"Origin of Symmetry" is the album that established Muse, in my opinion, their best work and the most astonishing from an artistic point of view.
If the bold ambition to combine an exaggerated rock swagger with a certain lyricism and elegance had emerged since their first album (one track above all: "Sunburn"), it is with this second work that the English trio decides to abandon all modesty and assert themselves with pompous grandiosity.
A magnificent example is immediately the opening track, "New Born": a tormented yet delicate piano intro accompanied by an engaging bass line then gives way to a rock explosion, with frontman Matthew Bellamy launching his guitar first in granitic riffs and then in solos, sometimes eclectic, sometimes piercing, but always inspired. The bassist proves himself his worthy equal, sometimes replacing him as the lead line, while Dominic Howard on the drums weaves solid and massive rock grooves, not excessively imaginative but tremendously effective. However, the song's structure is anything but simple, and in the 6 minutes, everything happens, in a whirlwind of ideas culminating in the overwhelming final solo and the outro of sampled choirs. Truly too much to not consider the track, like many others on this album, a masterpiece.
Equally incredible is the following "Bliss": another rich and remarkable piano intro explodes into a song whose tension becomes almost unbearable in the chorus. The song is much simpler than the initial one, but the melodic intuition is such that the track cannot bore.
"Space Dementia" is then my favorite piece, of the album and their entire discography. Bellamy's interpretation has never been so melodramatic and carefree, and absolutely significant. And as if the usual delightful and suspended piano intro, the very tight pull of the chorus, and the simple yet delightful bridge (with my beloved Mellotron!) were not enough, at a certain point, the progression instead of exploding again in the chorus evolves into a delicate instrumental, contemplative, and into a tremendous outro, ridiculously grandiose, dominated by a super-distorted guitar. Insane.
"Hyper Music" and "Plug in Baby" instead are more straightforward, short, rock, and catchy songs, but they are convincing just the same. Noteworthy is the riff of the second, rightfully legendary.
Then it's turn for "Citizen Erased", and we are again in mythology. The band partially reveals its progressive attitude elsewhere somewhat concealed, and the track is enriched with pleasant references to historic bands, such as Radiohead (I seem to hear an echo of "Paranoid Android", only a few years earlier) and the melodic Pink Floyd of the golden era. Once again, the main riff is granitic, stentorian, rich, but accompanying it is a complex track, with a sweet final instrumental, contemplative, and poetic.
After "Citizen Erased" there are no more equally complex tracks, and the second half of the album profiles itself as a series of more linear compositions.
Sure, Bellamy still tries to impress with the magnificence of "Micro Cuts", where he flaunts an impossible falsetto exaggerated to the utmost in the impetuous chorus, but for example, "Screenager" is the first track on the album devoid of real explosions, where the band offers itself languid and elegant. The grandiosity and that dark mood of the initial tracks are briefly resumed in "Dark Shines", which betrays Bellamy's fondness for western sounds, which some might find out of place in the band's heavy and futuristic setup but surprisingly does not clash, as a further manifestation of the songwriter's eccentricity. The track is a tasty anticipation of that unforgettable episode of "Knights of Cydonia".
"Feeling Good" is instead a delightful cover of Nina Simone, with strong personal and autobiographical value for Bellamy, which he indeed delivers with heartfelt enthusiasm.
The emotions are now over: "Megalomania" and the piercing organ of "Futurism" close the work in great style but without true upheavals.
Although the second half of the album is decidedly inferior to the first, terrific half, given the band's courage, showmanship, and impact, I do not feel like considering this slight final decline.
Those who criticize the band, not recognizing their undeniable talent, rightly note, however, that throughout their career, they have sometimes indulged in excesses, including self-indulgence. But in this album, everything is perfectly in its place, and Muse seems unstoppable.
Rating: 10 and honors
Recommended listening: "Citizen Erased"
Tracklist Lyrics Samples and Videos
01 New Born (06:05)
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
When you've seen, seen
Too much,
Too young, young
Soulless is everywhere
Hopeless time to roam
The distance to your home
Fades away to nowhere
How much are you worth?
You can't come down to earth
You're swelling up
You're unstoppable
'cause you've seen, seen
Too much
Too young, young
Soulless is everywhere
Destroy the spineless
Show me it's real
Wasting our last chance to come away
Just break the silence
'cause I'm drifting away
Away from you
Link it to the world
Link it to yourself
Stretch it like it's a birth squeeze
And the love for what you hide
And the bitterness inside
Is growing like the new born
When you've seen, seen
Too much,
Too young, young
Soulless is everywhere
Destroy the spineless
Show me it's real
Wasting our last chance
To come away
Just break the silence
'cause I'm drifting away
Away from you
02 Bliss (04:14)
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
Give me
All the peace and joy in your mind
Everything about you pains my envying
Your soul can't hate anything
Everything about you is so easy to love
They're watching you from above
Give me
All the peace and joy in your mind
I want the peace and joy in your mind
Give me the peace and joy in your mind
Everything about you resonates happiness
Now I won't settle for less
Give me all the peace and joy in your mind
I want the peace and joy in your mind
Give me the peace and joy in your mind
03 Space Dementia (06:22)
mmmmm
H-8 - is the one for me
It gives me all I need
And helps me coexist
With the chill
You make me sick
Because I adore you so
I love all the dirty tricks
And twisted games you play
On me
Space dementia in your eyes and
Peace will arise
And tear us apart
And make us meaningless again
Mmmm, yeah
You'll make us wanna die
I'd cut your name in my heart
We'll destroy this world for you
I know you want me to
Feel your pain
Space dementia in your eyes and
Peace will arise
And tear us apart
And make us meaningless again
Ooooh...
