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Sabtu, 05 April 2014

ABOUT LINKIN PARK

Linkin Park is an American rock band from Agoura Hills, California. Formed in 1996, the band rose to international fame with their debut album Hybrid Theory, which was certified Diamond by the RIAA in 2005 and multi-platinum in several other countries.[1] Their following studio album Meteora, continued the band's success, topping the Billboard 200 album chart in 2003, and was followed by extensive touring and charity work around the world.[2] In 2003, MTV2 named Linkin Park the sixth-greatest band of the music video era and the third-best of the new millennium.[3] Billboard ranked Linkin Park No. 19 on the Best Artists of the Decade chart.[4] The band was recently voted as the greatest artist of '00s in a Bracket Madness poll on VH1.[5]
Having adapted nu metal and rap metal to a radio-friendly yet densely layered style in Hybrid Theory and Meteora,[6][7][8] the band explored other genres in their next studio album, Minutes to Midnight (2007).[9][10] The album topped the Billboard charts and had the third-best debut week of any album that year.[11][12] The band continued to explore a wider variation of musical types in their fourth album, A Thousand Suns (2010), layering their music with more electronic sounds and beats. Their most recent work, Living Things (2012), combines musical elements from all of their previous records. They are currently working on their sixth studio album, entitled The Hunting Party, set to be released on June 14, 2014, which the band has stated will feature a heavier rock sound compared to their recent ventures. The band has collaborated with several other artists, most notably with rapper Jay-Z in their mashup EP Collision Course, and many others on Reanimation and Recharged.[7] Linkin Park has sold over 60 million albums worldwide and has won two Grammy Awards.[13][14]

History

Early years (1996–2000)

Linkin Park was founded by three high school friends; Mike Shinoda, Rob Bourdon, and Brad Delson.[15] The three attended Agoura High School in Agoura Hills, California, an affluent suburb of Los Angeles. After graduating from high school, the three began to take their musical interests more seriously, recruiting Joe Hahn, Dave "Phoenix" Farrell, and Mark Wakefield to perform in their band, Xero. Though limited in resources, the band began recording and producing songs within Shinoda’s makeshift bedroom studio in 1996, resulting in a 4-track demo tape, entitled as Xero.[15][16] Tensions and frustration within the band grew however after they failed to land a record deal.[15] The lack of success and stalemate in progress prompted Wakefield, at that time the band's vocalist, to leave the band in search of other projects.[15][16] Farrell also left to tour with Tasty Snax and other bands.[17][18]
After spending a considerable time searching for Wakefield's replacement, Xero recruited Arizona vocalist, Chester Bennington, who was recommended by Jeff Blue, the vice president of Zomba Music in March 1999.[19] Bennington, formerly of a post-grunge band by the name of Grey Daze, became a standout among applicants because of the dynamic in his singing style.[15] The band then agreed on changing its name from Xero to Hybrid Theory; the newborn vocal chemistry between Shinoda and Bennington helped revive the band, inciting them to work on new material.[15] In 1999 they released an extended play named after the group, which they plugged into internet chat-rooms and developed an informal 'street team' from the on-line community to spread the music.[20] The band’s renaissance culminated with a change in name; from Hybrid Theory, the band once again changed its name, this time to Linkin Park, a play on and homage to Santa Monica’s Lincoln Park.[15] The band initially wanted to utilize the name "Lincoln Park", however they changed it to "Linkin" to acquire the internet domain "linkinpark.com".[21] However, despite these changes, the band still struggled to sign a record deal. After facing numerous rejections from several major record labels, Linkin Park turned to Jeff Blue for additional help. After failing to catch Warner Bros. Records on three previous reviews, Jeff Blue, now the vice president of Warner Bros. Records, helped the band sign a deal with the company in 1999. The band released its breakthrough album, Hybrid Theory, the following year.[19]

Hybrid Theory and Reanimation (2000–2002)

Main articles: Hybrid Theory and Reanimation (album)
The Linkin Park logo used from the release of Hybrid Theory to the release of Minutes to Midnight.
Linkin Park released Hybrid Theory on October 24, 2000.[22][23] The album, which represented half a decade’s worth of the band’s work, was edited by Don Gilmore.[15] Hybrid Theory was a massive commercial success; it sold more than 4.8 million copies during its debut year, earning it the status of best-selling album of 2001, while singles such as "Crawling" and "One Step Closer" established themselves as staples among alternative rock radio play lists during the year.[17] Additionally, other singles from the album were featured in films such as Dracula 2000, Little Nicky, and Valentine.[17] Hybrid Theory won a Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance for the song "Crawling" and was nominated for two other Grammy Awards: Best New Artist and Best Rock Album.[24] MTV awarded the band their Best Rock Video and Best Direction awards for "In the End".[15] Through the winning of the Grammy for Best Hard Rock Performance, Hybrid Theory’s overall success had catapulted the band into mainstream success.
During this time, Linkin Park received many invitations to perform on many high-profile tours and concerts including Ozzfest, Family Values Tour, and KROQ Almost Acoustic Christmas.[17][25] The band also formed its own tour, Projekt Revolution, which featured other notable artists such as Cypress Hill, Adema, and Snoop Dogg.[19] Within a year’s stretch, Linkin Park had performed at over 320 concerts.[15] The experiences and performances of the precocious band were documented in its first DVD, Frat Party at the Pankake Festival, which debuted in November 2001. Now reunited with former bassist Phoenix, the band began work on a remix album, dubbed Reanimation, which would include works from Hybrid Theory and non-album tracks also.[17] Reanimation debuted on July 30, 2002, featuring the likes of Black Thought, Jonathan Davis, Aaron Lewis, and many others.[26] Reanimation claimed the second spot on the Billboard 200, and sold nearly 270,000 copies during its debut week.[27] Hybrid Theory is also in the RIAA's Top 100 Albums.[28]

Meteora (2002–2004)

