Originally Posted by: MusEsuMMuse is the best band in a long time....combining classical piano with modern rock & some electronic...
Not that Pink Floyd, The Flaming Lips, Emerson Lake and Palmer, Electronic Light Orchestra, Radiohead, Coldplay, Ben Folds, every techno artist EVER, and most prog rock and prog metal bands hadn't done that long before Muse.
I think Matt Bellamy of Muse is one of the best musicians in the world today....seriously, listen to their 3 albums. Unbelievable music...
Not to belittle Muse, a band which I do actually enjoy, but what about Pink Floyd's TWENTY-three albums? Radiohead's six (doubling Muse)? Primus' ten studio releases? Iron Maiden's thirteen albums (not including live releases)? They Might Be Giants' I-forget-how-many albums?
These bands, from what I've heard, give Muse a run for their money, both in quantity, and (I KNOW it's an opinion) quality. Pink Floyd's originality thrashes that of Muse, and there's no argument against that. Pink Floyd originated and MASTERED prog rock. Eventually (after MANY prog/art rock bands) Radiohead came along in the 90s. Heavily influenced by Radiohead, Muse (a band Muse came around
after) it seems that they (Muse) like to stick to that vein of art rock as lain down by their forebears. Yes, technically Pink Floyd came a bit after the Soft Machine and Frank Zappa, but the Soft Machine was a bunch of noise, and Zappa...well...he's Frank Zappa. He formed a movement that no one but Pink Floyd and ELP even REMOTELY followed, and they're stylistically different enough from Zappa to say his influence is slight at best. Muse's harmonies simply don't bear the complexity of a band like Iron Maiden, as Muse lacks more than basic counterpoint. Muse is a group of decent musicians that form a pretty good band, but none of their features can stack up to those of the true greats.
Another point was made on their originality, and I agree insofar as Muse is a break from the
norm. However, a band I hear a lot of in Muse's melodies and harmonies is Incubus. Now I believe strongly in having influences and I love hearing bands reflect those influences, but to say Muse completely transcends all other bands in its uniqueness is simply wrong. Radiohead, The Flaming Lips, and Incubus present themselves STRONGLY in the music of Muse and very well should, they're all nice enough bands. The point, however, is with such strong and obvious influences, how can we claim Muse so original? The band hasn't started a new genre of music. They haven't redefined rock as we know it. The novelty and total originality of such music died long ago, although the genre continues to provide listenable, and
somewhat original material. Unless Muse begins to do something truly revolutionary, they will never be (in my opinion, and indeed the opinion of the majority) great. Pink Floyd has found WIDE acceptance as great. Radiohead is hailed as the modern-day Floyd (although I personally don't think they hold a candle). Muse comes with too little too late, even if it is (and I'd agree) quite good.
I want the bomb
I want the P-funk!
My band is better than yours...
