasr's Absolution and major performances across the country won ... more »legions of American fans for the band that was the prestigious closing act at London's V2004 Festival. Now these new fans can experience an earlier Muse with Origin of Symmetry.« less
After 2004's U.S. breakthrough success for U.K. favorite Muse, the band's second album, 2001's Origin of Symmetry, finally earns its stateside release. Last yeasr's Absolution and major performances across the country won legions of American fans for the band that was the prestigious closing act at London's V2004 Festival. Now these new fans can experience an earlier Muse with Origin of Symmetry.
CD Reviews
ART ROCK LIVES
J. C. Bailey | East Sussex United Kingdom | 06/23/2002
(4 out of 5 stars)
"I heard this album by accident when my 13 year old daughter brought it home, and I was stunned by it. I have to say (with affection) that it's wasted on her, and I'm not sure there are many other teenagers around who will grasp why Muse are so important. In fact you probably have to be a 40-something like me to fully appreciate who their influences have been and what the young band has done with them.The trouble with Muse is that they make the creation of superb art rock look so easy that most listeners will take it for granted. Unless you've been around a few years and listened to a few other bands' attempts to create this sort of music, then you may fail to appreciate the unique mix of creative talent, inspiration, sheer hard work, and encyclopaedic knowledge of rock history that must have gone into this project. Sadly, the only influence most reviewers on this site have spotted has been Radiohead. That's fair enough up to a point. Matt Bellamy sounds a bit like Thom Yorke on some songs, and Muse owe Radiohead an even more important debt: It's only because Radiohead carved out a mass market for this kind of art-rock back in the late 90's that there is an opening for new bands like Muse now. However, it is unfair to write Muse off as copyists. On the contrary, they have in some respects surpassed Radiohead at their best, matching the sonic ambition of Radiohead's later work without sacrificing the melodic sweep and the compelling hooks that made "The Bends" so listenable. What's more, Bellamy's voice is a considerably more flexible and emotionally powerful instrument than Yorke's, and embraces far older and deeper influences going right back to the late '60's. Van der Graaf Generator is the most obvious influence, but there's also a heavy sprinkling of King Crimson, at least a nod to middle-period U2, a hint of Japan and others if you listen for them. It's all very British, but encyclopaedic for all that. The key structural difference between Muse and that first wave of prog bands is a welcome one: Muse have learned to say in a four-minute song what some of the seventies prog-rockers needed a 20 minute mini-concerto for. They have some way to go before they outgun the older bands for sheer musical virtuosity, but even that is no bad thing. At least this never pretends to be anything but rock - a boundary that some of the old prog bands came dangerously close to crossing - and they have all the time and talent in the world to refine their art. So what will you hear? Among a wealth of styles, you'll get delicate baroque-style keyboard arpeggios, some thundering ostinato bass lines, crunching splintery guitar, rock solid percussion, and possibly the most awesome, spine-tingling rock vocalising you've ever heard. Ultimately, it must be said, the band has so far broken little new ground. They seem to have been concentrating so far on drawing their influences together and weaving them into whole cloth for the new decade. But they are still amazingly young for this sort of mature work, and the intelligence and awesome technique they have brought to the task promises to propel them to the front rank."
Before they were big
E. A Solinas | MD USA | 12/27/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"While British rock band Muse are big in the UK, the US is only just starting to get acquainted with these original, entrancing musicians. And their second album, "Origin of Symmetry," they accomplish the almost impossible -- every song is epic and thrilling.
The first two songs open with delicate rippling piano intros that suddenly blossom into rock riffs. Feedback kicks off into sizzling basslines and riffs in "Plug In Baby" and "Citizen Erased," while wind chimes and an acoustic melody are at the heart of "Screenager." "Hyper Music" is the only dud. It's a discordant clatter that becomes a discordant rock song -- nuff zed.
But as good as most of the album is, Muse save the best for absolute last. The penultimate song "Feeling Good" is perhaps the best -- fuzzy chopsticks start the song, followed by a stretch of epic rock and soaring vocals. The finale is no less entrancing, a slowly stately wave of sound that slowly transitions into an equally rich rock song.
Americans really got to know Muse through their latest album, "Absolution." But it's not the only album they have done, nor is it the best. "Origin of Symmetry" may well take that honor, or at least tie with their debut "Showbiz." Relatively few people know about these earlier albums, or about the rich apocalyptic quality of Muse at their best.
Muse is definitely a band for Radiohead fans -- it has the same rich spaciness and art-rock quality, but it's more grounded and gritty. The most entrancing instrumentation is done on piano -- it can be delicate, dark, fuzzy, or outright epic. The piano is accompanied by smashing percussion, sinuous riffs and basslines, and sweeps of spellbinding electronics.
