Muse Makes Live Return

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Concerts / Tours, Performances, Alternative, Electronic, Rock, New Releases,

Muse made their live return in London last night.

The "Survival" trio closed the annual iTunes festival in spectacular fashion, treating fans to a selection of material from their new album The 2nd Law, as well as classic tracks from their back catalogue.

Although the smaller venue meant the group did away with their usual stunning laser show and complex stage setting, video screens running around the venue and frontman Matt Bellamy's dazzling sparkling jacket meant there was still a visual spectacle accompanying the music.

The group opened their set with "Supremacy," with Matt taking the opportunity to reveal one of his heroes was in the crowd. "That last song was a little bit influenced by a certain Jimmy Page - who I believe is in the building," he said after the song.

While preview material has hinted at the trio going in a dub-step direction, Matt used the show to prove their experimentation isn't new. Introducing 2003 single "Time Is Running Out," he quipped, "Listen to the dub-step bassline on this."

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Muse Explore Electronica and Funk

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Artist News, Alternative, Electronic, Rock, New Releases,

Muse were inspired by Prince on The 2nd Law.

The British rock legends have embraced electronic music as well as funk on their new album, taking them back to their very earliest influences. "Yep, funk! What are we doing? But 'Panic Station' is a track that reminds me of my youth. Prince, Primus and Michael Jackson all influenced that song," drummer Dominic Howard said.

Frontman Matt Bellamy took a new approach with the track "Unsustainable" and despite many people being skeptical, he is pleased with the end results. "For 'Unsustainable' I wanted to write the idea electronically and when we came to record it, we did it with real, organic instruments and got a real orchestra in. We were trying to see if real instruments could make a sound like electronica. A lot of people were sceptical about it but it works."

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Muse Opens Up About Relationships

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Alternative, Electronic, Rock, New Releases,

Muse sings about relationships on The 2nd Law. The group are known for basing their records on grand concepts - including capitalism and megalomania - but have largely kept their relationships out of their work until now.

Singer Matt Bellamy - who became a father for the first time during the recording of the album - said, "We're singing about things like relationships for the first time. Actually, I did that for a bit on the first album, Showbiz, but then I started doing interviews and thought, 'Oh my God, I can't answer these questions, they're getting too personal.' So that's when we started getting all conceptual and pretending the album was about the end of the world, or whatever,"

The singer - who is dating Hollywood star Kate Hudson, with whom he has 14 month old son Bingham - explained how the band's new single, "Madness," is about a couple arguing: "Madness is about friction in a relationship, resolving conflict with a loved one and the madness of being caught up in fighting with someone you love."

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Muse Can’t Be Defined

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Collaborations, Upcoming Releases, Alternative, Electronic, Pop, Rock,

Muse "can't be defined." The "Survival" group are proud of the eclectic nature of their forthcoming new album, The 2nd Law, and say the tracks could easily be mistaken for three different bands.

"We are defined by the fact that we can't be defined by anybody. There are electro-pop sounds and songs that are obviously classic rock. Then there are the orchestral things. [The album would sound like] three different bands if it wasn't for my voice," frontman Matt Bellamy said.

The band did a lot of work on the album with David Campbell - who has previously arranged and conducted music for Metallica and Beck - and were thrilled with his overdubs. "He understood that film-music thing we were looking for. And he found a lot of amazing people," Matt told Rolling Stone.

Some tracks on the album were inspired by a show Matt watched on economics, when he saw experts discussing the second law of thermo­dynamics.

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Muse’s Most Diverse Album Yet

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Upcoming Releases, Alternative, Electronic, Jazz, Rock,

Muse has included jazz, brass and dubstep on The 2nd Law.

The band unveiled the first track from their sixth album, "Survival" - the official song of the London Olympics - last night, and have promised it contains a diverse range of musical styles: "There's a bigger emphasis on groove, we've always tried to improve on that with every album and I think on two or three tracks we've really nailed it. There's a couple of tracks where we've captured the other side of us too, they're quite minimal. There's a really jazzy brass number, I even tried to get a sax solo," singer Matt Bellamy said.

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Muse Track Named Official Olympics Song

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Artist News, Alternative, Electronic, Rock, New Releases,

Muse's new single, "Survival" is the official song of the Olympics. The British trio's new track will be played when athletes enter the stadium, in the lead up to the medal ceremony and as the theme for all international TV coverage at this year's games, held in London, which start on July 27.

"We are very excited to announce that a Muse song, 'Survival,' has been selected by the London Olympic committee to be the main official song for the London 2012 Olympic Games. Matt [Bellamy, lead guitarist and singer] wrote the song with the Olympics in mind. It's about total conviction and pure determination to win. We are honored that the Olympics have chosen our song to officially represent the London 2012 Olympic Games across the globe," the band wrote on their website.

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Muse Go Dubstep?

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Artist News, Upcoming Releases, Alternative, Electronic, Rock,

Muse's new album, The 2nd Law, is influenced by dubstep. The "Uprising" hitmakers have unveiled a teaser trailer for their forthcoming sixth record, which suggests a surprising new musical direction.

The clip contains a montage of news footage set to a track that has similarities to the band's previous work, before transforming into a bas heavy dubstep break. The trailer ends with the music fading out and a release announcement, reading, "New Album. The 2nd Law. September 2012," appearing on screen.

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