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Awesome Music / Muse

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Yes, Muse had a long enough list of Awesome Music to warrant an entire page. They have been victorious.

Showbiz
  • "Sunburn" is our first look into the world of Muse. Unlike most of the rest of the album, it's dramatic with a powerful chorus.
  • "Showbiz" is 5 minutes and 17 seconds of raging anguish topped off with one of the most insane vocal solos to be committed to audio.
  • Early B Side "Host" starts off subtly, then gets to the most awesome headbanging section for 45 seconds till the end of the song. It's the unsung predecessor of "Cydonia" for this reason.
  • "Unintended". Simple and stripped-down, sweet stuff that tugs at the heartstrings oh so delicately. The live version on HAARP is its own standalone Moment of Awesome.
  • "Muscle Museum": Catchy, anthemic, and funky with a nice chorus, along with lyrics about Muse's struggle in their early days to be recognized and how people would only be fans of them because of their popularity. It's all topped off with a tasty pseudo-guitar solo which is actually Matt singing into a crackly megaphone. Seriously.
  • "Uno", dear god, "Uno". The bassline and guitar riff and melody pull you straight into what sounds like a Mexican standoff and it does not disappoint. YOU COULD'VE BEEN NUMBER OOOOONE, YOU COULD'VE RULED THE WHOLE WOOOOORLD, YOU COULD'VE HAD SO MUCH FUUUUUN, BUT YOU BLEW IT ALL AWAAAAY...
  • "Minimum", anyone? This instrumental simply doesn't do the minimum. It's very fun to headbang to and somewhat Nirvana-esque.

Origin of Symmetry

  • "New Born" is such. An. Opener. It starts with a lullaby-esque piano melody before exploding into an energetic riff and a manic climax at the end. This rendition, in particular, is in one word, mind-blowing.
  • "Citizen Erased". Many have considered it to be the "Bohemian Rhapsody" of this generation for the daring, evolving structure that starts with a simple riff, turning it into a dramatic and angsty hard rock song, then a sad soft rock song, then right back into the hard riffing, then all sealed off with a refreshing yet haunting piano outro.
  • "PLUG. IN. BABY." The bassline and drumbeat are damn groovy, the lyrics are fantastically weird, the strings in the chorus are epic and swelling, and yet it's raw and strange in the most perfect of ways. As for the guitar riff? Complex, but still catchy, and it is considered one of the best of all time.
  • "Space Dementia" is frickin' epic. It's insanely beautiful but also frightening and in the end, addictive and insanity-inducing as the lyrics call for. The wall of sound at the end really seals the deal.
  • "Bliss". The arpeggios are intricate and spiral round you, the vocals float above the chaotic music, and the music video is definitely a trip. Bellamy often reinterpreted the piano arpeggios from the intro and interlude with his overdriven guitar in live performances. Watch their live performance at Rock am Ring 2002 here and at Glastonbury 2004 here.
  • "Hyper Music". YOU KNOW THAT I DON'T LOVE YOU, AND I NEVER DIIIIID...along with kickass riffs early on, and bass that is like an earthquake delivered direct to the eardrums.
  • "Micro Cuts" has an almost classical feel to it (due to having a similar chord progression to Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata). Matt's vocals are inhuman in addition to the eerie feel of the chorus. Probably the most atmospheric piece of music that Muse have ever recorded, with the ethereal guitars and the ghostly vocals. That would have been enough, but then, 30 seconds from the end, the guitar speeds up with a heavy riff and the song explodes. The Gratuitous Panning is just icing on the cake of perfection.
  • "Feeling Good". One might not think of jazz when it comes to Muse, but their brilliant take on this classic showtune is worth hearing. The falsettos at the end are just too good to believe.

Hullaballoo Soundtrack

  • The entire EP. Just listen to that opening!
  • "Dead Star" should have earned its own Awesome moment: the slurps, the hardcore electronic instrumental, the epic riffs, the drum structure. It's basically what anger sounds like.