Main article: Meteora (album)
Following the success of Hybrid Theory and Reanimation, Linkin Park spent a significant amount of time touring around the United States. The band members began to work on new material amidst its saturated schedule, spending a sliver of their free time in their tour bus' studio.[29] The band officially announced the production of a new studio album in December 2002, revealing its new work was inspired by the rocky region of Meteora in Greece, where numerous monasteries have been built on top of the rocks.[30] Meteora features a mixture of the band's previous nu metal and rapcore styles with newer innovative effects, including the induction of a shakuhachi (a Japanese flute made of bamboo) and other instruments.[15] Linkin Park's second album debuted on March 25, 2003 and instantly earned worldwide recognition,[15] going to No.1 in the US and UK, and No.2 in Australia.[16]
Meteora sold more than 800,000 copies during its first week, and it ranked as the best selling album on the Billboard charts at the time.[31] The album's singles, including "Somewhere I Belong", "Breaking the Habit", "Faint", and "Numb", received significant radio attention.[32] By October 2003, Meteora sold nearly three million copies.[33] The album's success allowed Linkin Park to form another Projekt Revolution, which featured other bands and artists including Mudvayne, Blindside, and Xzibit.[15] Additionally, Metallica invited Linkin Park to play at the Summer Sanitarium Tour 2003, which included well-known acts such as Limp Bizkit, Mudvayne and Deftones.[34] The band released an album and DVD, titled Live in Texas, which consisted of audio and video tracks of some of the band's performances in Texas during the tour.[15] In early 2004, Linkin Park started a world tour titled the Meteora World Tour. Supporting bands on the tour included Hoobastank, P.O.D., Story of the Year and Pia.[35]
Meteora earned the band multiple awards and honors. The band won the MTV awards for Best Rock Video for "Somewhere I Belong" and the Viewer's Choice Award for "Breaking the Habit".[36] Linkin Park also received significant recognition during the 2004 Radio Music Awards, winning the Artist of the Year and Song of the Year ("Numb") awards.[36] Although Meteora was not nearly as successful as Hybrid Theory, it was the third best selling album in the United States during 2003.[17] The band spent the first few months of 2004 touring around the world, first with the third Projekt Revolution tour, and later several European concerts.[17] At the same time, the band's relationship with Warner Bros. Records was deteriorating rapidly on account of several trust and financial issues.[37] After months of feuding, the band finally negotiated a deal in December 2005.[38]

Side projects (2004–2006)

Main articles: Collision Course (album), Fort Minor, and Dead by Sunrise
Following Meteora's success, the band postponed working on a new studio album for the next few years, instead, working on many side projects. Bennington appeared on DJ Lethal’s "State of the Art" and other work with Dead by Sunrise, while Shinoda did work with Depeche Mode.[17] In 2004, the band began to work with Jay-Z to produce another remix album, titled Collision Course. The album, which featured intermixed lyrics and background tracks from both artists' previous albums, debuted in November 2004. Shinoda also formed a new band, Fort Minor, as a side project. With the aid of Jay-Z, Fort Minor released its debut album, The Rising Tied, to critical acclaim.[39][40]
Linkin Park also participated in numerous charitable events, most notably raised money to benefit victims of Hurricane Charley in 2004 and later Hurricane Katrina in 2005.[17] The band donated $75,000 to the Special Operations Warrior Foundation in March 2004.[41] They also helped relief efforts for the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami victims by staging several charity concerts and setting up an additional fund called Music for Relief.[42] Most notably, however, the band participated at Live 8, a series of charitable benefit concerts set up to raise global awareness.[43] Alongside Jay-Z, the band performed on Live 8's stage in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to a global audience.[43] The band would later be reunited with Jay-Z at the Grammy Award Ceremony 2006, during which they performed "Numb/Encore", en route to winning a Grammy for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration.[44] They were joined on stage by Paul McCartney who added verses from the song "Yesterday". They would later go on to play at the 2006 Summer Sonic music festival, which was hosted by Metallica in Japan.[45]

Minutes to Midnight (2006–2008)

Main article: Minutes to Midnight (album)
Linkin Park performing at 2007's Novarock Festival
Linkin Park returned to the recording studios in 2006 to work on new material. To produce the album, the band chose producer Rick Rubin. Despite initially stating the album would debut sometime in 2006, the album was delayed until 2007.[9] The band had recorded thirty to fifty songs in August 2006, when Shinoda stated the album was halfway completed.[46] Bennington later added that the new album would stray away from its previous nu metal sound.[47] Warner Bros. Records officially announced that the band’s third studio album, titled Minutes to Midnight, would be released on May 15, 2007 in the United States.[48] After spending fourteen months working on the album, the band members opted to further refine their album by removing five of the original seventeen tracks. The album’s title, a reference to the Doomsday Clock, foreshadowed the band's new lyrical themes.[49] Minutes to Midnight sold over 625,000 copies in its first week, making it one of the most successful debut week albums in recent years. The album also took the top spot on the Billboard Charts.[12]
The album's first single, "What I've Done", was released on April 2, and premiered on MTV and Fuse within the same week.[50] The single was acclaimed by listeners, becoming the top-ranked song on the Billboard's Modern Rock Tracks and Mainstream Rock Tracks charts.[51] The song is also used in soundtrack for the 2007 action film, Transformers. Mike Shinoda was also featured on the Styles of Beyond song "Second to None", which was also included in the film. Later in the year, the band won the "Favorite Alternative Artist" in the American Music Awards.[52] The band also saw success with the rest of the albums singles, "Bleed It Out", "Shadow of the Day", "Given Up", and "Leave Out All the Rest", which were released throughout 2007 and early 2008. The band also collaborated with Busta Rhymes on his single "We Made It", which was released on April 29.[53]
Linkin Park embarked on a large world tour titled "Minutes to Midnight World Tour". The band promoted the album's release by forming their fourth Projekt Revolution tour in the United States which included many musical acts like My Chemical Romance, Taking Back Sunday, HIM, Placebo, and many others. They also played numerous shows in Europe, Asia, and Australia which included a performance at Live Earth Japan on July 7, 2007.[54] and headlining Download Festival in Donington Park, England and Edgefest in Downsview Park, Toronto, Canada. The band completed touring on its fourth Projekt Revolution tour before taking up an Arena tour around the United Kingdom, visiting Nottingham, Sheffield and Manchester, before finishing on a double night at the O2 arena in London. Bennington stated that Linkin Park plans to release a follow-up album to Minutes to Midnight.[55] However, he stated the band will first embark on a United States tour to gather inspiration for the album.[55] Linkin Park embarked on another Projekt Revolution tour in 2008. This was the first time a Projekt Revolution tour was held in Europe with three shows in Germany and one in the United Kingdom. A Projekt Revolution tour was also held in the United States which featured Chris Cornell, The Bravery, Ashes Divide, Street Drum Corps and many others. Linkin Park finished the tour with a final show in Texas. Mike Shinoda announced a live CD/DVD titled Road to Revolution: Live at Milton Keynes, which is a live video recording from the Projekt Revolution gig at the Milton Keynes Bowl on June 29, 2008, which was officially released on November 24, 2008.[56]

A Thousand Suns (2008–2011)

