Muse - Origin of Symmetry
NME.COM feature on Muse - Origin of Symmetry album including album review, artwork, tracks, listen now, tour dates, discography and more.
Album Review
Release date: 30 September 2005
Muse : Origin Of Symmetry
Screeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaagh!
The inner sleeve of Muse's second album contains an illustration by Darrell Gibbs depicting humans marching into a giant white cube. In tiny lettering above the door, a sign reads 'CHAOS'. Welcome indeed to the beautiful nightmare world of the most distorting, cartoon intense, baroque'n'roll band that Britain has ever produced. Here comes their razorblade...
Tracklisting click track to read more
- New Born
- Bliss
- Space Dementia
- Hyper Music
- Plug In Baby
- Citizen Erased
- Microcuts
- Screenager
- Darkshine
- Feeling Good
- Megalomania
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Muse - Origin of Symmetry Videos
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Muse News
Thousands turn out to see Muse carry the Olympic torch
Trio carried the flame in their hometown of Teignmouth
Goldie Hawn denies Muse's Matt Bellamy and Kate Hudson are married
Actress clears up rumours that her daughter has wed the singer
Goldie Hawn hints that Muse's Matt Bellamy and Kate Hudson are married
Has actress let slip that her daughter has secretly wed the frontman?
Muse - Origin of Symmetry: Wikipedia Album Entry
Origin of Symmetry is the second studio album by English alternative rock band Muse, released on 17 June 2001 by Mushroom Records. Recording took place at Ridge Farm Studios in Surrey and Real World Studio in Wiltshire, and additional recordings were made at Astoria Studios, Richmond Studios and Abbey Road Studios in London and Sawmills Studio in Fowey, Cornwall. The album was mixed at Sawmills and mastered at Sony Music Studios in London. Origin of Symmetry was produced by David Bottrill, John Leckie (who previously worked on the band's first album, Showbiz) and the band themselves. In the UK it reached #3 and was certified platinum. The title for the album comes from a concept put forward by Michio Kaku in his book Hyperspace.
The album was met with overwhelmingly positive reviews and in 2006 earned the spot of 74 on Q Magazine's 100 Greatest Albums of all Time.
Origin of Symmetry is seen as a departure from the alternative rock sound of Showbiz, as the band experimented instrumentally throughout the album. Dominic Howard (drums) augmented the standard rock drum kit with various other items of his own, and Matthew Bellamy uses a pipe organ at St Mary the Virgin's Church, Bathwick on "Megalomania". Due to the requirement of a pipe organ, this song is rarely played live by Muse, perhaps the most notable occasions being at Muse's charity gig at the Royal Albert Hall and during the Hullabaloo concert in Paris.
Throughout the album, the bass line is used as the driving force, often with the guitar providing only an extra layer to the song rather than carrying the melody. The bass has distortion and other effects applied to it to achieve a greater weight, allowing the guitar to digress from the main chord progression and play higher notes.
Controversy:
Maverick Records, who previously released Showbiz in the United States, asked the band to remove the falsetto vocals for the album's release, claiming that their presence would discourage radio play. Muse's refusal saw them part ways with the label, meaning that the album was not released in the US until 2005.
Nestlé tried to use the song "Feeling Good" in a coffee commercial, though the band refused to give the company permission to do so. After using the song anyway, the band successfully sued Nestlé for £500,000, which the band donated to the charity Oxfam.
Muse:
* Matthew Bellamy – lead vocals, guitars, piano, keyboards,
Wurlitzer piano on track 10, pipe organ on track 11, strings arrangement, production, mixing
* Christopher Wolstenholme – bass, backing vocals, double bass on track 10, vibraphone, production, mixing
* Dominic Howard – drums, percussion, production, mixing
Guest musicians:
* Jacqueline Norrie – violin
* Sara Herbert – violin
* Clare Finnimore – viola
* Caroline Lavelle – cello
Additional personnel:
* David Bottrill – production and engineering on tracks 1, 2, 5 and 9
* John Leckie – production and engineering on tracks 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 10 and 11
* Ric Peet – engineering on tracks 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 10 and 11
* Steve Cooper – additional engineering on tracks 1, 2, 5 and 9
* Chris Brown – additional engineering and programming on tracks 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 10 and 11
* Mark Thomas – assistant engineering on tracks 2, 4, 5 and 7
* Claire Lewis – assistant engineering on tracks 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 10 and 11
* Damon Iddins – assistant engineering
* Mirek Styles – assistant engineering
* John Cornfield – mixing
* Ray Staff – mastering
* William Eager – artwork
User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License and may also be available under the GNU FDL.
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Muse - Origin of Symmetry Lyrics
Muse - Space Dementia Lyrics
[Incomprehensible] is the one for me
It gives me all I need
Helps me co-exist with the chill
Muse - Feeling Good Lyrics
Birds flying high you know how I feel
Sun in the sky you know how I feel
Reeds driftin' on by you know how I feel
Muse - Bliss Lyrics
Everything about you is how I'd wanna be
Your freedom comes naturally
Everything about you resonates happiness
Now I won't settle for less
Muse - New Born Lyrics
Link it to the world, link it to yourself
Stretch it like a birth squeeze
The love for what you hide, the bitterness inside
Is growing like the new born
Muse - Megalomania Lyrics
Paradise comes at a price
That I am not prepared to pay
What were we built for?
Could someone tell me please?
Muse - Dark Shines Lyrics
Passing by, you light up my darkest skies
You'll take only seconds to draw me in
So be mine and your innocence
I will consume
Muse - Screenager Lyrics
who's so phoney and always surrounded?
stop you're screaming, no one can hear
all the scars on your skin, post no bills
Muse - Micro Cuts Lyrics
Hands are red with your blame
Megaphone screaming my name
Whimpers someone I should've loved
Souls weeping above
Muse - Citizen Erased Lyrics
Break me in teach us to cheat and to lie
Cover up what shouldn't be shared
And the truth's unwinding, scraping away at my mind
Please stop asking me to describe him
Muse - Hyper Music Lyrics
your golden lies feed my role
in this forgotten space race under my control
who's returned from the dead?
who remains?
Muse - Plug In Baby Lyrics
I've exposed your lies, baby
The underneath is no big surprise
Now its time, for changing and cleansing everything
To forget your love
