MUSE, the alternative rock trio from England won their first grammy ever on Sunday. It was also their first academy nomination in their 16+ years career. But why did it take so long for America to properly reward the musical prowess of these three virtuosos?
In a musical era that is dominated by commercial and marketable pop and hip-hop, MUSE have always held their ground and been true to their roots and influences (U2, Radiohead, Rage Against the Machine and Queen). Preferring to maintain their integrity, they've never altered their sound to appeal to America's mass audience, except that time when they provided songs to all of the Twilight Saga movies. As a fan I was embarrassed that my favorite band had been the source of inspiration of such ridiculous vampire drama.
"The Resistance" won Best Rock Album of the Year. But what about their previous works? "The Resistance" is a true masterpiece, but their earlier stuff should have topped academy nominations years ago. Below is the first half of a list of the 10 to best MUSE songs in order of release before "The Resistance".
Muscle Museum
Showbiz 1999
This was one of their first singles. From such a young age, their potential was already coming into fruition. An excellent combination of trippy-keyboards, jazzy bass lines and heavy drums with distorted guitars. Madonna's record label Maverick Records hated Matt's falsetto. I wonder what she thinks of it now.
New Born
Origin of Symmetry 2001
Probably my favorite album yet, New Born set the direction in which MUSE was going to go for the rest of their career. The heavy drums, guitars and distorted bass are all in perfect melodic synchronization with the simple, yet hypnotizing lyrics. "New Born" has the best guitar and bass riff out of all their songs. It's sad how America wasn't cultured with this album.
Bliss
Origin of Symmetry 2001
The title says it all. You get infused with so much adrenaline you just want to bang on anything you can get a hold of. Heavy presence of Rage Against the Machine in this long. Love the distorted bass line that guides the song.
Feeling Good
Origin of Symmetry 2001
Easily the best cover of all time. Not even Nina Simone's version can match Muse's cover of Antony Newley's and Leslie Bricusse's 1965 song. A perfect hybrid between jazz and rock. Also, a perfect example of the importance of bass. Great to hear live too.
Plug in Baby
Origin of Symmetry 2001
The fact that four out of the five songs in this list come from their sophomore album shows you how underrated the trio was at the start of the new millenium. The band has said in numerous occasions that their first two albums didn't count for the U.S. This song was featured, however, in Guitar Hero 5 with Matt Bellamy being a playable character. Did they finally give it justice? Note: It's a lot harder to play for real than on a plastic peripheral device.
Watch for second part of this list in the next few days.
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