Main article: A Thousand Suns
Linkin Park performing at Sonisphere Festival in Finland.
In May 2009, Linkin Park announced they were working on a fourth studio album, which was planned to be released in 2010. Shinoda told IGN that the new album would be 'genre-busting,' while building off of elements in Minutes to Midnight.[57] He also mentioned that the album would be more experimental and "hopefully more cutting-edge."[58] Bennington also addressed the media to confirm that Rick Rubin would return to produce the new album. The band later revealed the album would be called A Thousand Suns.[59] While working on the new album, Linkin Park worked with successful film composer Hans Zimmer to produce the score for Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.[60] The band released a single for the movie, titled "New Divide". Joe Hahn created a music video for the song, which featured clips from the film.[61] On June 22, Linkin Park played a short set in Westwood Village after the premier of the movie.[62] After completing work for Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, the band returned to the studio to finalize their album.[63]
On April 26, the band released an app for the iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad, a game called 8-Bit Rebellion! It featured the band as playable characters, and a new song called "Blackbirds" which was unlockable by beating the game. The song was also later released as an iTunes bonus track on A Thousand Suns.
A Thousand Suns was released on September 14. The album’s first single, "The Catalyst", was released on August 2. The band promoted their new album by launching a concert tour, which started in Los Angeles on September 7.[64][65][66] Linkin Park also relied on MySpace to promote their album, releasing two additional songs, "Waiting for the End" and "Blackout" on September 8.[67][68][69][70] Furthermore, a documentary about the album's production, titled Meeting of A Thousand Suns, was available for streaming on the band's MySpace page. On August 31, 2010, it was announced that the band would perform the single live for the first time at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards on September 12, 2010.[71] The venue of the debut live performance of the single was Griffith Observatory, an iconic location used in Hollywood movies.[72][73][74] "Waiting for the End" was released as the second single of A Thousand Suns.
Linkin Park reached No.8 in Billboard Social 50, a chart of the most active artists on the world's leading social networking sites.[75] In other Billboard Year-End charts, the band reached No.92 in the "Top Artists" chart,[76] as well as A Thousand Suns reaching No.53 in the Year-End chart of the Billboard Top 200 albums[77] and No.7 in the 2010 Year-End Rock Albums, and "The Catalyst" reaching No.40 in the Year-End Rock Songs chart.[78]
The band was nominated for six Billboard Awards in 2011 for Top Duo or Group, Best Rock Album for A Thousand Suns, Top Rock Artist, Top Alternative Artist, Top Alternative Song for "Waiting for the End" and Top Alternative Album for A Thousand Suns, but did not win any award.[79] The band charted in numerous Billboard Year-End charts in 2011. The band was No.39 in the Top Artists Chart,[80] No.84 in the Billboard 200 Artists chart,[81] No.11 in the Social 50 Chart,[82] No.6 in the Top Rock Artists Chart,[83] No.9 in the Rock Songs Artists Chart,[84] No.16 in the Rock Albums Chart,[85] No.4 in the Hard Rock Albums Chart,[86] and No.7 in the Alternative Songs Chart.[87]

Living Things and Recharged (2011–2013)

Main articles: Living Things (Linkin Park album) and Recharged
The Linkin Park logo used since the release of Minutes to Midnight.
In July 2011, Bennington told Rolling Stone that Linkin Park aims to produce a new album every eighteen months, and that he would be shocked if a new album did not come out in 2012. He later revealed in another interview in September 2011 that the band was still in the beginning phases of the next album, saying "We just kind of began. We like to keep the creative juices flowing, so we try to keep that going all the time...we like the direction that we're going in."[88] Later, on March 28, 2012, Shinoda confirmed that the band is filming a music video for "Burn It Down".[89][90] Joe Hahn directed the video.[91] Shinoda spoke to Co.Create about the album's art, saying that it will "blow them [the fans] away...the average person is not going to be able to look at it and go, I understand that that's completely new, like not just the image but the way they made the image is totally new. So there's going to be that."[92]
On April 15, 2012, Shinoda announced that Living Things would be the title of Linkin Park's fifth album.[93] Shinoda stated that they chose the title Living Things because the album is more about people, personal interactions, and it is far more personal than their previous albums.[94] The band promoted the album on the 2012 edition of the Honda Civic Tour, with co-headliners Incubus. The band performed "Burn It Down" at 2012 Billboard Music Awards. On May 24, the band released the music video for "Burn It Down" and debuted "Lies Greed Misery", another song from Living Things, on BBC Radio 1. "Powerless", the twelfth and closing track of the album, was featured in the closing credits of the film Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter.[95]
Living Things sold over 220,000 copies during its debut week, ranking No. 1 on the US Albums Charts.[96] Linkin Park's single, "Castle of Glass", was nominated for 'Best Song in a Game' at the 2012 Spike Video Game Awards. The band also performed at the award ceremony on December 7, but lost the award to "Cities" by Beck.[97] Linkin Park also played at the Soundwave music festival in Australia, where they shared the stage with Metallica, Paramore, Slayer and Sum 41.[98]
On August 10, 2013, the band collaborated with American musician Steve Aoki to record the song "A Light That Never Comes" for Linkin Park's online puzzle-action game LP Recharge (short for Linkin Park Recharge), which was launched on Facebook and the official LP Recharge website on September 12, 2013. On the day of the game's release, Linkin Park made a post on their Facebook explaining that the song used to promote the game would be included on a new remix album, entitled Recharged, which was released on October 29, 2013 on CD, vinyl, and digital download. Similar to Reanimation, the album features remixes of ten of the songs from Living Things, with contributions from other artists, such as Ryu of Styles of Beyond, Pusha T, Datsik, KillSonik, Bun B, Money Mark, and Rick Rubin.[99][100]

The Hunting Party (2013–present)

Main article: The Hunting Party (album)
The band is currently working on the soundtrack for an upcoming film called Mall, directed by Joe Hahn. In an interview with Fuse, Mike Shinoda stated they have began working on their sixth album.[101]
Linkin Park is scheduled to perform at Download Festival on June 14, 2014, where they will play their debut album Hybrid Theory in its entirety for the first time.[14][102][103][104] Linkin Park confirmed that they will headline Rock am Ring and Rock im Park in 2014, along with Metallica, Kings of Leon, and Iron Maiden.[105][106] They will also headline with Iron Maiden again at the Greenfield Festival in 2014.[107]
Shinoda recently hinted in a status update on his blog that the sixth album will be released in during 2014.[108] On March 6, 2014, the band released their new single, "Guilty All the Same", which features American rapper Rakim, from the upcoming studio album through Shazam.[109] The band's sixth studio album was later revealed to be titled as The Hunting Party, and it is set to be released on June 14, 2014.[110]
Shinoda and Delson will be co-producers for The Hunting Party. Delson joked that the album is an "alternative Hybrid Theory" and "maybe its prequel".[111] Shinoda stated in an interview that the new album is a "90s style of rock record." He elaborated, "It’s a Rock record. It’s loud and it’s Rock, but not in the sense of what you’ve heard before, which is more like ‘90s Hardcore-Punk-Thrash."[112]

