Muse proudly rips off Radiohead's artistic style (the singer especially, but I suppose it's better than ripping off, say, Nickelback). He does a relatively good Thom Yorke impression - it's at least different enough that you won't confuse the two (he definitely lacks the emotional pizazze of Mr. Yorke, however, which is a"muse"ing (sorry I *had* to do it)). The album starts off with a pretty great tune, "Bliss" (ok, it's really the second song), which shows that this band DOES actually have some talent. What Muse needs to do, though, is find their own sound instead of ripping off other bands' creative juices. "Origin Of Summetry" is a decent album, albeit very uneven, and it's at least satisfying to know that people are copying GOOD bands instead of BAD ones (SO many people are copying bad emo bands today it's just depressing). Lyrically I have no idea what's going on in these songs - they're extremely hard to make out. Musically it's pretty much a Radiohead clone with some piano thrown in at times (see "Bliss"). It's very anthemic and "epic" sounding, but it fails to deliver basically every time. It's definitely nowhere near as good as any Radiohead CD. Except for "Bliss", though, "Origin Of Symmetry" is a pretty subpar album. Unless you REALLY like "Bliss", don't buy this album.

Highlights include:
"Bliss"
"Space Dimentia"
"Hyper Music"
"Micro Cuts" (sort of)
"Screenager" (sort of)
"Dark Shines"
"Feeling Good"
"Megalomania" (sort of)

Muse proudly rips off Radiohead's artistic style (the singer especially, but I suppose it's better than ripping off, say, Nickelback). He does a relatively good Thom Yorke impression - it's at least different enough that you won't confuse the two (he definitely lacks the emotional pizazze of Mr. Yorke, however, which is a"muse"ing (sorry I *had* to do it)). The album starts off with a pretty great tune, "Bliss" (ok, it's really the second song), which shows that this band DOES actually have some talent. What Muse needs to do, though, is find their own sound instead of ripping off other bands' creative juices. "Origin Of Summetry" is a decent album, albeit very uneven, and it's at least satisfying to know that people are copying GOOD bands instead of BAD ones (SO many people are copying bad emo bands today it's just depressing). Lyrically I have no idea what's going on in these songs - they're extremely hard to make out. Musically it's pretty much a Radiohead clone with some piano thrown in at times (see "Bliss"). It's very anthemic and "epic" sounding, but it fails to deliver basically every time. It's definitely nowhere near as good as any Radiohead CD. Except for "Bliss", though, "Origin Of Symmetry" is a pretty subpar album. Unless you REALLY like "Bliss", don't buy this album.

Highlights include:
"Bliss"
"Space Dimentia"
"Hyper Music"
"Micro Cuts" (sort of)
"Screenager" (sort of)
"Dark Shines"
"Feeling Good"
"Megalomania" (sort of)

Muse's second album, "Origin of Symmetry" is by far their best effort. And no, that's not their second album following "Absolution" as many Americans will sadly believe. OOS was released in the states only recently, however it was their second full length album released in Europe after their first, "Showbiz" (which should be checked out as well).

The album starts out with one of my favorite Muse songs - Newborn. This song covers a huge range from the melodic piano at the beginning to the fantastic guitar riffs and solo in the middle. It is a great showcase of Muse's ability to jump from one style to another with flow and grace. The third track, Space Dementia, is an overblown epic piece which, if you are a fan of the dramatic rock (think Queen), you will probably love. Other standout tracks include Bliss, Plug in Baby, Citizen Erased, and Megalomania. The organ work on the latter is dark and moody - making a great statement and a fantastic way to end this album.

Muse is not Radiohead. Don't expect them to be. They're better and more creative. If you ever get a chance to see them live - you must not pass it up. They put on the best shows I have ever seen and Matt Bellamy (lead vocals/guitar/keyboard) sings fantastically live - not to mention the talents of drummer Dom Howard and bassist Chris Wolstenhome. This is a band which may not have a huge media frenzy around them, but will stay the course and be around for a while for all of their fans to enjoy. Don't miss out.