Absolution is the third studio album by English rock band Muse,released on 22 September 2003 through Taste Media.[1] It was produced by Muse and Rich Costey,with additional production by John Cornfield and Paul Reeve.
Most of the album was recorded at Grouse Lodge in County Westmeath,Ireland,with additional sessions at AIR Studios and Livingston Recording Studios in London and Cello Studios in Los Angeles. Costey wanted to give Muse a bigger,more aggressive sound,and Absolution is more polished and direct than their previous albums. It incorporates classical influences,with orchestra on tracks such as "Butterflies and Hurricanes" and "Blackout",and apocalyptic lyrical themes. Muse used effects,synthesisers and software to process many tracks.
Absolution reached number one on the UK Albums Chart. It also produced Muse's first top-ten single,"Time Is Running Out",which reached number 8 on the UK singles chart. As of 2018,Absolution had sold more than 3.5 million copies worldwide. A 20th-anniversary reissue with bonus tracks was released in 2023.
Background
Muse set aside time to develop their third album,as their previous recording sessions had been rushed.[2] In early 2002,they rented a country house outside Brighton for six months to write material.[3] During this period,they were dropped by their American record label,Maverick.[3] The System of a Down singer,Serj Tankian,attempted to sign Muse to his label,Serjical Strike,but Maverick asked for half a million dollars to release them from their contract and his attempts to have Sony provide the money failed.[4]
Muse decided to focus on Europe,and embarked on the final leg of their tour for their previous album,Origin of Symmetry,playing the future Absolution songs "Hysteria" and "The Small Print".[3] After the tour,Muse resumed writing and recording demos in an unused commercial loft in Hackney,London.[3]
Recording
Air Studios,London,where Muse recorded "Butterflies and Hurricanes" and "Blackout"
Muse began recording in late 2002 with the producers John Cornfield and Paul Reed at Air Studios,London,where they recorded "Butterflies and Hurricanes" and "Blackout".[5] They were joined later by the American producer Rich Costey,who produced the rest of the album. Costey had worked with acts Muse admired,including Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave,and wanted to give them a bigger,more aggressive sound. According to Costey,Muse wanted to sound like a "colossal,dynamic,epic and powerful rock band".[5]
Muse and Costey returned to Air in late 2002 to work on songs including "Hysteria" and "Stockholm Syndrome". The songwriter,Matt Bellamy,restructured "Hysteria" after feedback from Costey. For "Stockholm Syndrome",Costey vocodered Bellamy's guitar with a Nord modular synthesiser,creating "hollow,white noisey" sound.[3] Muse and Costey regrouped in early 2003 for 10 days at Livingston Recording Studios,London,completing the recordings they had made at Air.[5]
Muse moved to Grouse Lodge,a residential recording studio in County Westmeath,Ireland,where most of the album was recorded.[5] The sessions were marred by Muse's strained relationship with their record company and a lawsuit with their production company. When Muse's co-manager arrived to review their progress,they found him disruptive and threw them out of the studio. Bellamy said later that "there was a genuine sense of impending doom for the band".[3] The bassist,Chris Wolstenholme,an alcoholic,drank extensively during the sessions.[3]
To create basic tracks,Muse recorded together live,then focused on overdubs.[5] Costey minimised editing to preserve the "human touch" and avoid an artificial result.[5] He added little reverb,preferring to use the natural ambience recorded by the microphones.[5]
Bellamy used custom Manson guitars and Marshall and Diezel amps.[5] Wolstenholme split his signal into three Marshall amps,one clean and two distorted,and blended the results.[5] For "Fury",Bellamy used the DigiTech Whammy pedal to rhythmically pitch-shift the guitar riff.[6] Muse and Costey used the sound design system Kyma to process tracks including "Time Is Running Out","Hysteria" and "Apocalypse Please". Bellamy said Kyma added an "outrageously hi-fi and bright and futuristic sound";Costey described it as "the sound of the record".[3]
