Editing Muse (band) (section)

==Musical style==
[[File:MuseO2140919-64 (48736139637).jpg|thumb|Bellamy performing with the band in September 2019]]
Described as a band that fuse [[alternative rock]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://bloody-disgusting.com/news/3335815/muse-announce-new-album-drones-june-release-date/ |title=Muse Announce New Album 'Drones' For June Release Date | work=[[Bloody Disgusting]]|date=12 March 2015|author=Barkan, Jonathan| access-date=10 July 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/business/realestate/hot-property/la-fi-hotprop-matt-bellamy-malibu-house-20160531-snap-story.html| work=[[Los Angeles Times]] | last=Leitereg | first=Neil | date=31 May 2016 | title =Muse frontman Matt Bellamy picks up another home in Malibu|access-date=10 July 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url=https://www.villagevoice.com/2012/06/28/is-muses-song-for-the-olympics-the-most-ridiculous-piece-of-music-2012-has-to-offer/ | title=Is Muse's Song For The Olympics The Most Ridiculous Piece Of Music 2012 Has To Offer? | work=[[The Village Voice]] | author=Johnston, Martha | date=28 July 2012 | access-date=10 July 2017}}</ref> [[progressive rock]],<ref>{{cite news| url=http://thequietus.com/articles/18182-muse-drones-review | title=Muse - Drones | work=[[The Quietus]] | date=23 June 2015 | access-date=10 July 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nme.com/photos/10-best-selling-prog-artists-of-the-21st-century-so-far-1423019| title=10 Best Selling Prog Artists Of The 21st Century So Far|work=[[NME]] | date=2 September 2015 | access-date=10 July 2017}}</ref><ref name="Vulture genres Larry">{{cite web|last=Fitzmaurice|first=Larry|title=How Muse Became One of the World's Biggest Rock Bands|url=https://www.vulture.com/2018/11/how-muse-became-one-of-the-worlds-biggest-rock-bands.html|work=Vulture|date=8 November 2018|access-date=14 January 2022}}</ref> [[space rock]],<ref>{{cite magazine | url=http://www.altpress.com/news/entry/muse_to_release_new_album_drones | title=Muse to release new album, 'Drones' | magazine=[[Alternative Press (music magazine)|Alternative Press]] | date=5 February 2015 | access-date=30 March 2015 | author=Sharp, Tyler}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/live-music-reviews/10081379/Muse-Emirates-Stadium-review.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220111/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/live-music-reviews/10081379/Muse-Emirates-Stadium-review.html |archive-date=11 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live | title=Muse, Emirates Stadium, review | newspaper=The Daily Telegraph | date=26 May 2013 | access-date=30 March 2015 | author=Hall, James}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine | url=https://www.nme.com/reviews/7252 | title=Muse : Paris: Bercy: Tuesday November 18 | magazine=[[NME]] | date=12 September 2005 | access-date=30 March 2015}}</ref> [[hard rock]],<ref name="Pitchfork genres">{{cite web |author=Ubl |first=Sam |date=5 July 2006 |title=Muse - Black Holes and Revelations |url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/9168-black-holes-and-revelations/ |access-date=17 March 2015 |website=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]] |publisher=}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.popmatters.com/muse-absolution-2495992976.html|title=Muse Absolution| work=Pop Matters|date=19 May 2004|access-date=14 January 2022}}</ref> [[art rock]],<ref name="DiGravina">{{cite web|first=Tim|last=DiGravina|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/absolution-mw0000384478|title=AllMusic Review by Tim DiGravina|publisher=All Music|access-date=12 July 2016}}</ref><ref name="Farrar">{{cite magazine|url=http://www.spin.com/reviews/muse-the-2nd-law-warner-bros/|title=Muse, 'The 2nd Law' (Warner Bros.)