34 posts tagged “muse”

We're already three months, and many, many albums, into 2008. What's your favorite album (thus far) that was released this year?

Well this one has an unfair advantage because it's by Muse and I was there and it was brilliant.

So the best non-muse album released this year so far has to go to this one by Goldfrapp. I admit I'd forgotten about it because I've been listening to more recently purchased music which wasn't released this year and so doesn't count for this question. But then they played a track on radio and it reminded me how good it is...

Muse.
HAARP

I've been crap at posting recently. I'm blaming work and the excessive hours and general knackeredness resulting from that. But my new found hobby, Scrabulous, must also take it's share of the blame. Like any new hobby I've become a little bit obsessive with it and have eight games on the go at the moment. I've managed to win a couple of games so far and my record on points is 80 for dinosaur which I'm very proud of it.
I've been to the cinema a lot too but have only posted about films that feel warrant it, ie I either loved or hated. I'd sort of include Be Kind Rewind* among the latter group although hate is probably a bit strong. Disappointed is more apt as I'd expected so much more from Michel Gondry. The bits where they remake classic movies are very good but the story is extremely predictable and decidedly thin. After Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind is seems very lame.
And the Muse tickets never materialised either. Mosh was online at the stroke of nine to buy them but by the time he managed to get through it had already sold out and tickets were appearing on ebay at inflated prices which is a little more cheeky than usual as it is for charity.
I'm really gutted because Matt Bellamy has said they will be playing a stripped down show which I think will be amazing especially with the wonderful acoustics of the Royal Albert Hall. I'm almost tempted to say 'fuck it' and buy some tickets on ebay even if it would make me a hypocrite.
Still got the live album HAARP to look forward to which is released next week.

* Mosh is a Jack Black fan but generally not a big film watcher so as he was interested in seeing it I thought I'd go along with him accompanied by a large glass of wine to lubricate my sense of humour.

I will get to see Muse this year...

Hurray, Muse have announced they are releasing a live CD and DVD from their Wembley shows called HAARP (CD is from the Saturday show and DVD). The DVD has loads of behind the scenes stuff and interviews too apparently.

Don't normally buy live stuff 'because you had to be there' but it was particularly brilliant I might just have to make an exception...

Which friend or acquaintance most influenced your taste in music? 
Submitted by Rev Stan.

My Dad worked with a guy called Mick who was a lot younger than him but they became friends and together with his wife Rose they probably set me on the musical path away from my first love of Duran Duran to more guitar-based music when I was a teenager. They got me into REM before they hit the big time.
They also took me to my first gig: The Cult at the de Montfort Hall in Leicester.
And I can't omit Mosh! because since then he has introduced me to numerous bands not least of which is Muse, Skunk Anansie, Led Zepplin, Jimmi Hendrix, The Doors, Metallica... the list could go on and on.

(Five QoTD/Vox Hunts - not that I'm counting) 

After mucking about and pretending I know how these things work I ended up doing exactly as had been originally suggested and burning the tracks onto a CD (thanks Alison). I now have my souvenir downloads on my iBook. So as promised here is Map of the Problematique, recorded live on Saturday. I love the classic Muse tendency to go a bit mental at the end of songs, critics might call it an inability to finish a song but I disagree.

And just for Lexcorpninja as she's not been feeling too well here is Muse's entrance and first song as recorded by Mark Hilary who was on the pitch. I'm posting it because as the song kicks in, the crowd goes ballistic and the 'camera man' has to go with them which completely distorts to the recording. Makes me chuckle and brings back fond memories. Incidentally, Mark seems to have filmed pretty much all the gig, if you really want to see the rest.

Bought a souvenir bundle from Muse's website which included some official photo's taken before and during the gig.
There is also a live version of Map of the Problematique from Wembley but it isn't mac compatible so I can't post it just now. Hopefully I can download it on my PC at work and post it from there for all to see...

Firstly, the new Wembley Stadium is amazing. It's sheer size is breathtaking and you do get a strong urge to walk up the tunnel and out into the arena with your arms raised.

Had good seats - my camera phone has a tendency to make things look further away than they actually are - but we could actually see quite well.
Arrived in time for Dirty Pretty Things, who I'm sure in a smaller venue would probably have been good but were dwarfed by the setting and, well, seemed a bit dull really.
Watched a bit of The Streets and I was expecting them to be really crap was actually pleasantly surprised. Credit where credit is due, Mike Skinner really worked the crowd even singing a couple of lines of a Muse song at one point, and generally created a good atmosphere. That said their sound is a bit monotonous for me and I wouldn't have sat through a whole set.
Then there was Muse. The atmosphere had reached fever pitch by this stage, Mexican waves going around the stadium and a lot of group clapping urging them to start. They emerged from a platform at the centre of the pitch to a shower of confetti and then walked along a special catwalk to the stage escorted by people in yellow chemical-disaster suits.
Once they reached the stage they launched into Knights of Cydonia, two thirds of the pitch simultaneously jumped up and down and I noticed that when Dom's face appeared momentarily on the big screens at either side of the stage he had a huge grin on his face.
There was a huge video screen as the entire back drop to the stage set which was themed, appropriately, around a satellite monitoring station. There was also a little robot, from where I was standing it looked K9-esque, to bring out fresh guitars for Matt when he needed them!
I've nicked the set list from NME's website because, quite frankly, I was too busy enjoying the music to note down what was played:

'Scuse my french but Muse were fucking brilliant. I went mental. Probably the best gig I've been too.
Will post a digest of the gig tomorrow. Need to sleep now. Expecting neck pain in the morning.