Muse - Sing For Absolution

  by Benjamin Howarth

published: 10 / 4 / 2004

Label: East West
Format: CDS

intro

Ambitious new single from Muse, which proves to represent everything that is best and worst about the band

I have mixed opinions about Muse, and am not entirely convinced by them despite their obvious success – they are, after all, about to close the Glastonbury festival with a headlining set on the main stage. I still remember hearing their first single on Steve Lamacq and thinking, “hmmm…they’ve heard 'The Bends', haven’t they?”. I still stand by that assessment of their early work, but luckily, they didn’t allow their Radiohead infatuations to get the best of them. And I suppose we should let them off. Radiohead are the defining band of the last decade, have made a string of classic albums, are great live and seem to be decent, unpretentious people, so who can blame Muse for being fans, huh? "Sing for Absolution' is, like most Muse songs, absurdly over the top and nigh on impossible to digest. But its sheer ambition is laudable, and I am convinced now that Matt Bellamy is genuine. There is only so much of this I can take, and I don’t think I’ll be buying the album, but I certainly wouldn’t turn it off. I can see why people like them, that’s for sure. The guitar playing is phenomenal, and the rhythm section is probably even more impressive. The only problem Muse has got is that they lack the true classic song, whereas Radiohead fill their albums with them.

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