Matt Bellamy puts his good vocals to use in every song, and he's as versatile as his piano. Much of the time he opts for the smooth, low sound. But he also gets to howl, and occasionally sounds like he's been huffing helium. And the songwriting is also pretty solid, often focusing on betrayal and a lover who "was so beautiful."
Muse deftly dodged the sophomore slump in "Origin of Symmetry," a soaring rock epic that won't be fast forgotten."
Don't expect Revelations
Patrick Bateman | Adelaide, Australia | 01/05/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"To preface this review - I have noticed a few comments and reviews, both here and elsewhere, comparing this album to 'Black Holes and Revelations' and suggesting that Origin of Symmetry is boring, repetitive, or merely represents an embryonic version of Muse's current sound. With the greatest of respect, those sentiments reflect a failure to listen to this album with sufficient patience, a perspective on the point in time at which it was released, and a musically open mind. Origin will not hit you with poppy, catchy songs like Revelations (although it has its catchy moments), but it is by far the more consistent album and will reward a serious listener with arguably Muse's best work so far.
Origin allowed Muse, previously a promising band often likened to Radiohead, to fully demonstrate the breathtaking scope of their sound and ambition. Unlike the relatively dour and understated work of many of their contemporaries, Muse chose to mix the grandeur of classical music, metal, prog rock, and 'alternative' rock to create a massive, grandiose soundscape like no other. Several of the tracks on this album include piano passages from Rachmaninoff; throughout one also encounters huge orchestral-type arrangements, spectacular organ, light-and-dark contrast of the kind not heard since the heyday of the Smashing Pumpkins, and some truly awesome falsetto singing.
Ultimately though, this band is about intelligent guitar driven rock, and I doubt that there is a better current exponent of incendiary yet scientifically precise guitar playing than Matt Bellamy. The songs on Origin provide ample scope for Bellamy's virtuosity, from riff-driven tracks like "Plug In Baby" to the massive stadium sound of "Citizen Erased" and the spanish-tinged guitar of "Darkshines"... and all of these are overshadowed by the use of the guitar as a hybrid classical-rock weapon of mass destruction on tracks such as "Microcuts" and "New Born". Combined with an aggressive rythm section and Bellamy's razor-sharp voice, it's hard to remember that this band is a three piece in the face of the epic wall of sound it produces.
A brief comment on the content of the songs - although there are occasional deviations (for instance, the strange choice to cover "Feeling Good"), there is a definite dystopian-science fiction feel to much of Origin, although it is not a concept album per se. Although musically different, thematically it is somewhat similar to At the Drive In's 'Relationship of Command', with tales of space travel, war, and totalitarianism. Bellamy's penchant for this kind of imagery would become more obvious on subsequent albums, but here it provides a dark, intriguing backdrop.
So. If you are looking for pop songs in the vein of Revelations' "Starlight" and "Supermassive Black Hole" you may not enjoy this album. If, however, you are interested in hearing possibly the best modern prog-rock album in existence, or what Radiohead might sound like if they put away their electronic equipment and picked up guitars again, buy this album - now. A great musical experience beckons."
Finding the origin in the 21st century.
Herucles... Doh! | 03/02/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Muse have been threatening to explode for a while now... both on and offstage. Their latest album "Absolution" finally made it to American shores and to no one's surprise... has been well receieved. Unfortunately, the omission of their first two album's within America has slowed their plans for world domination. Amazon doesnt even have any track samples!?!! But, "Origin of Symmetry" the second album, is arguably their best work.
Origin of Symmetry, sees the trio band... Chris, Dom and frontman Matt Bellamy... travel to the end of time and back. Its an epic adventure... Space Odyssey style... Grandiose and ambitious.
Matt Bellamy is known for his wacky theories and love for space, evolution, religion and physics... in this album, he proceeds to take his audience to places most books could never envision let alone express.
It starts with the angelic "New Born". Beginning with the flickering of piano notes, staging the formation of life. It quickly turns to an all out rainbow effect... beautifully capturing an array of emotions (agony, confusion, defiance, madness). It is brilliant. It is a description of life through expression of music.
The second track 'Bliss' draws from the first, as Matt Bellamy waves his magic wand he summons a whirlwind that lifts life onto the world stage. Yes folks, you have just experienced the birth of life. As the video clip implies, it plays like a gravitational pull. Falling through time and space...
The third track 'Space dementia' feels like a ripple in the seam. It begins poised, but suddenly rips into a fast paced spread of destruction. Matt literally screams like a baby, the new born momentarily innocent, pure and peaceful is now quickly contaminated. The environment polluting its existence.
'hyper music' and 'plug in baby' are products of human experiences, the effects of earthly existence... Love and Hate.
'Citizen erased' (probably the best part of this vast voyage) ventures to the borders of life and death. Someone is kneeling to GOD here... and pleading for his\her life. Like the song itself, it jumps between the realms of pain and beauty, death as we know it maybe.