Charity

On January 19, 2010, Linkin Park released a new song titled "Not Alone" as part of a compilation from Music for Relief called Download to Donate for Haiti in support of the Haiti Earthquake crisis. On February 10, 2010, Linkin Park released the official music video for the song on their homepage. The single itself was released on October 21, 2011.
On January 11, 2011, an updated version of Download to Donate for Haiti was launched, called Download to Donate for Haiti V2.0, with more songs to download. For the updated compilation, the band released Keaton Hashimoto's remix of "The Catalyst" from the "Linkin Park featuring YOU" contest.[113]
Shinoda designed two t-shirts, in which the proceeds will go to Music for Relief to help the victims of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami disasters.[114][115] Music For Relief released Download to Donate: Tsunami Relief Japan, another compilation of songs, in which the proceeds will go to Save the Children.[116] The band released the song titled as "Issho Ni", meaning "we're in this together", on March 22, 2011 via Download to Donate: Tsunami Relief Japan.
In the wake of Typhoon Haiyan, Linkin Park played at Club Nokia during the "Music for Relief: Concert For the Philippines" in Los Angeles, California, and raised donations for victims. The show was broadcast on AXS TV on February 15. Other artists during the tour included The Offspring, Bad Religion, Heart, and The Filharmonic.[117][118]

Musical style and influences

Both Hybrid Theory and Meteora combine the alternative metal,[8][119] nu metal,[120][121] and rap rock[121][122] sound with influences and elements from hip hop, alternative rock,[123] and electronica, utilizing programming and synthesizers. William Ruhlmann from Allmusic regarded it as "a Johnny-come-lately to an already overdone musical style,"[124] whereas Rolling Stone described their song "Breaking the Habit" as "risky, beautiful art".[125]
In Minutes to Midnight the band experimented with their established sound and drew influences from a wider and more varied range of genres and styles, a process Los Angeles Times compares to a stage in U2's work.[10] In it, only two of the songs feature rapping, and the majority of the album can be considered alternative rock.[126][127] NME magazine's Dan Silver criticized the band's approach, calling it the "sound of a band trying and failing to forge a new identity", and referring to the song "Hands Held High", a song about terrorist attacks and war, as "far and away the funniest thing you will hear all year".[128]
The vocal interplay between Chester Bennington and Mike Shinoda plays as a major part within Linkin Park's music, with Bennington being the lead vocalist and Shinoda as the rapping vocalist. On Linkin Park's third album, Minutes to Midnight, Shinoda sings lead vocals on "In Between", "Hands Held High", and on the B-side "No Roads Left". On numerous songs from band's fourth album, A Thousand Suns, such as the album's four singles, both Shinoda and Bennington sing. On most of the record's tracks, the band notably used electronic drumbeats along with outro drumbeats. The album has been regarded as a turning point in the band's musical career by notable critics, some noting the band utilizing the electronic rock genre.[129][130] James Montgomery, of MTV, compared the record to Radiohead's Kid A,[131] while Jordy Kasko of Review, Rinse, Repeat likened the album to both Kid A and Pink Floyd's landmark album The Dark Side of the Moon.[132] Shinoda stated that he and the other band members were deeply influenced by Chuck D and Public Enemy. He elaborated: "Public Enemy were very three-dimensional with their records because although they seemed political, there was a whole lot of other stuff going on in there too. It made me think how three-dimensional I wanted our record to be without imitating them of course, and show where we were at creatively".[133] One of the record's political elements is its samples of notable speeches by American political figures.[134]
In their fifth album, Living Things, Linkin Park once again utilizes the electronic rock genre, but includes influences from their other albums prior to A Thousand Suns, resulting in a heavier sound by comparison.[135][136]
Linkin Park's influences include Nine Inch Nails, Deftones, The Roots and Aphex Twin.[137]
Linkin Park became the first rock band to achieve more than one billion YouTube hits.[138]

Band members


Discography

Main articles: Linkin Park discography and List of songs recorded by Linkin Park

Awards and nominations

Main article: List of awards and nominations received by Linkin Park
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ABOUT MUSE

Muse are an English rock band from Teignmouth, Devon, formed in 1994. The band consists of school friends Matthew Bellamy (lead vocals, lead guitar, piano, keyboards, keytar), Christopher Wolstenholme (bass, vocals, keyboards) and Dominic Howard (drums, percussion, synthesisers).
Since the release of their 2006 album Black Holes and Revelations, keyboardist and percussionist Morgan Nicholls has performed live with the band. Muse are known for their energetic and extravagant live performances[2][3] and their fusion of many music genres, including space rock, progressive rock, alternative rock, symphonic rock and electronica.[4]
Muse have released six studio albums: Showbiz (1999), Origin of Symmetry (2001), Absolution (2003), Black Holes and Revelations (2006), The Resistance (2009) and The 2nd Law (2012). They have also issued four live albums, Hullabaloo Soundtrack (2002), which is also a compilation of B-sides, Absolution Tour, which documents several of the band's performances such as Glastonbury Festival 2004 (2005), HAARP (2008), which documents the band's performances at Wembley Stadium in 2007[5] and Live at Rome Olympic Stadium which was shot in 4k and taken from the band's successful Rome show during The 2nd Law World Tour.
Black Holes and Revelations earned the band a Mercury Prize nomination and a third place finish in the NME Albums of the Year list for 2006.[6] Muse have also won a collection of music awards throughout their history, including five MTV Europe Music Awards, six Q Awards, eight NME Awards, two Brit Awards—winning "Best British Live Act" twice, an MTV Video Music Award, four Kerrang! Awards and an American Music Award. They were also nominated for five Grammy Awards,[7] of which they won Best Rock Album, for their fifth studio album The Resistance (2009).[8] As of June 2012, Muse have sold over 15 million albums worldwide.[9]

History

1994–1998: Formation and early years

The members of Muse played in separate school bands during their stay at Teignmouth Community College in the early 1990s, but the formation of Muse began when Bellamy successfully auditioned for the part of guitarist in Dominic Howard's band, Carnage Mayhem. They asked Chris Wolstenholme – who played the drums at the time – to learn to play bass guitar for the band, Wolstenholme agreed and took up lessons, while Bellamy had to become singer and songwriter for the band.[10][11] The other original band members left after Bellamy suggested that they write their own songs rather than doing covers.
Bellamy and Howard's first band name was Gothic Plague. They later changed the name to Fixed Penalty and then to Rocket Baby Dolls.[12] In 1994 the band used the name Rocket Baby Dolls[13] with a goth/glam image to compete in a local battle of the bands. The band won the contest, smashing their equipment in the process.[14][15] "It was supposed to be a protest, a statement", Bellamy said, "so, when we actually won, it was a real shock, a massive shock. After that, we started taking ourselves seriously." Shortly after the contest, the three decided to forget university, quit their jobs, change the band name to Muse (1994–1995), and move away from Teignmouth.[16] The name "Muse" was supposedly inspired by Matthew Bellamy's art teacher Samuel Theoun. The band liked that it was short and thought that it looked good on a poster.[17] Music journalist Mark Beaumont writes in his biography of the band, that they wanted the name to reflect "the sense Matt had that he had somehow 'summoned up' this band, the way mediums could summon up inspirational spirits at times of emotional need."[18]