|magazine=Spin|date=December 11, 2012|access-date=12 July 2016|author=Farrar, Justin F.}}</ref> [[electronic rock]],<ref name="Owen"/> [[progressive metal]],<ref name="thecrimson genres">{{cite news|url=https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2012/10/1/muse-second-law-review/|title=Muse Rides Electric Energy Through Overambitious Release|newspaper=The Harvard Crimson|date=1 October 2012|access-date=12 July 2016|author=Palmedo, Tree A.}}</ref> [[indie rock]]<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/a-celebration-of-endings-mw0003377615 |title=A Celebration of Endings - Biffy Clyro |last=Collar |first=Matt |publisher=[[Allmusic]] |accessdate=5 September 2022}}</ref> and [[Pop music|pop]],<ref name="Vulture genres Larry"/> Muse also mix sounds from genres such as [[electronica]]<ref name="BBC genres">{{cite web|first=Mark|last=Savage|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-43126988|title=Muse: 'The guitar is no longer a lead instrument'|publisher=BBC|date=20 February 2018|access-date=14 January 2022}}</ref> and [[Contemporary R&B|R&B]],<ref name="BBC genres"/> with forms such as [[classical music]] and [[rock opera]].<ref name="rocksound">{{cite web|url = http://www.rocksound.tv/reviews/article/muse-the-resistance|publisher = rocksound.tv|title = Muse – 'The Resistance'|access-date = 12 May 2008|archive-date = 22 September 2012|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120922093515/http://www.rocksound.tv/reviews/article/muse-the-resistance|url-status = dead}}</ref> In 2002, Bellamy described Muse as a "trashy three-piece".<ref name="Muse interview on BBC 2002">{{cite web|url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6Xrn4jCzzk|publisher=YouTube|title = Muse interview on BBC 2002|date=26 January 2007 |access-date =26 May 2011}}</ref> He said supporting the [[Red Hot Chili Peppers]] on their 1999 ''[[Californication (album)|Californication]]'' tour inspired Muse to become less reserved and "up their game" in their performances.<ref>{{Cite web |author1=Jonathan Horsley |date=2022-08-26 |title=Matt Bellamy says opening for the Foo Fighters and Red Hot Chili Peppers was the making of Muse as a live band |url=https://www.musicradar.com/news/muse-rhcp-flea-matt-bellamy-foo-fighters |access-date=2023-12-08 |website=MusicRadar |language=en}}</ref> Bellamy said [[Lady Gaga]] was an influence on Muse's showmanship and stage costumes, "crossing that line between what is fantasy and what is reality".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Paul |first=Larisha |date=2022-08-25 |title=Muse's Matt Bellamy recalls attending one of Lady Gaga's early career shows: 'I have always been a little monster' |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/muses-matt-bellamy-lady-gaga-fan-1234581434/ |access-date=2024-10-03 |website=[[Rolling Stone]] |language=en-US}}</ref>

