Smokey Maverick

“I can’t take credit for discovering them. I can only take credit for hearing what the rest of the world heard” – Perry Watts-Russell, A&R man responsible for signing Muse to Warner Bros

Continuing my writing about somewhat obscure, already well established bands that I think you should know about, but probably don’t, brings us to Muse. Affirming my belief that they are too far under the radar then they deserve, they grace the cover of this month’s Spin with the fitting sub-title “We’re the biggest band America doesn’t know anything about” (this marks the second time I’ve started to really get into a band, only to have them hit the cover of Spin the next month, the first time being TV on the Radio. My ego: +4).

I first recall digging these guys when I heard them on XM a year or two back. My curiosity of them was further peaked when my buddy told me his ‘gift’ to his wife was to see Muse opening for U2 (he is amazing at gifting items that he also gets to enjoy, i.e. “Honey, I got us tickets to the next Steelers playoff game!” Well played good sir.). They crept into my life again, when my other friend who really introduced me to the Hold Steady said she was infatuated with Muse in her formidable high school years. So when I found myself driving around McKnight road one recent Friday, prepping for my good friends wedding and blasting my worn out live Hold Steady album, I figured it was time to acquire a new, energetic live album. Browsing Best Buy I decided upon Muse’s live album Haarp. I am yet to be disappointed by my superior decision making skills.

As the Spin article emphasizes, Muse strives to be bigger in everything they do, including incendiary live shows with over the top visual effects to match their epic, complex sound. As bassist Chris Wolstenholme put it, “Since we were kids, we always put our money back into the stage show .. We want to give a show you’ll have to tell your frends about. We get better when we get bigger.” A DVD comes with Haarp, and I currently having it playing in the background while writing this – and they appear to my generations version of Arena Rock – a genre that has since believed to passed on, but looks like its alive and well. And for a yuge fan of Spinal Tap, this is very welcoming.

Muse is commonly compared to Radiohead, which is complete poppycock. Muse is a harder band, at times successfully slipping into the metal genre, and pulling it back, at it’s lightest, to a symphonic rock band. The comparison could be born from producer John Leckie, who produced The Bends and then moved on to coprodduce Muse’s first two albums. Leckie himself says, “After I produced The Bends, I was offered so many Radiohead copycats that I intentionally looked for something different. I found that in Muse. The comparisons are silly.”

Alas, yuge success in the US has yet to truly fester as it has for Radiohead. Muse is hoping their latest slew of shows stateside and their new album Resistance pushes their teetering popularity over the edge. The rocking band’s new album is due out 9.14.09 and word is it’s louder than before, while fusing a more symphonic sound to it. We can only hope it rivals the success of Saucy Jack.

ps – for an amazing example of the Muse song Hysteria, check out this vid, starting at the 5:30 mark. I’ve watched this about 83 times since it came out this past spring.

Tags:   Arena Rock · Haarp · Muse · Rocking Rock · Saurcy Jack · Spin Magazine · Spinal Tap Easter EggNo Comments