Absolution

  • "Apocalypse Please" feels bare without its intro, huh?
  • "Hysteria". One of the most awesome bass lines of all time, it opens the song and rumbles right through your head to the end. The guitar solo reaches soaring heights too, and everyone must join in on the chorus:
    'cause I want it now, I want it now
    Give me your heart and your soul
    And I'm breaking out, I'm breaking out
    Last chance to lose control
  • "Time Is Running Out", especially with the Dr. Strangelove-inspired video.
  • "Butterflies and Hurricanes". (Live version on HAARP is just as, if not, better.) This song would make a damn good Theme Music Power-Up:
    Change everything you are
    And everything you were
    Your number has been called
    Fights and battles have begun
    Revenge will surely come
    Yeah, hard times are ahead
    • They play this on the Sci Fi Channel in Taiwan for one of the commercials and it is epic. It does, however, after you hear it for the third time in one day begin to sound like they are summoning some kinda Eldritch Abomination. Mumbling, singing and yelling at the same time? Awesome.
    • Appears as the main theme of Need for Speed: Most Wanted (2012). A huge accomplishment for them.
  • Even non-Muse fans can't get over "Sing for Absolution". It's simple, soft, delicate, and you will not get the melody of the verses nor the piano out of your head.
  • "Eternally Missed" is the little-known B-side to "Hysteria". It is also quite possibly the finest piece of music Muse has ever recorded.
  • The B-side "Fury" is driven by a 3/2 time signature and a doom-laden wall of synths, strings, and guitars make you feel like everything is coming apart in the most badass way possible. AND WE'LL PRAAAAAAAAAY THAT THEEEEEEERE'S NO GOOOOOOOD TO PUUUUUUNISH UUUUUUUS AND MAAAAAAAKE A FUUUUUUUSS!
  • "The Groove" (b-side for the "Time Is Running Out" single) starts out with one of the weirdest guitar solos Matt's ever done then at 0:19 the bass kicks in and you realize that the song is more than aptly titled.
  • "Stockholm Syndrome, one of Muse's heaviest songs (at least guitar and drums wise), tells a story about, you know, Stockholm Syndrome. Amazing riff, touching lyrics, and even better live performance.

Black Holes and Revelations

  • "Knights of Cydonia" by Muse is incredibly epic (and the video is even more so). You know what's more epic than "Knights of Cydonia"? Knights of Cydonia preceded by Man With Harmonica.
  • "Take a Bow"'s symphonic tribute. If God had a theme song, this would be it. And the original "Take a Bow" symphonic mix - just when you think it can't get any more epic.
  • The little B-side called "Glorious" is, indeed, glorious.
  • "Map of the Problematique". LONELINESS BE OVER. LIVE AT ABBEY ROAD. The RatM riff at the end just makes it perfect.
  • "City of Delusion". Dear sweet Jesus, that trumpet can send tingles down anyone's spine, and the strings practically make the song.
  • "Starlight". Easily one of their most emotionally intense songs. Not to mention the epic bass riff intro, the epic piano intro, and a drum beat that's the tits!note 
  • "Assassin", featuring one of Dominic's best drum performances and some kickass riffing.
  • "Supermassive Black Hole", freaky video and all. How much more catchy and sexy can you get? "Ooooooooooooh...You set my soul alight..."

The Resistance

The 2nd Law

  • Chances are you'll find their theme for the London 2012 Olympics "Survival" head-explodingly epic, though cheesy and campy as hell. (Though it may take a few listens to love it.)
  • Taking a few listens to love it seems to be becoming a trend with the songs from The 2nd Law, as its trailer split the fanbase. The first single from the album, "Madness", is what might happen if 80s-era Queen were sent forward in time and tried out EDM! Combine the smooth beat and epic buildup with the soaring vocals at the end and you've got a great song.
  • And the base-breaking song itself, "Unsustainable". The reaction to the Dubstep influences in this song has been incredibly split, but the fact that the band are making those sounds with their normal instruments at least deserves a mention. That part in the middle with all of the strings and robot voices coming back with kickass slow drumming and Matt belting his heart out is orgasmic.
  • The band recently allowed people to listen to it for free on various websites (such has The Guardian for UK listeners). "Panic Station" instantly jumps out as being funk-inspired brilliant awesomeness.
  • "Follow Me", a dubstep-symphonic rock hybrid written in dedication to Matthew Bellamy's newborn son, is the first major foray by Muse into music dominated by electronic elements and is EXTREMELY AWESOME. What did you expect from a song being produced by Nero?!
  • "Supremacy". Slow and intriguing orchestral buildup to an epic beat drop and a suave riff with some really badass lyrics. Everybody says it goes well with James Bond. It shows.
  • "Save Me". Chris Wolstenholme's debut as singer and songwriter couldn't be more beautifully amazing.