Early in their career, Muse were often likened to [[Radiohead]].<ref name="Marchese-2009" /> ''[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]]'' wrote that Bellamy's voice "often slips into high, mournful tones" similar to the Radiohead singer, [[Thom Yorke]].<ref name="Marchese-2009" /> [[John Leckie]], who produced Muse's first two albums and also produced Radiohead's second album, ''[[The Bends (album)|The Bends]]'' (1995), dismissed the comparisons, saying: "In the late 90s, any British band that sang passionately and played guitar was going to get compared to Radiohead." He said he chose to produce Muse after ''The Bends'' because he "intentionally looked for something different".<ref name="Marchese-2009" /> Asked in 2009, Bellamy said he did not hear the similarity, saying Muse were "past [the comparisons] in most places".<ref name="Marchese-2009" />

In 2006, ''Pitchfork'' described Muse's music as "firmly ol' skool at heart: proggy hard rock that forgoes any pretensions to restraint ... their songs use full-stacked guitars and thunderous drums to evoke God's footsteps".<ref name="Pitchfork genres" /><ref>{{cite web|title=Muse - Absolution|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/absolution-mw0000384478|website=Allmusic|access-date=4 November 2014}}</ref> [[AllMusic]] described their sound as a "fusion of progressive rock, [[glam rock|glam]], electronica, and Radiohead-influenced experimentation".<ref name="allmusic">{{cite web|url = {{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p142116/biography|pure_url=yes}}|title = Muse > Biography|work=AllMusic|first=Heather|last=Phares|access-date =31 March 2015}}</ref> On Muse's association with progressive rock, Howard said: "I associate [progressive rock] with 10-minute guitar solos, but I guess we kind of come into the category. A lot of bands are quite ambitious with their music, mixing lots of different styles – and when I see that I think it's great. I've noticed that kind of thing becoming a bit more mainstream."<ref>{{cite news | url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/8266922.stm | title= It's back... Prog rock assaults album charts | first=Tim | last=Masters | work=BBC News | date=23 September 2009}}</ref> ''[[The Guardian]]'' described Muse as "fearlessly flamboyant".<ref name="Lynskey-2012">{{cite news |last=Lynskey |first=Dorian |date=29 September 2012 |title=Muse: 'We like pushing it as far as we can' |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2012/sep/30/muse-2nd-law-tour-interview |work=[[The Guardian]]}}</ref> Howard said he loved the "excess" of their music and that he liked "pushing it as far as we can", citing the choir of "Survival" as an example. Wolstenholme said: "You can go on writing traditional pop-rock songs and get stale or try something new. There are risks either way."<ref name="Lynskey-2012" /> The Queen guitarist, [[Brian May]], praised Muse in 2009, calling them "extraordinary musicians" who "let their madness show through, always a good thing in an artist".<ref>{{cite news |last=Masters |first=Tim |date=13 October 2009 |title=Queen star May hails Muse album |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8304176.stm |access-date=3 September 2010 |work=BBC News}}</ref> 

[[File:Muse - Supremacy - Roma.jpg|thumb|250px|Muse performing "[[Supremacy (song)|Supremacy]]" at [[Stadio Olimpico]], [[Rome]] on 6 July 2013 during [[The 2nd Law Tour|The Unsustainable Tour]]. ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' stated the band possess "stadium-crushing songs".<ref name="RS Muse"/>]]

For their second album, ''[[Origin of Symmetry]]'' (2001), Muse aimed to craft a "heavier", more aggressive sound.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.microcuts.net/uk/news/archives/2000/09/ |title=muse : archives &#124; microcuts.net &#124; September 2000 |publisher=microcuts.net |access-date=19 December 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120917084649/http://www.microcuts.net/uk/news/archives/2000/09/ |archive-date=17 September 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref>{{Better source needed|reason=The current source is insufficiently reliable ([[WP:NOTRS]]).|date=June 2022}} Their third album, ''[[Absolution (Muse album)|Absolution]]'' (2003), features prominent string arrangements and drew influences from artists such as [[Queen (band)|Queen]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tntdownunder.com/article/49972/interview-with-muse.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120214114231/http://www.tntdownunder.com/article/49972/interview-with-muse.html |title=Interview with Muse |last=Delaney |first=Colin |work=[[TNT (magazine)|TNT]] |date=9 August 2007 |access-date=8 November 2011 |archive-date=14 February 2012}}</ref> Their fourth album, ''[[Black Holes and Revelations]]'' (2006) was influenced by artists including [[Depeche Mode]] and [[Lightning Bolt (band)|Lightning Bolt]], as well as Asian and European music such as [[Naples|Naples music]]. The band listened to radio stations from the Middle East during the album's recording sessions.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.musicomh.com/music/features/muse_0706.htm |work=musicOMH |title=Muse – Intergalacticists Stride Our World |access-date=12 May 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081107034101/http://www.musicomh.com/music/features/muse_0706.htm |archive-date=7 November 2008 }}</ref>

