In the pantheon of great alternative rock bands in my generation there’s few who come close to Muse in my book. This is a band who simply isn’t just fun to listen to (although they most certainly are) but also frankly a band who made me recognize the transformative nature of what rock music can become if given the proper care to its soul.
Muse’s story began in the small seaside town of Teignmouth, England. It was there Matt Bellamy, Dominic Howard, and Chris Wolstenholme found each other through the chaos of high school bands. Bellamy’s audition for Howard’s group at the time (brilliantly named Carnage Mayhem) set in motion the band coming together, leading Wolstenholme to switch from drums to bass to formally round out the trio. After winning a Battle of the Bands in 1994 they decided to formally take their shot, quitting their jobs, rebranding from names like Gothic Plague and Rocket Baby Dolls into Muse. And the rest is sort of history.
At the heart of Muse’s creative universe is Matt Bellamy—a frontman equal parts virtuoso and visionary. As lead vocalist, guitarist, pianist, and lyricist, he reshaped modern rock with his gloriously haunting operatic tenor, his Hendrix-meets-Morello guitar chops, and his obsession with using sci-fi sounds to add atmosphere underneath the band’s traditional three piece approach. And then you have his lyrical output which he self-admits draw significantly from George Orwell, blending themes of dystopia, spirituality, and paranoia into a single entity. Absolution is a masterpiece in that sense. Operatic, heavy as hell, sentimental, dramatic, the album quite literally has it all. Whether it be the symphonic tension of “Butterflies and Hurricanes” and “Blackout”, or the the pure unrelenting horsepower of “Hysteria” and “Stockholm Syndrome”, it perfectly represents Muse’s potent formula of beauty and chaos.
Alabama football coach Nick Saban often talks about the “capability gap” which in super simple terms means the gap between what you’re capable of compared to your current performance. It may be a weird comparison to make in a musical sense but it truly reminds me of Muse every time I hear it. To me Muse has never had an issue with the capability gap– they always have sounded like they are performing at their peak capabilities, pushing themselves to experiment and explore at every junction, never leaving anything on the table. They may not be my favorite band but as a musician myself they certainly are one of my biggest muses (yes, had to do it).
Every time I listen—whether it’s their bold sonic experimentation or the weight of their lyrical themes—I always come away feeling like I’ve uncovered a new part of myself I hadn’t explored before. That’s the magic of their music to me. It challenges you, moves you, and makes you consider new possibilities. Is there any greater gift an artist can give than that? I’m hard pressed to find one.
Standout Songs: “Apocalypse Please”, “Time Is Running Out”, “Sing For Absolution”, “Stockholm Syndrome”, “Falling Away With You”, “Hysteria”, “Butterflies & Hurricanes”, “The Small Print”, “Endlessly”