Drones

  • Psycho is such a kick-ass riff. For those familiar with Muse's live shows, yes, that is indeed a modified variation on the ol' Stockholm Syndrome outro.
  • Dead Inside starts with a simple beat and an apparently innocent chorus, but then it explodes around the 2:35 mark into an absolute orgasm of sound. It has the instrumental progression of "Madness" and the awesome synth-like quality of "Undisclosed Desires". Add a neat little guitar solo before the second verse and you've got a great song. The official music video makes it even better - very minimalist, with just a man and a woman (who has Black Eyes of Evil) dancing together in a bare room full of what looks like chalk dust, interspersed with shots of the band playing in the same room and the occasional light-bearing drone hovering around, the dance performance put on by Will B. Wingfield and Kathryn McCormick is absolutely astounding, like a combination of ballet, ballroom dancing, break dancing, martial arts and sex all rolled into one.
  • Reapers is a very OOS-esque, guitar-heavy song that you can't help rocking out to. The crazy, heavy ending elevates it from cool to unforgettable.
  • The Handler. Ominously uplifting lyrics mark the beginning of the protagonist's realization that she can still hang on to who she was before being broken. Even by itself, the heavy, brooding guitar and bass combined with an unearthly vocal performance is just brilliant.
  • Defector is by itself an amazing song, featuring a soaring, powerful main riff, but it becomes even more awesome when it's taken into the album's context. It's in fact the point where the protagonist snaps out of her brainwashing and turns against her tormentors, who turned her into a soulless killing machine.
  • "The Globalist" is a ten-minute apocalyptic prog nightmare about a crazy dictator who nukes an entire planet because he needed to be loved. This song, a sequel to "Citizen Erased", has three movements: a slide-guitar driven ballad à la Ennio Morricone, a heavy guitar solo, and a Rachmaninoff-esque piano part. Matt throws random objects to the floor to emulate bombing sounds in the solo.

Simulation Theory

  • Behold, The Dark Side. Vibey yet dramatic synth-rock with J-Pop elements. It's great music to outdrive robots to.
  • "Algorithm" is a grand intro to the digital world of the album. Synths and piano notes blend together effortlessly to keep you on the edge of your seat.
  • "The Void" is just as good of a closer for its slow, subdued cosmic tale of resilience and hope in the darkest and loneliest of times. They're wrong...

Will of the People

  • Almost half a decade since releasing Simulation Theory, with the fans not knowing where the band were headed next... they show off "Won't Stand Down", a song energizing and dark enough to encourage you to stand up to your abusers. Cue the entire internet - both knowledgeable of their earlier work and not - being pleased at their return to catchy guitar riffs... and utterly stunned at Muse throwing in a crazy metal-style breakdown for good measure.
  • "Kill Or Be Killed" is considered one of their best songs to date and a thrilling amalgamation of their most beloved musical elements. It borrows fading outros from "Reapers", arpeggio bass and synth bridges from "Stockholm Syndrome", guttural metal vocals from "Won't Stand Down", and sprinkles in a healthy dose of djent solos.
  • "You Make Me Feel Like It's Halloween" is an absolutely fucking ridiculous song, one that is barely edgier than what you might find in a Scooby-Doo cartoon...but it's also ludicrously catchy and awesome.
  • "Verona" is an ethereal, hearfelt ballad, triumphant in spite of fate, with layered cosmic-sounding synths that swirl around your ears and is just made of pure beauty. It really feels like you're entering another dimension.
  • The closing track, "We Are Fucking Fucked", inarguably Muse at their most explicit, is simultaneously one of the most depressingly nihilistic songs they've ever written, while also, through its sheer audacity and bluntness, rather hilarious. It borrows their old Radiohead influence in the verses, Absolution-style apocalyptic, yet relevant lyrics, an unnerving hyper-frantic Drones-styled buildup to a chorus backed up by a triumphant, yet unsettling choir, then ends with a glorious, galloping rhythm change like "Knights of Cydonia". It's a razor-sharp, extremely concise, remarkably straightforward song that perfectly encapsulates the beginning of the decade and its associated chaos, all in a short 3:36 package that serves as a supremely satisfying ending to the album. If you thought the studio version was already a real deal, it's even more awesome to see thousands of people chanting along live.

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