1998–2000: First EPs and Showbiz

Main article: Showbiz (album)
After a few years building a fan base, Muse played their first gigs in London and Manchester supporting Skunk Anansie on tour. The band had a significant meeting with Dennis Smith, the owner of Sawmills Studio, situated in a converted water mill in Cornwall. He had seen the three boys grow up as he knew their parents and had a production company together with their future manager Safta Jaffery.[19]
The Muse logo, incorporated chiefly since the release of Muse EP in 1998
This meeting led to their first proper recordings and the release of the Muse EP on 11 May 1998 on Sawmills' in-house Dangerous label.[14] Their second EP, the Muscle Museum EP released on 11 January 1999, reached number 3 in the indie singles chart and attracted the attention of British radio broadcaster Steve Lamacq as well as the weekly British music publication NME.[20] Dennis Smith introduced the band to Safta Jaffery, with whom he had recently started the record label Taste Media. Later in 1999, Muse performed on the Emerging Artist's stage at Woodstock 1999. Muse signed with Smith and Jaffery and recorded their first three albums: Showbiz (1999), Origin of Symmetry (2001), and Absolution (2003), with Taste Media.[20]
Despite the success of their second EP, British record companies were reluctant to sign Muse. After a trip to New York's CMJ Festival Nanci Walker, then Sr. Director of A&R at Columbia Records, flew Muse to the US to showcase for Columbia Records' then-Senior Vice-President of A&R, Tim Devine, as well as for American Recording's Rick Rubin. During this trip, on 24 December 1998, Muse signed a deal with American record label Maverick Records.[21] Upon their return from America, Taste Media arranged deals for Muse with various record labels in Europe and Australia, allowing them to maintain control over their career in individual countries.[22] John Leckie was brought in alongside the MUSE and Muscle Museum EP producer, Paul Reeve, to co produce the band's first record, Showbiz (1999). The album effectively showcased Muse's aggressive yet melancholic musical style. Lyrics in the songs referenced human relationships and difficulties they had encountered while trying to establish themselves in their hometown.[14][15]

2001–2002: Origin of Symmetry and Hullabaloo

Main article: Origin of Symmetry
During production of the band's second album, Origin of Symmetry (2001), the band experimented with instrumentation such as a church organ, Mellotron, animal bones, and an expanded drum kit. There were more of Bellamy's high-pitched vocal lines, arpeggiated guitar, and piano playing. Bellamy cites guitar influences such as Jimi Hendrix and Tom Morello (of Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave), the latter evident in the more riff-based songs in Origin of Symmetry and in Bellamy's extensive use of pitch-shifting effects in his solos.[23] The album also features a reworking of Anthony Newley and Leslie Bricusse's "Feeling Good".[24] The track was later used as the backing for a Virgin Airways UK TV advertisement.[25]
In 2002, Muse threatened Celine Dion with legal action, when she planned to name her Las Vegas show as "Muse", despite the band owning the worldwide performing rights to the name. Dion offered Muse $50,000 for the rights, but they turned it down. Bellamy later stated, that "We don't want to turn up there with people thinking we're Celine Dion's backing band." Eventually Dion was forced to back down.[26] Origin of Symmetry (2001) was well received by critics; NME gave the album 9/10 with Roger Morton writing: "It's amazing for such a young band to load up with a heritage that includes the darker visions of Cobain and Kafka, Mahler and The Tiger Lillies, Cronenberg and Schoenberg, and make a sexy, populist album. But Muse have carried it off."[27]
Maverick had reservations about Bellamy's vocal style on this album (considering it not to be "radio-friendly") and asked Muse to change some of their songs prior to US release. The band refused and left Maverick, resulting in Maverick's decision not to release Origin of Symmetry in the United States.[28] The album was finally released in the US in September 2005, after Muse signed to Warner Bros.[29]
Muse released a live DVD, Hullabaloo, featuring live footage recorded during Muse's two gigs on consecutive nights at Le Zenith in Paris in 2001 and a documentary film of the band on tour. A double album, Hullabaloo Soundtrack, was released at the same time, containing a compilation of B-sides and a disc of recordings of songs from the Le Zenith performances. A double-A side single was also released featuring new songs "In Your World" and "Dead Star".

2003–2005: Absolution

Main article: Absolution (Muse album)
Chris Wolstenholme of Muse performing at the Mod Club Theatre, Toronto in 2004. The international Absolution tour included the band's first shows in North America since 1999.
Absolution (produced by Rich Costey, Paul Reeve and John Cornfield) was released in September 2003 and debuted at number one in the UK.[30] The album yielded their first top ten hit with "Time Is Running Out" and later three top-twenty hits: "Hysteria", "Sing for Absolution" and "Butterflies and Hurricanes".
Muse subsequently undertook an international tour in support of the album. It continued for about a year and saw Muse visiting Australia, New Zealand, the United States, Canada, and France. Meanwhile, the band released six singles (one being for charity) ("Time Is Running Out", "Hysteria", "Sing for Absolution", Falling Away With You, Endlessly, "Stockholm Syndrome", "Butterflies and Hurricanes" and "Apocalypse Please"). The US leg of the 2004 tour began ominously as Bellamy injured himself on stage during the opening show in Atlanta.[31] The tour resumed after Bellamy got several stitches and had a couple of days of rest.
The band also played at the Glastonbury Festival in June 2004. After the festival, the band described the concert as "the best gig of our lives".[32][33] Drummer Dominic Howard's father, William Howard, who attended the festival to watch the band, died from a heart attack shortly after the performance. "It was the biggest feeling of achievement we've ever had after coming offstage", Bellamy said. "It was almost surreal that an hour later his dad died. It was almost not believable. We spent about a week sort of just with Dom trying to support him. I think he was happy that at least his dad got to see him at probably what was the finest moment so far of the band's life".[14] Muse then continued their tour. They won 2 MTV Europe awards, including "Best Alternative Act" and a Q Award for "Best Live Act".[34][35] Muse also received an award for "Best British Live Act" at the Brit Awards.[35] In July 2005, Muse participated in the Live 8 concert in Paris.[36]
In 2003, the band sued Nestlé, who used their cover "Feeling Good" for a Nescafé advertisement without the band's permission. The group donated the money won from the suit to Oxfam. A driving force behind the legal action was Muse bassist Christopher Wolstenholme, who had recently had his third child and was critical of Nestlé for promoting powdered milk to new mothers in developing countries.[37]
An unofficial and unauthorised DVD biography containing no Muse music called Manic Depression was released in April 2005; the band was not involved with the project and did not endorse the release.[38]
Another DVD, this time official, was released by the band on 12 December 2005, called Absolution Tour. The official release contained re-edited and re-mastered highlights from the Glastonbury Festival 2004 and previously unseen footage from London Earls Court, Wembley Arena, and the Wiltern Theatre in Los Angeles. Two songs, "Endlessly" and "Thoughts of a Dying Atheist", are hidden tracks on the DVD taken from Wembley Arena. The only song from Absolution not to appear on the live DVD is "Falling Away With You". Absolution eventually went Gold in the US.[39]

