Muse - SuperMassive Black Hole

Muse interview

Among the great and the good of British pop starring in tonight’s Children in Need concert on BBC One, from Sir Paul McCartney to Take That, the only name that might seem to stick out for some people is Muse. Aren’t they the Radiohead-lite band from Devon, who sing politically loaded lyrics against the system and all it stands for?

In fact, Muse, while managing to retain something of their outsider status are right now bigger than any of the other acts. They sell arenas out faster than Coldplay; their last album, Resistance, went to the top of the charts in 20 countries (number three in the States); and they have two enormous stadium gigs lined up for next year, plus a groundbreaking tour of Eurasia, playing countries bands usually don’t get to play.

Muse - Resistance

An Interview With Muse's Guitar Hero, Matt Bellamy

The upcoming sixth album by Muse is titled The Resistance, and aptly so--as resistance is futile when it comes to Muse. Over the course of the past decade, the British power trio has quietly (okay, not reallyquietly, since everything they play is cranked BEYOND 11, but stealthily, slowly) built up a devoted fanbase via tireless touring, and now they are finally poised to become The Biggest Band In The World^TM.

With songs on the recent Twilightsoundtrack and in Guitar Hero 5("Supermassive Black Hole" and "Plug-In Baby," respectively), a hot slot performing at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards, and props from American Idol's Adam Lambert (who's currently covering Muse's "Starlight" on tour), Muse are set to skyrocket from merely massive to, well, supermassive. Few bands are creating the sort of over-the-top symphonic rock that is Muse's signature sonic-booming sound, and their time is NOW.

Lead singer/guitarist Matt Bellamy--whose crimson-suited, rooster-haired, guitar-jackhammering likeness has been uncannily recreated for Guitar Hero 5 (see clip at the bottom of this blog), and whose righteous riffs will inspire many a gamer to shred at advanced levels--recently chatted with Yahoo! Music not only about becoming a digital cartoon, but also, of course, about Muse's ambitious new album and plans for inevitable world domination.

Resistance is futile. Read now...

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Y! MUSIC: So I got to check out the Guitar Hero cartoon of you, and it's pretty awesome. How does it feel to see yourself in Guitar Hero avatar form?

Muse - Starlight

Muse - Biography

Muse is an alternative rock band from Teignmouth, England, United Kingdom. The band consists ofMatthew Bellamy on lead vocals, piano, keyboard and guitar, Chris Wolstenholme on backing vocals and bass guitar, and Dominic Howard on drums and percussion.

They have been friends since their formation in early 1994 and changed band names a number of times (such as Gothic Plague, Fixed Penalty, and Rocket Baby Dolls) before adopting the name Muse. Since the release of their fourth album, Morgan Nicholls has also appeared with the band at live performances to provide keyboards, samples/synth, and backing vocals.

Their sound is a blend of alternative rock, classical music, electronica, metal, spanish guitars, andprogressive rock. Usually they use the bass line as the driving force, often with the guitar providing only an extra layer to the song rather than carrying the melody, the bass has distortion and other effects applied to it to achieve a greater weight, allowing the guitar to digress from the main tune and play higher notes. Another peculiarity is Muse´s piano style in many of their songs; their music has been inspired by the works of Romantic pianist-composers such as Rachmaninoff, Tchaikovsky and Liszt, and has thus resulted in a fusion of Romantic style with modern rock.