Muse, 'Origin Of Symmetry'

You can’t accuse Muse of lacking artistic integrity. Most bands – and especially those from sleepy British cities – would answer “how high?” to their US record company asking them if they would jump. The leap in question came when discussing the Devon trio’s second album ‘Origin Of Symmetry’. The lead single ‘Plug In Baby’ had already been a considerable hit across Europe but their American paymasters weren’t keen on singer Matt Bellamy’s distinctive falsetto drawl. Maverick Records requested that it be removed for the US release, due to it not being radio friendly. The conversation was a short one: Muse wouldn’t agree and the band and label parted ways. The anecdote is key for it illustrates that when you listen to Muse, you’re hearing their work exactly as they would want you to.

Actually, anecdotes seem to play a major part across the course of this expertly delivered example in harmonizing melodies with guitars. A further album highlight is their reworking of Nina Simone’s ‘Feeling Good’. A certain coffee company tried to use it for a commercial but didn’t ask the band’s permission. The upshot was a 500,000 pound settlement that was promptly sent to Oxfam. And it’s the band’s searing honesty – both in their morals and the music they make – that make them so compelling to listen to. Drummer Dominic Howard added to his traditional drum kit by bringing some extras of his own. Bellamy himself plays a church organ on ‘Megalomania’, a delightful irony seeing how the track is anti-religious in tone. Throw into the mix the ‘welcome to the millennium’ roar that is ‘New Born’ and you’re dealing with a heady brew (with apologies for the previous pun to the coffee company) of sensual melodies and unashamedly pompous guitars. These musical mavericks were showing Maverick exactly what they were missing out on.