2006–2008: Black Holes and Revelations and HAARP

Main article: Black Holes and Revelations
Muse playing "Starlight" at Reading and Leeds Festivals on 28 August 2006
In 2006, Muse released their fourth album, Black Holes and Revelations, co-produced by Muse and Rich Costey. The album's title and themes are the result of the band's fascination with science fiction and political outrage.[40][41]
The album charted at No. 1 in the UK, much of Europe, and Australia.[42][43] It was also a success in the United States, reaching number nine on the Billboard 200 album chart.[44]
Prior to the release of the new album, the band resumed making live performances, which had halted while recording, making a number of promotional TV appearances starting on 13 May 2006 at BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend. The Black Holes and Revelations Tour started just before the release of their album and initially consisted mostly of festival appearances, most notably a headline slot at the Reading and Leeds Festivals in August 2006.[45] The band's main touring itinerary started with a tour of North America from late July to early August 2006. After the last of the summer festivals, a tour of Europe began, including a large arena tour of the UK.[46]
Black Holes and Revelations was nominated for the 2006 Mercury Music Prize, but lost to Arctic Monkeys.[47] The album did, however, earn a Platinum Europe Award after selling one million copies in the continent.[48] The first single from the album, "Supermassive Black Hole", was released as a download in May 2006. It was later followed by general releases as a single the next month, all ahead of the main album release. In August 2006, Muse recorded a live session at Abbey Road Studios for Live from Abbey Road.
The second single, "Starlight", was released in September 2006. "Knights of Cydonia" was released in the US as a radio-only single in June 2006 and in the UK in November 2006. "Knights of Cydonia" was voted number 1 in the world's largest music poll Australian Radio's Triple J Hottest 100 for 2007 and 18th in Triple J's Hottest 100 of All Time in 2009. The fourth single from the album, "Invincible", was then released in April 2007.[49] Another single, "Map of the Problematique", was released for digital download only in June 2007, following the band's performance at Wembley Stadium.[50]
Muse at the Rock im Park, Germany in 2007
The band spent November and much of December 2006 touring Europe with British band Noisettes as the supporting act. The tour continued in Australia, New Zealand, and Southeast Asia in early 2007 before returning to England for the summer. At the 2007 Brit Awards in February, Muse received their second award for Best British Live Act.[51]
Possibly their biggest performances to date were two gigs at the newly rebuilt Wembley Stadium on 16 and 17 June 2007, which they opened using the piece "Montagues and Capulets", which is titled as "Intro" on the album's back. Both Wembley concerts were recorded for a DVD/CD titled HAARP, which was released on 17 March 2008[52] in the UK and 1 April 2008[53] in the US. It was named the 40th greatest live album of all time by NME.[5]
The touring continued across Europe in July 2007 before heading back to the US in August, where they played to a sold out crowd at Madison Square Garden, New York.[54] They earned a headline spot on the second night of the Austin City Limits Music Festival on 15 September 2007, after The White Stripes cancelled their performance. Not long after, they also performed at the October 2007 Vegoose in Las Vegas alongside bands like Rage Against the Machine, Daft Punk, and Queens of the Stone Age.[54]
Muse continued touring in Eastern Europe, Russia, and Scandinavia before moving on to Australia and New Zealand. Muse played their final show of the Black Holes and Revelations tour as headliner of the KROQ Almost Acoustic Christmas after playing to sell-out crowds throughout Southeast Asia, Australia, the United States, and New Zealand.[28]
A number of individual live appearances also occurred in 2008. In March, they played concerts in Dubai, Johannesburg, and Cape Town.[55] On 12 April they played a one-off concert at the Royal Albert Hall in aid of the Teenage Cancer Trust.[56]
Muse were present at Rock in Rio Lisboa on 6 June 2008, along other bands such as Kaiser Chiefs, The Offspring and Linkin Park.[57] The band also performed at a new gig in Marlay Park, Dublin on 13 August and were set to play at a gig in Belfast on 14 August. However, the Belfast date was dismissed according to the Belfast Telegraph.[58] Kasabian and Glasvegas supported Muse on their Irish date.[59] A few days later, they were the headline act at V Festival 2008, playing in Chelmsford on Saturday 16 August and Staffordshire on Sunday 17 August.[60] They also hinted at the possibility of a future stadium tour or concerts in South America.[61] On 25 September 2008, Bellamy, Howard and Wolstenholme all received an Honorary Doctorate of Arts from the University of Plymouth for their contributions to music.[62][63]