'Micro Cuts' is the haunting truth, the inevitable outcome of the previous track, life has not been granted. There is panic, the guillotine awaits, eyes covered, hands cuffed. There is no escape but just immense pain and sorrow. As expressed by the turmoil in Matt's voice.
Whilst 'micro cuts' was an immediate reaction, 'Screenager' is the creepy, dark, long and lonely wait. "Stop your screaming no one can hear". This is the night before the end...death awaits.... what to feel? .... cold, helpless, accepting (maybe even embracing what is to come).
'Dark shines' plays like a walk through death town.. the lights have gone out. Darkness has prevailed.... wOOHOOOOOO... tell me you havent been succumb already!!
'Feeling good', a Nina Simone cover is cleverly placed here. Its a new dawn... new life. A new start. IS this Reincarnation? Is it life transferred to new frontiers.
'Megalomania' is the closing credits to a fantastic journey. An absolutely beautiful finale to an absolute gorgeous world that is 'Origin of Symmetry'. The tempo builds to a crashing percussion, a supernova at its finest hour! And amongst all this perhaps subtle hints of a return to evilness... a 'Clockwork orange' ending. Or perhaps a message that 'things will never change'.
Muse's journey to the Origin of Symmetry, is a mind boggling musical expedition to the outer boundaries... It is truly breathtaking. I haven't even talked about the catchy melodies that unfold or the sheer energy that these three young men are able to yield. The genious of Matt's finger coordination like a caterpillar on pills speeding across the piano, his razor sharp scissor hands on the guitar, or his spectacular voice raising over what often feels like a musical stage... that is about to lift off like a spaceship.
And then there is the Live aspect of Muse (O.O.Symmetry playing a large part), which is undoubtly their strongest asset. Their night shows, encapsulating a smorgasboard of stunning visuals and a beautiful array of lighting effects, like some psychedlic 70's disco space arena... it has even seen a call for a return to stadium rock!
And lets not forget to mention Matt's charismatic 'over the top' antics, sliding across the stage like Marty Mcfly (Back to the Future), effortlessly swaying his oversized guitar like a MANGA character weilding an axe, and doing the splits mid air whilst in the middle of a riff... no wonder Muse have cleaned up Best live act at Q, NME, MTV europe, FESTIVAL, and British awards this last year!!!
I could go on forever about their live performance, but Ill end with one important note. Matt's antics onstage are parallel to BMW's motto for car aesthetics... functionality first. Matt doesnt repeatedly headbang, wave his torso pointlessly, or swivel his guitar between notes... his actions are an extension of his music. The timing is relevant and the motions are always functional in an attempt to express his music. Most muse fans will tell you, you havent finished hearing Muse until you see them live. That, amongst all the mundane 70's and Nu metal clones out there, you just dont find anymore."
Quite fantastic indeed
Andrew | Australia | 06/25/2001
(4 out of 5 stars)
"As I am writing this I have this wicked CD on repeat on my stereo and each time I hear it I become a little more acquainted with parts I never recognised. A little more complex and in depth then their debut, Origin of Symmetry is a sophomore effort which defies the much anticipated second-album convention of bathos which has plagued many a less worthy act. The sometimes demonic, sometimes seductive bass-lines, the complex layered guitar and synth and most importantly the soaring operatic vocals of Matt Bellamy make this a must-have for the discerning progressive rock fan.This is very probably what radiohead might sound like if they had taken the guitar rock path and started listening to a smidgeon of tool or angst-ridden punk rock. Experimental, progressive and almost always brilliant, Muse excel. The second single, New Born, makes a rip roaring opener which contains one of the most charged guitar riffs ever penned once the band has dispensed with the pleasantries of the piano driven intro. The second song - and obvious third single - Bliss shows a lovely blend of guitar and synth effects to show off a side of muse which didn't emerge fully on the debut but was always hinted at. The song rocks. Full stop. Hyper Music says all that needs to be said in its appellation, and is just a little funky - which is weird given the angry/morose lyrics, but still very cool.If you're reading this you have no doubt heard plug in baby, and as a guitarist I tell you that's what it makes me want to do everytime. Just plug in and rock out, the riff is incendiary and the bass line ...is just awesome. Unfortunately, the rest of the album doesn't quite meet the high expectations Muse generate in the first five tracks. Don't get me wrong, there is some great stuff in there...but experimentation and complexities seem to run away from the normally blistering three-piece. However, the second half is what makes this an album and guarantees you won't be bored by it. Don't be surprised if you end up drawing your favourite track from amongst these after spending a little more time getting acquatined with it. It is great, and if I hadn't been so quick to review it a little more time would probably have earned it five stars. ...the fact that someone is still rocking out, trashing instruments and making something new of a tired medium is all that's left. Grab it."
Track Listings (12) - Disc #1