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Rating: 1998, the beginning of an era. A group of three young guys, just emerging from their teenage years, produces one of the most interesting albums of the 90s: a mix of post-grunge anger, sweetness, and energy that only people in their twenties could present. The Muse was born, an English trio that achieved what many producers would dream of putting on the market: an almost perfect debut album.
The release date is 1999, when the guys are 21 years old, but they've been working for a while on some songs that are now dear to the earliest fans.
Right from the start, you notice the character of the album. No shyness, it's the piano that greets our ears when the first notes of "Sunburn" strike, with the "rock" use of an entirely classical instrument, mixed with the scratchy sound of Bellamy's guitar that stands out especially during the solo, and a repetitive and defiant bass, almost highlighting a psychotic delirium that will be clearly noticeable in the video of this first track. It is followed by "Muscle Museum" (that is, the two words respectively before and after "Muse" in the English dictionary), which many fans consider the most important track in the band's career, paired with a finely crafted video and presumably autobiographical references from the band's leader.
"Fillip" then slightly lowers the tension: it is, in my opinion, one of the less musically significant tracks of the album, along with "Overdue" and "Sober", two tracks that ended up in the band's trash bin. The fourth track on the album is one worth spending a few words on. Undoubtedly, "Falling Down" is a song that is not easy to listen to, and personally, it's not among my favorites: it's a peculiar track, full of chords, with vague influences of a certain Buckley, and it presents one of the features that will characterize the career of the three young lads, that is, the voice-guitar phrases of their leader. Next, we find the excellent "Cave" and then "Showbiz", probably among the best songs of the band's entire career, made up of a few phrases repeated obsessively, as well as the guitar movements, leading to an explosive chorus that concludes with an utterly powerful solo.
Following, two important and diverse tracks: the sweet and sentimental "Unintended", and the harder "Uno", for which Bellamy often used powerful distortions during live performances. Then "Escape", another significantly meaningful track, both sweet and "reactive" with a distortion that quickly stands out despite an introduction that might have suggested a repeat of "Unintended." The album is then closed with "Hate This & I'll Love You", which I would say was unjustly left in the band's forgotten repertoire, but instead is a clear example of a significant clarity when it comes to "locking oneself in the studio and recording."
In conclusion, as only a few other greats have managed, for Muse, the first time was a charm. A sweet, scratchy album, with vague melancholic hints and a foundational structure of many songs that hints at the subsequent Origin of Symmetry, the band's most mature work and an undoubted masterpiece.
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
01 Sunburn (03:54)
Come waste your millions here
Secretly she sneers
Another corporate show
A guilty conscience grows
And I'll feel a guilty conscience grow
And I'll feel a guilty conscience grow
She burns like the sun
and I can't look away
And she'll burn our horizons
make no mistakes
Come let the truth be shared
No-one ever dared to break
These endless lies
Secretly she cries
She burns like the sun
And I can't look away
And she'll burn our horizons
Make no mistakes
And I'll hide from the world
Behind a broken frame
And I'll run forever
I can't face the shame
And I'll hide from the world
Behind a broken frame
And I'll run forever
I can't face the shame
02 Muscle Museum (04:22)
She had something to confess to
But you don’t have the time so
Look the other way
You will wait until it’s over
To reveal what you’d never shown her
Too little much too late
Too long trying to resist it
You’ve just gone and missed it
It’s escaped your world
Can you see that I am needing
Begging for so much more
Than you could ever give
And I don’t want you to adore me
Don’t want you to ignore me
When it pleases you
And I’ll do it on my own
I have played in every toilet
But you still want to spoil it
To prove I’ve made a big mistake
Too long trying to resist it
You’ve just gone and missed it
It’s escaped your world
Can you see that I am needing
Begging for so much more
Than you could ever give
And I don’t want you to adore me
Don’t want you to ignore me
When it pleases you
And I’ll do it on my own
I’ll do it all by myself
You will never make it
03 Fillip (04:01)
It's happening soon
It's happening soon
It's scent has been blowing in my direction
To me it is new
To me it is new
And it's not gonna change for anybody
And it's gonna be
Our last memory
And it's led me on
And on to you
It's got to be here
It's got to be there
It's got to be now
Or I'll lose forever
To me it is strange
This feeling is strange
But it's not gonna change for anybody
And it's gonna be
Our last memory
And it's led me on
And on to you
Accuse me
Trust me
I never knew
That you were the one
You were the one
And it's gonna be
Our last memory
And it's led me on
And on to you
And it's gonna be
Our last memory
And it's led me on
And on to you
05 Cave (04:45)
Leave me alone, it's nothing serious
I'll do it myself, it's got nought to do with you
And there's nothing you could do
You can see it and you can almost hear it too
You can almost taste it, it's nought to do with you
And there's still nothing that you could do
So come in my cave
And I'll burn your heart away
Come in my cave
And I'll burn your heart away
Please close your ears and try to look away
So you'll never hear a single word I say
And don't ever come my way
Leave me alone, it's nothing serious
I'll do it myself, it's got nought to do with you
And there's still nothing you could do
So come in my cave
And I'll burn your heart away
Come in my cave
And arrest me for my mistakes, yeah
06 Showbiz (05:17)
Controlling my feelings for too long
Controlling my feelings for too long
Controlling my feelings for too long
Controlling my feelings for too long
Forcing our darkest souls to unfold
And forcing our darkest souls to unfold
And pushing us into self destruction