2009–2011: The Resistance

Main article: The Resistance (album)
Muse performing "Resistance" at the National Indoor Arena, Birmingham on 10 November 2009.
The band's fifth studio album The Resistance was released in September 2009. It is the first Muse album to have been produced by the band itself.[64] The album was engineered by Adrian Bushby and mixed by Mark Stent.[65] On its release, it topped the album charts in 19 countries, became the band's third number one album in the UK,[66] and reached number three on the Billboard 200.[67]
Critics were mostly positive about the album, with much of the praise directed towards its ambition, classical music influences and the thirteen-minute, three-part "Exogenesis: Symphony".[68] It also beat its predecessor Black Holes and Revelations in relative album sales in its debut week in the UK with approximately 148,000 copies sold.[69] The first single, "Uprising", was released seven days earlier.[70] On 13 September, Muse performed "Uprising" at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards in New York City.[71]
The Resistance Tour started with a Seaside Rendezvous in Teignmouth, Devon in September 2009 and included headlining Coachella Festival in April 2010. It also included two gigs at Wembley Stadium in September 2010. The band also supported the U2 360° Tour. In the "Breakfast with Muse Concert" KROQ-FM held, Muse was asked, how long they would be on tour. They commented saying in a paraphrase: "We will probably be touring until the end of next year. We will be doing this U2 and European tour and ship off to Australia and Asia and return for an extensive US tour. It will actually be our longest US tour to date. Starting at about the end of February or March."[72]
Bellamy performing at the Oracle Arena, Oakland, California, on 11 December 2009
In January 2010, Muse headlined the Big Day Out festival at its various venues in Australia and New Zealand starting with Auckland and eventually ending with Perth.[73] Muse headlined Coachella on Saturday 17 April.[74] Muse also headlined the Glastonbury Festival 2010 along with Gorillaz and Stevie Wonder[75][76] as well as the Oxegen festival in 2010 alongside Arcade Fire and Eminem.[77] The group were also headline on the 2010 Hovefestivalen,[78] as well as T in the Park 2010 and among other festivals, including the Austin City Limits Music Festival.[79]
On 20 April 2010, the band announced fourteen dates for a North American tour, which were to be held between September and November 2010.[80] In addition to this, the band had added further four dates to their forthcoming North American tour, on 28 April 2010.[81]
On 7 May 2010, it was announced, that Muse would provide a pre-written song to be the lead single for the third film of The Twilight Saga: Eclipse. The soundtrack's lead single "Neutron Star Collision (Love Is Forever)" was released on 17 May 2010.[82] This was the band's third appearance in the soundtrack of a Twilight film.
Muse played at Glastonbury in June 2010 and were joined onstage by The Edge from U2 to play "Where the Streets Have No Name", after U2 pulled out of their headlining slot due to lead singer Bono's back injury.[83]
Muse's fearsome live reputation helped secure them the O2 Silver Clef Award in London on 2 July 2010.[84] The award was presented by Roger Taylor and Brian May. Taylor described the trio as "probably the greatest live act in the world today", while May said that "this is a magnificent, incredible group."[85]
Muse on stage at Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival in San Francisco, 13 August 2011
On 12 September 2010, Muse won a MTV Video Music Award in the category of Best Special Effects, for the "Uprising" promo.[86] On 21 November, Muse took home an American Music Award for Favorite Artist in the Alternative Rock Music Category.[87] On 2 December, Muse were nominated for three awards for the 53rd Grammy Awards on 13 February 2011, for which they won the Grammy Award for Best Rock Album for The Resistance.[8]
Based on having the largest airplay and sales in the US, Muse were named the Billboard Alternative Songs and Rock Songs artist for 2010 with "Uprising", "Resistance" and "Undisclosed Desires" achieving 1st, 6th and 49th on the year end Alternative Song chart respectively.[88][89]
On 30 July 2011, Muse supported Rage Against the Machine at their only 2011 gig at the L.A. Rising festival. Muse were chosen by Rage Against the Machine themselves along with Rise Against, Lauryn Hill, Immortal Technique and El Gran Silencio. On 13 August, Muse headlined the Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival in San Francisco.[90]
Muse headlined the Reading and Leeds Festivals in August 2011.[91] To celebrate the tenth anniversary of their second studio album Origin of Symmetry (2001), the band performed all eleven tracks from top to bottom during their set.[92] Muse also headlined Lollapalooza in Chicago's Grant Park in August 2011.[93]

2012–2013: The 2nd Law and Live at Rome Olympic Stadium

Main article: The 2nd Law
In an interview with Billboard on 18 October 2011, the band's manager Anthony Addis revealed that Muse had begun recording their sixth album in London and that he expected it to be released by October 2012.[94] Bellamy jokingly described the album as a "christian gangsta rap jazz odyssey, with some ambient rebellious dubstep and face melting metal flamenco cowboy psychedelia" on his Twitter account.[95]
Muse performing at the Air Canada Centre, Toronto on 10 April 2013 during The 2nd Law World Tour
In an interview in the April 2012 issue of NME, Bellamy said that the band were set to include elements of electronic music, with influences coming from acts such as French house duo Justice and UK Electronic Rock group Does It Offend You, Yeah?,[96] as well as the inclusion of brass players. Bellamy also confirmed a release date of autumn 2012 for the album in the interview.[97]
On 6 June 2012, Muse released a trailer for their next album, The 2nd Law, with a countdown on the band's website suggesting a 17 September release date, although the actual release date was 1 October 2012.[98] The trailer, which included dubstep elements, was met with mixed reactions from fans.[99][100]
On 7 June 2012, Muse announced a European Arena tour; the first leg of currently ongoing gig: The 2nd Law Tour. The leg included dates in France, Spain and the United Kingdom as well as other countries.[101] Muse's first single from the album, "Survival", was the official song of the London 2012 Summer Olympics.[102] The single premièred on BBC Radio 1's Zane Lowe show on 27 June along with a prelude.[103] Muse performed "Survival" at the Olympics closing ceremony.[104]
Muse performing "Supremacy" at Stadio Olimpico, Rome on 6 July 2013 during The Unsustainable Tour
Muse revealed The 2nd Law tracklist on 13 July in an official announcement.[105][106][107] The second single from The 2nd Law, "Madness", was released on 20 August 2012, and the music video for the song came out on 5 September. Muse played at The Roundhouse on 30 September to promote their new album as part of the iTunes Festival. The 2nd Law was released worldwide on 1 October, and on 2 October 2012 in the United States; the album subsequently reached number one in the UK Albums Chart, and number two on the US Billboard 200.[108][109] The song "Madness" earned a nomination in the Best Rock Song category and the album itself was nominated for the Best Rock Album at the 55th Grammy Awards, 2013. The band performed the album's opening song, "Supremacy", with a full orchestra, at the 2013 BRIT Awards on 20 February 2013.[110] The instrumental versions of two songs from the album, The 2nd Law: Isolated System and Follow Me, were also featured as background music in several instances in the 2013 film World War Z. Leading star and producer Brad Pitt explained in an interview that he was in search of a song that could be associated with the film like Mike Oldfield's iconic Tubular Bells is connected to The Exorcist. Pitt thought the songs were "exactly what we were looking for for the film".[111]
The band has released their third live album: Live at Rome Olympic Stadium, from 29 November 2013 in the CD/DVD and CD/Blu-ray formats. On 5 November 2013, the film will also get theatrical screenings in 20 cities worldwide, in the U.S. and Canada on 6 November 2013, in Europe, UK, Australia and Japan on 7 November 2013, on 12 November 2013 in Austria, Germany, Italy and Spain, on 19 November 2013 in Poland, and 22-24 November 2013 in Indonesia. This is the first concert filmed in 4K format. The album contains the band's performance at Rome's Stadio Olimpico on 6 July 2013, in front of a crowd of 60,963 people. The concert was a part of The Unsustainable Tour, which is a moniker for the band's summer 2013 European leg of The 2nd Law World Tour.