Muse's sixth album, ''[[The 2nd Law]]'' (2012) has a broader range of influences, ranging from [[funk]] and [[film scores]] to electronica and [[dubstep]]. ''The 2nd Law'' is influenced by rock acts such as Queen and [[Led Zeppelin]] (on "[[Supremacy (song)|Supremacy]]") as well as dubstep producer [[Skrillex]] and [[Nero (band)|Nero]] (on "The 2nd Law: Unsustainable"<ref>{{cite web|url=http://newsroom.mtv.com/2012/07/25/muse-reveals-skrillex-as-major-influence-on-new-album-the-2nd-law/|title=Muse Reveals Skrillex As Major Influence on New Album 'The 2nd Law'|publisher=MTV|access-date=17 September 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121010085226/http://newsroom.mtv.com/2012/07/25/muse-reveals-skrillex-as-major-influence-on-new-album-the-2nd-law|archive-date=10 October 2012}}</ref> and "[[Follow Me (Muse song)|Follow Me]]", with the latter being co-produced by Nero), [[Michael Jackson]], [[Stevie Wonder]] (on "Panic Station" which features musicians who performed on Stevie Wonder's "[[Superstition (song)|Superstition]]"<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G_8c7cNxVvc|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151118140841/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G_8c7cNxVvc |url-status=dead |title=- YouTube|archive-date=18 November 2015|website=www.youtube.com}}</ref>) and [[Hans Zimmer]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nme.com/news/muse/65524|title=Muse reveal 'The Dark Knight Rises' composer Hans Zimmer is a key influence on 'The 2nd Law'|work=NME|access-date=15 August 2012}}</ref> The album features two songs with lyrics written and sung by Wolstenholme, who wrote about his battle with [[alcoholism]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nme.com/news/muse/65148|title=Muse's Chris Wolstenholme on alcohol battle: 'I had to stop or die'|work=NME|date=26 July 2012|access-date=17 September 2012}}</ref> It features extensive electronic instrumentation, including [[modular synthesisers]] and the French Connection, a synthesiser controller similar to the [[Ondes Martenot|ondes martenot]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.emusician.com/artists/muse|title=Muse|work=EMusician|access-date=2018-12-03|language=en-us}}</ref> According to the ''Guardian'', Muse's critical standing declined following ''Black Holes and Revelations'' (2006), with "hit-and-miss albums" damaging "what was previously a bulletproof reputation for top-notch anthem-making".<ref name="Mills-2023">{{Cite news |last=Mills |first=Matt |date=2023-06-16 |title=Muse review – sublimely ridiculous rock’n’roll camp |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2023/jun/16/muse-review-sublimely-ridiculous-rocknroll-camp |access-date=2025-05-17 |work=[[The Guardian]] |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref>

===Musicianship===
Many Muse songs are recognisable by Bellamy's vocal [[vibrato]], [[falsetto]], and [[melisma|melismatic phrasing]], influenced by [[Jeff Buckley]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2001/aug/17/artsfeatures.muse |title=Matt Bellamy Interview |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305030612/http://www.theguardian.com/culture/2001/aug/17/artsfeatures.muse |archive-date=5 March 2016 |website=The Guardian |date=17 August 2001 |access-date=17 June 2015}}</ref> As a pianist, Bellamy often uses [[arpeggio]]s. Bellamy's compositions often suggest or quote late [[classical music|classical]] and [[Romantic music|romantic era]] composers such as [[Sergei Rachmaninov]] (in "[[Space Dementia (song)|Space Dementia]]" and "[[Butterflies and Hurricanes]]"), [[Camille Saint-Saëns]] (in "I Belong to You (+Mon Cœur S'ouvre a ta Voix)") and [[Frédéric Chopin]] (in "[[United States of Eurasia]]").<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/rockandpopfeatures/6599450/Muse-interview.html |title=Muse Interview |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160222235607/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/rockandpopfeatures/6599450/Muse-interview.html |archive-date=22 February 2016 |website=Telegraph |date=18 November 2009 |access-date=17 June 2015}}</ref> As a guitarist, Bellamy often uses [[arpeggiator]] and [[Pitch shift|pitch-shift]] effects to create a more "electronic" sound, citing [[Jimi Hendrix]] and [[Tom Morello]] as influences.<ref name="bellamy">{{Cite web |url=http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/interviews/muses_matt_bellamy_talks.html |title=Muse's Matt Bellamy Talks |date=25 December 2003 |publisher=Ultimate-Guitar.com (possibly reprinted from Total Guitar (UK Magazine)) |access-date=17 September 2009}}</ref> His guitar playing is also influenced by [[Latin music (genre)|Latin]] and [[music of spain|Spanish guitar]] music; Bellamy said: "I just think that music is really passionate...It has so much feel and flair to it. I’ve spent important times of my life in Spain and Greece, and various deep things happened there – falling in love, stuff like that. So maybe that rubbed off somewhere."<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/mar/18/muse-matt-bellamy-rocks-backpages-uncut-interview-stephen-dalton-january-2000 |title=Muse's Matt Bellamy: 'We're not a bunch of boys who've got everything, whinging about nothing' |website=The Guardian |date=18 March 2015 |access-date=27 May 2018}}</ref>