04 Hyper Music (03:22)
Yeah your golden lies feed my role
In this forgotten space race under my control
Who's returned from the dead?
Who remains? (just to spit it in your face)
You know that I dont want you and I never did
I dont want you and I never will
You wanted more than I was worth
And you think I was scared yeah
And you needed proof
Who really cares anymore?
Who restrains (just to spit it in your face)
You know that I don't love you and I never did
I don't want you and I never will
Waahhh
05 Plug In Baby (03:42)
I've exposed your lies baby
The underneath's no big surprise
And now it's time for changing
And cleansing everything
To forget your love
My plug in baby
Crucifies my enemies
When I'm tired of giving – wohoh
My plug in baby
In unbroken virgin realities
Is tired of living – oooh
Don't confuse
Baby you're gonna lose your own game
Change me, replace the envying
To forget your love
My plug in baby
Crucifies my enemies
When I'm tired of giving – wohoh
My plug in baby
In unbroken virgin realities
Is tired of living – oooh
And I've seen your loving
Mine is gone
And I've been in trouble
Wooaahhhh
06 Citizen Erased (07:21)
Break me in, teach us to cheat
And to lie and cover up
What shouldn't be shared?
And the truth unwinding
Scraping away at my mind
Please stop asking me to describe
For one moment
I wish you'd hold your stage
With no feelings at all
Open minded
I'm sure I used to be so free
Self expressed, exhausting for all to see
And to be what you want
And what you need
And the truth's unwinding
Scraping away at my mind
Please stop asking me to describe
For one moment
I wish you'd hold your stage
With no feelings at all
Open minded,
I'm sure I used to be so free
For one moment
I wish you'd hold your stage
With no feelings at all
Open minded
I'm sure I used to be so free
Wash me away
Clean your body of me
Erase all the memories
They will only bring us pain
And I've seen all I'll ever need
07 Micro Cuts (03:40)
Hands are red with your blame
Megaphone screaming my name
Whimpers someone I should've loved
Souls weeping above
I've seen
What you’re doing to me
Destroying puppet strings
To our souls
Micro waves me insane
A blade cuts into your brain
To sound like forks on a plate
Blackboard scratched with hate
I've seen
What you’re doing to me
Destroying puppet strings
To our souls
08 Screenager (04:22)
Who's so phoney and always surrounded?
Stop your screaming - no one can hear
All the scars on your skin: 'post no bills'
Who you were
Was so beautiful
Remember who
Who you where
Hide from the mirror - the cracks and the memories
Hide from your family - they won't know you now
For all the holes in our souls host no thrills
Who you were
Was so beautiful
Memories who -
Who you where
09 Darkshines (04:49)
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
Dark shines
Bringing me down
Making my heart feel sore
'cause it's good
Hold your hands up to your eyes again
Hide from the scary scenes
Suppress your fears
So be mine and your innocence
I will consume
Dark shines
Bringing me down
Making my heart feel sore
'cause it's good
Your dark shines
Bringing me down
Making my heart feel sore
'cause it's good
10 Feeling Good (03:21)
Birds flying high you know how I feel
Sun in the sky you know how I feel
Reeds drifting on by you know how I feel
It's a new dawn it's a new day it's a new life for me
And I'm feeling good
Fish in the sea you know how I feel
River running free you know how I feel
Blossom in the trees you know how I feel
It's a new dawn it's a new day it's a new life for me
And I'm feeling good
Dragonflies out in the sun
You know what I mean, don't you know
Butterflies are all having fun
You know what I mean
Sleep in peace
When the day is done
And this old world is a new world and a bold world for me
Stars when you shine you know how I feel
Scent of the pine you know how I feel
Yeah freedom is mine
And you know how I feel
It's a new dawn it's a new day it's a new life for me
And I'm feeling good
Butterflies, ooh
Oh, ooh...
Ooooh
Feeling good
11 Futurism (03:29)
Ignorance pulls
Apostasy and apathy still rules
Yeah you know it´s cool
Just suck and see
A future turns us into silent gods
And I won´t miss you at all
Grounded
Boxed in
Like the evil in your veins
Grounded
Boxed in
I am so confused
Fate can´t decide
Alignment of the plan is in your hands
Come on crush our plans
Just suck and see
A future that won´t let you disagree
And I won´t miss you at all
Grounded
Boxed in
Like the evil in your veins
Grounded
Boxed in
I am still confused
Feel it, hear it, apathy
See it, be it, you’ll see
12 Megalomania (04:38)
Paradise comes at a price
That I am not prepared to pay
What were we built for?
Could someone tell me please
The good news is she can't have babies
And won't accept gifts from me
What are they for?
They'll just grow up and break the laws you've loved
Take off your disguise
I know that underneath it's me
Who are you oooh
Useless device it won't suffice
I want a new game to play
When I am gone - it won't be long
Before I disturb you in the dark
And paradise comes at a price
That I am not prepared to pay
What were we built for?
Will someone tell me please
Take off your disguise
I know that underneath it's me
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By Sallu
Everything starts slowly and then explodes; you drowse only to scream; dreams are told that turn into nightmares.
The Muse might still be a bit too chaotic and baroque for my tastes, but this CD is truly beautiful.
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I can’t understand how a human mind could conceive such a piece of work. Simply astonishing.
'Origin Of Symmetry' is nothing short of spectacular, a journey into a strange and sick world.
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By iosonoprog
"New Born" is an exceptional song that begins with a goosebump-inducing piano arrangement.
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