Musical style

Muse are an alternative rock band and are often associated with space rock and progressive rock.[4] Their music currently mixes sounds from genres such as electronic music, hard rock, experimental rock, classical music, rock opera and many others.[112] The band was described as a "trashy three-piece" by Matthew Bellamy on the BBC during 2002.[113] On the band's association with progressive rock, Dominic Howard has said: "I associate it [progressive rock] with 10-minute guitar solos, but I guess we kind of come into the category. A lot of bands are quite ambitious with their music, mixing lots of different styles – and when I see that I think it's great. I've noticed that kind of thing becoming a bit more mainstream."[114]

Stylistic changes

For their second Origin of Symmetry (2001) album, the band wanted to enhance their sound into a more progressive, confident and aggressive sound: "Looking back, (Chris regarding to the sound of their previous album) there isn't much difference sonically between the mellow stuff and the heavier tracks. The heavy stuff really could have been a lot heavier and that's what we want to do with this album." [115] Their third release, Absolution (2003), followed its predecessor's tendency, increasing the band's heaviness and intensity alongside its ambitious thematics. The album also features songs with prominent string arrangements and starts to draw influences from artists such as Queen.[116] Their fourth album, Black Holes and Revelations (2006) is a more electronica – and space rock – oriented album, though some tracks keep the heaviness of the band's previous work, while others show a more melodic style, akin to the musical style of their first album, Showbiz (1999). Black Holes and Revelations was influenced by artists like Depeche Mode and Lightning Bolt, as well by various styles of Asian and European music, such as Naples music; additionally, the band listened to radio stations from the Middle East during the album's recording sessions.[117]
Muse's fifth album, The Resistance (2009) is centred on the symphonic rock and progressive rock genres, as demonstrated in the tracks "Resistance" and the "Exogenesis: Symphony". Although in places it is sonically softer than its predecessors, it still contains a number of 'heavy' compositions. The album is heavily influenced by classical music as well as rock acts such as Queen, Ultravox ("Guiding Light" features a heavy "Vienna" influence) and U2. Queen's guitarist Brian May has praised Muse's work, calling the band "extraordinary musicians", who "let their madness show through, always a good thing in an artist."[118]
Muse's sixth album, The 2nd Law (2012) has a much broader range of influences, ranging from funk and film scores to electronica and dubstep. The 2nd Law is influenced by rock acts such as Queen and Led Zeppelin (on "Supremacy") as well as dubstep producer Skrillex and Nero (on "The 2nd Law: Unsustainable"[119] and "Follow Me", with the latter being co-produced by Nero), Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder (on "Panic Station" which features musicians who performed on Stevie Wonder's "Superstition"[120]) and Hans Zimmer.[121] Additionally, the album marks the first performance of bassist Chris Wolstenholme on lead vocals, who wrote two songs for the album about his battle with alcoholism – "Save Me" and "Liquid State".[122]
Critics have made comparisons between Muse's early work with the one from the English alternative rock band Radiohead, with criticism directed towards Bellamy's vocal style. Additionally, in a 1999 issue of the French magazine Rock Sound, Bellamy named The Bends by Radiohead and Nirvana's Nevermind as the most important albums of the decade.[123][124] However since then the band have clarified these statements various times[125] and have stated, that what they meant to say was, that Nirvana and Radiohead were the most successful alternative rock bands in the 1990s, and were influential to many bands, but that does not necessarily mean that Radiohead was an influence for them. On the other hand, Muse acknowledges Nirvana as a major influence.[126] Bellamy has stated various times that Radiohead "really don't do much for [him]" and attributes the similarities to the fact that both bands are notably influenced by the alternative rock musician Jeff Buckley.[127]

Musical approaches

Many Muse songs are recognisable by lead vocalist Matthew Bellamy's use of vibrato, falsetto, and melismatic phrasing, influenced primarily by Jeff Buckley.[127] As pianist, Matt Bellamy often utilises the broken chords technique (arpeggio) on several piano-based songs. Some influences in Bellamy's playing include late classical and Romantic era composers such as Sergei Rachmaninov (in "Butterflies and Hurricanes"), Pyotr Tchaikovsky, Hector Berlioz, Ludwig van Beethoven, Franz Liszt, Camille Saint-Saëns (in "I Belong to You (Mon Coeur S'ouvre À Ta Voix)"), and Frédéric Chopin (in "United States of Eurasia") among others. He also draws influence from more contemporary composers, namely Steve Reich and Philip Glass.[128]
In several Muse songs the bass line is used as the central motif, often with the guitar providing an extra layer to the song. The bass line adds embellishments in the lower register. The bass usually is fuzz bass, an overdriven, distorted tone. Other electronic effects are also applied to the bass tone to achieve a greater weight and depth. This allows the bass guitar to serve as counterfoil to the main chord progression, often playing higher notes, or electronic sounds. Both bass and guitar also play unison parts on occasion, adding emphasis to specific melodies and riffs (see "Hysteria" post-second chorus; "Dead Star" main riff). Both Matt and Chris use touch screen controllers, often built into their instruments; this touch screen can control a variety of synthesisers and digital effects pedals but is most often used with a Korg Kaoss pad and/or a Digitech Whammy pedal.[129]
As a guitarist, Bellamy often utilises arpeggiator and Pitch-shift effects to create a more "electronic" sound, citing Jimi Hendrix and Tom Morello as influences for this method.[23] In contrast, his guitar playing is also influenced by a more classical harmonic aesthetic, particularly the style of Latin and Spanish guitar music, as Matt Bellamy cites: "I learnt some Spanish guitar music that opened up a world of different harmonies and making music and a different sort of passion, very heavy music but it hasn't got a distortion pedal."[130]

Lyrical

Most earlier Muse songs lyrically dealt with introspective themes, including relationships, social alienation, and difficulties they had encountered while trying to establish themselves in their hometown. However, with the band's progress, their song concepts have become more ambitious, addressing issues such as the fear of the evolution of technology in their Origin of Symmetry (2001) album. They deal mainly with the apocalypse in Absolution (2003) and with catastrophic war in Black Holes and Revelations (2006). The Resistance (2009) was a concept album based around the plot and themes of Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell. Their latest album, The 2nd Law (2012) relates to economics, thermodynamics, and apocalyptic themes.
Books that have influenced Muse's lyrical themes include:
The band has also been influenced by 19th-century political economist and social theorist Henry George (see geolibertarianism).[135]

Band members

  • Matthew Bellamy
  • Christopher Wolstenholme
  • Dominic Howard
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