It’s time to find your Muse again

News that Muse are well down the line of making their new album, entitled ‘The Resistance’ and due for release in September is sure to be big news for fans of the Prog rockers. Muse are a band that manage to divide opinion and for those that love Matt Bellamy and the bombastic nature of the band, many more feel he is just a poor mans Thom Yorke with the band stealing some of the praise due for Radiohead. Regardless of what you think of the band, there is no doubt that they wear their musical influences very much on their sleeve so you can expect to be bombarded with some older tracks as canny record companies attempt to cash in on the wave of influence that Muse will bring in the Autumn.
You cant listen to Muse for too long without thinking of the theatrical nature of Queen and the way they appeal to enough people to fill huge arenas and even stadiums. You don’t have to study the music of either band for too long to recognise the influence on Bellamy, as it is quite evident and the commercial fretwork of Brian May is just a big a factor as the grandiose nature of Freddie Mercury on the band. Queen may be a guilty pleasure for some but you just know that Muse would have killed to have unleashed a lyric like “Scaramouche, scaramouche, will you do the fandango?” With a stage show that will surely blow most of their rivals away, there is a very clear line between the stadium thrilling antics of Mercury and what is offered by up today’s tight three piece led by Matt Bellamy.
Of course, for some, Muse are the current heirs to the Progressive Rock throne and that means they have a sound that draws from the well of so many great bands. Pink Floyd are an obvious act that springs to mind and the way that Muse try to draw a massive stage show from their music is reminiscent of the huge work of Roger Waters, although Dave Gilmour is an understated guitarist in the style that Muse could never manage to convey. Its not as if Muse are a direct rip-off from Pink Floyd because you would not say there was much of the Syd Barret influence on the band either but one front man who Matt Bellamy has probably examined for hints and tips is Peter Gabriel. Yes, We all know that you secretly prefer the songs sung by that shaved ape Phil Collins but Gabriel was at the helm for the most artistic era of Genesis and the genius of ‘The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway’ is written all over the songs where Muse extend themselves to their upper limits.
Muse aren’t for everyone and your standard Oasis or Happy Mondays fan will be turning their nose up at the music churned out by the band but in an era when some bands don’t try hard enough, this accusation cannot be levelled at Muse. They may continue to split opinions but the history books will probably place the song writing of Matt Bellamy favourably alongside the work of Noel Gallagher, Richard Ashcroft and Richey Manic.