Pushing us into self destruction
They make me
Make me dream your dreams
They make me
Make me scream your screams
Trying to please you for too long
Trying to please you for too long
In visions of greed you wallow
Visions of greed you wallow
Visions of greed you wallow
Visions of greed you wallow
They make me
Make me dream your dreams
They make me
Make me scream your screams
Controlling my feelings for too long
Controlling my feelings for too long
And forcing my darkest soul to unfold
And forcing our darkest souls to unfold
And pushing us into self destruction
And pushing us into self destruction
They make me
Make me dream your dreams
They make me
Make me scream your screams
07 Unintended (03:57)
You could be my unintended choice to live my life extended
You could be the one I’ll always love
You could be the one who listens to my deepest inquisitions
You could be the one I’ll always love
I’ll be there as soon as I can
But I’m busy mending broken Pieces of the life I had before
First there was the one who challenged all my dreams and all my balance
She could never be as good as you
You could be my unintended choice to live my life extended
You should be the one I’ll always love
I’ll be there as soon as I can
But I’m busy mending broken Pieces of the life I had before
I’ll be there as soon as I can
But I’m busy mending broken Pieces of the life I had before
Before you
08 Uno (03:38)
This means nothing to me
'cause you are nothing to me
And it means nothing to me
That you blew this away
'cause you could have been number one
If you only found the time
And you could have ruled the whole world
If you'd had the chance
You could have been number one
And you could have ruled the whole world
And we could have had so much fun
But you blew it away
You're still nothing to me
And this is nothing to me
And you don't know what you've done
But I'll give you a clue
You could have been number one
If you'd only had the chance
And you could have ruled the whole world
If you'd had the time
You could have been number one
And you could have ruled the whole world
And we could have had so much fun
But you blew it away
You could have been number one
And you could have ruled the whole world
And we could have had so much fun
But you blew it away
09 Sober (04:04)
Royal Canadian blended
the spicy aroma had mended me
Matured for years and imported
into my glass you poured it
And you're the only reason that I remain unfrozen
Suppose it stands to reason
That you would turn on me
You're so solid
You're so solid
It burns inside of me, 'cause you're so solid
It burns inside of me
Wild Turkey's been chosen
Its caramel nose can smell me
Arbourler, Jameson I love you
the single malts come burning
And you're the only reason that I remain unfrozen
Suppose it stands to reason
that you would turn on me
You're so solid
You're so solid
It burns inside of me, 'cause you're so solid
It burns inside of me
Royal Canadian blended
the spicy aroma had mended me
And you're the only reason that I remain unfrozen
Suppose it stands to reason
that you would turn on me
You're so solid
You're so solid
It burns inside of me, 'cause you're so solid
It burns inside me
10 Escape (03:31)
You would say anything
And you would try anything
To escape your meaningless
And your insignificance
You're uncontrollable
And we are unlovable
And I don't want you to think that I care
I never would, I never could again
Why can't you just love her?
Why be such a monster?
You bully from a distance
Your brain needs some assistance
But I'll still take all the blame
'cause you and me are both one and the same
And its driving me mad
And its driving me mad
I'll take back all the things that I said
I didn't realize I was talking to the living dead
And I don't want you to think that I care
I never would, I never could again
You would say anything
And you would try anything
To escape your meaningless
And your insignificance
11 Overdue (02:26)
You needed it when I was away
And no matter what I say
You’ll never forget when I wasn’t there so
Why should I care?
I’m young but I know that I’m aroused
You know that I care
You should have been there
You know that I care
You should have been there
It doesn’t matter where I have gone
I just can’t afford to
Pay for all the mistakes that you have made
It’s about time I was paid
I’m young but I know that I’m aroused
You know that I care
You should have been there
You know that I care
You should have been there
You know that I care
You should have been there
You know that I care
You should have been there
You know that I care
You should have been there
You know that I care
You should have been there
12 Hate This & I'll Love You (05:09)
Oh I am growing tired
Of allowing you to steal
Everything I have, you're making me feel
Like I was born to service you
But I am growing by the hour
You left us far behind
So we all discard our souls
And blaze through your skies
So afraid to die
'Cause I was born to destroy you
And I am growing by the hour
I'm getting strong in every way, yeah, yeah
You led me on, you led me on, you
Oh, and I'm getting strong in every way, yeah, yeah.
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Other reviews
By Mr_Iko
Showbiz is fresh and lively music, the album flows well between instinctive rock and traditional ballads.
Muse makes undemanding music, which is easy to listen to without issues, perhaps a bit too catchy, but in the end, it is a good work.
By _dafunk_
When Bellamy wrote 'Sunburn,' he must not have been more than 21 years old, and I am surprised by the maturity of this song which remains my favorite in their repertoire today.
'Muse were, I repeat were, a talented band... they managed to blend different influences into sophisticated music and, all in all, not devoid of creativity and originality.'
By B.L.A.C.K.
If you dedicate a minimum of attention... the first notes of 'Sunburn' will immediately start making you realize that... the album isn’t so bad.
Track number 8 is without a doubt my favorite. It starts with a 'uauuaauuuaaauu' that sounds like a motorcycle, the guitars kick in and then... Interestingly, the chorus is always done twice, one undistorted and the other not.
By Starblazer
‘Showbiz’ is undoubtedly an album I would recommend to everyone, magnificent lyrics and atmospheres.
Muse presents a poetic and introspective grunge album with stunning voice and melodies, unparalleled in the current mainstream rock landscape.