Wolstenholme's [[bassline]]s provide a motif for many Muse songs; the band combines bass guitar with [[Effects unit|effects]] and synthesisers to create overdriven [[fuzz bass]] tones.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.bassplayer.com/artists/1171/too-much-is-never-enough-muses-chris-wolstenholme-reinvents-art-rock-bass-for-the-21st-century/25917 |title=Too Much Is Never Enough: Muse's Chris Wolstenholme Reinvents Art-Rock Bass For The 21st Century |last=BassPlayer.com |first=Electric & Acoustic Bass Gear, Lessons, News, Video, Tabs and Chords - |access-date=19 February 2018 |language=en-US}}</ref> Bellamy and Wolstenholme use touch-screen controllers, often built into their instruments, to control synthesisers and effects including [[Kaoss Pad]]s and [[DigiTech Whammy|Digitech Whammy]] pedals.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dolphinmusic.co.uk/article/3948-muse-gear-guide-matt-bellamy-s-fx-pedals.html |title=Muse Gear Guide - Matt Bellamy's FX Pedals |publisher=Dolphin Music |date=1 October 2009 |access-date=26 January 2014}}</ref>

===Lyrics===
Most earlier Muse songs lyrically dealt with introspective themes, including relationships, social alienation, and difficulties they had encountered while trying to establish themselves in their hometown. However, with the band's progress, their song concepts have become more ambitious, addressing issues such as the fear of the evolution of technology in their ''Origin of Symmetry'' (2001) album. They deal mainly with the [[apocalypse]] in ''Absolution'' (2003) and with catastrophic war in ''Black Holes and Revelations'' (2006). ''The Resistance'' (2009) focused on themes of government oppression, uprising, love, and [[panspermia]]. The album wasnspired by ''[[Nineteen Eighty-Four]]'' by [[George Orwell]]. Their sixth studio album, ''The 2nd Law'' (2012), relates to economics, thermodynamics, and apocalyptic themes. Their 2015 album, ''Drones'', is a concept album that uses autonomous killing drones as a metaphor for brainwashing and loss of empathy.{{Cn|date=November 2024}}  The ''Guardian'' wrote that Muse incorporate "calls for revolution just vague enough that both the left and right could rally behind them".<ref name="Mills-2023" />

Books that have influenced Muse's lyrics include ''Nineteen Eighty-Four'',<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/article/10000720/new-muse-album-inspired-by-1984 |title=New Muse album 'inspired' by 1984 |last=Cochrane |first=Greg |date=8 April 2009 |website=BBC News |access-date=28 September 2014}}</ref> ''[[Confessions of an Economic Hitman]]'' by [[John Perkins (author)|John Perkins]],<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_78ucyED8E | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130218023144/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_78ucyED8E| archive-date=2013-02-18|title=Interview with Matthew Bellamy |publisher=Youtube.com |access-date=26 January 2014}}</ref> ''[[Hyperspace (book)|Hyperspace]]'' by [[Michio Kaku]],<ref>The Making of Origin of Symmetry. [[Xfm]]. 8 November 2011</ref> ''[[The 12th Planet]]'' by [[Zecharia Sitchin]],<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/muse-the-band-who-fell-to-earth-6167112.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120206031454/http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/muse-the-band-who-fell-to-earth-6167112.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=6 February 2012 |title=Muse: The band who fell to earth |work=The Independent |access-date=28 September 2014}}</ref> ''Rule by Secrecy'' by [[Jim Marrs]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://genius.com/Muse-ruled-by-secrecy-lyrics|title=Muse – Ruled by Secrecy|website=Genius.com}}</ref> and ''Trance Formation of America'' by [[Cathy O'Brien (conspiracy theorist)|Cathy O'Brien]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://genius.com/6775035 |title=Behold my trance formation |website=Genius |access-date=5 March 2016}}</ref>