The group experimented with drum sounds,using a number of microphones. For the introduction to "Apocalypse Please",they recorded two kick drums in the Grouse Lodge swimming pool. They also recorded Wolstenholme diving into the pool,which was used in the bridge of "Thoughts of a Dying Atheist".[5] For "Ruled by Secrecy",they recorded a drum take in the courtyard outdoors,hoping to capture an unusual ambience,but discarded the results.[5] On "Falling Away with You",Costey captured the sound of Bellamy's fingers on the guitar strings to create an intimate feeling.[5]
For "Sing for Absolution",Muse used prepared piano,laying metal objects such as nails and guitar strings on the piano strings. They also processed the piano with a pitch-shifting DigiTech Whammy pedal and an Echloplex delay effect.[5] For "Ruled by Secrecy",they blended piano and a Yamaha CP-80 electric piano. Costey recorded Bellamy's left and right-hand parts separately,and ran them through guitar amps and an Echoplex.[5] "Time Is Running Out" was the most difficult song to record;Muse spent hours working on the bass sound for the introduction,processing Wolstenholme's bass with multiple effects.[5] Eventually,they used a Roland synthesiser played through a Marshall amp.[3]
"Endlessly" was the last song completed. Muse struggled to improve on the simplicity of Bellamy's demo,recorded with a piano and a four-to-the-floor drum machine rhythm. Eventually,they used lighter,jazzier drumming and an old Hammond organ.[5] Later in 2003,Muse and Costey spent three weeks in Cello Studios,Los Angeles.[5] They recorded more overdubs,including the marching sounds that open the album,and the final version of "Endlessly",and mixed the album.[3][5] They also attracted interest from American labels and signed a contract with Warner Bros. Records.[3]
Music and lyrics
Absolution is an alternative rock,progressive rock,[7]hard rock,and art rock album. It features a more polished and direct sound than Muse's previous albums.[8] In 2020,Wolstenholme described it as a continuation of their second album,Origin of Symmetry (2001):"We knew what we wanted to do,and we'd found our feet a little bit,and we felt comfortable with what we did."[9]
Bellamy wrote most of the songs on piano,including guitar-based songs such as "Stockholm Syndrome".[10] For "Butterflies and Hurricanes",he sought to create a heavy rock song using classical piano instead of guitar,with a "mechanical paradiddle thing all the way through".[10] He was inspired by the "intensive,repetitive" piano compositions of Terry Riley,such as "In C".[10] "Blackout" uses mandolin and orchestra.[5]
The lyrics incorporate themes of fear,mistrust,personal achievement and joy,and a general theme of "things coming to an end".[2] Bellamy said that absolution was "not necessarily a religious word;it has meanings of purity,but it's not necessarily talking from a Christian or any particular religious point of view. I think it's just suggesting that the act of making music is a way of understanding things."[11]
The beginning of the Iraq War influenced the songwriting.[2] Bellamy said that the lyrics for "Apocalypse Please" followed naturally from the "epic and in-your-face" chord progression.[10] The end of Muse's relationship with their American label,Maverick,also influenced the lyrics.[3] Bellamy became interested in conspiracy theories connected to subjects involving the September 11 attacks,which he described as "good subject matter" for songwriting. He later disavowed conspiracy theories as dangerous.[12][3]
Artwork
Absolution is one of two Muse albums (alongside Black Holes and Revelations) to feature artwork by Storm Thorgerson. The ambiguous falling/floating image is similar to the RenéMagritte painting Golconda.[13] According to Howard,the artwork could be interpreted as depicting people either leaving or descending to Earth.[14]
Release and promotion
Absolution was released on 22 September 2003 on CD and double vinyl.[15] The first single,"Stockholm Syndrome",was released as a download and was downloaded more than 20,000 times.[16] Because of contractual obligations,Muse could not allow it to be downloaded free,so the fee was set at $0.99 in the US.[2] On tour for Absolution,Muse performed in arenas for the first time and headlined Glastonbury Festival in 2004.[8] The tour ended with two sold-out nights at Earls Court,London.[3] Muse also toured the United States,playing in small clubs.[3]
On Metacritic,Absolution has a score of 72 of 100 based on 16 reviews,indicating "generally favourable reviews".[17]Alternative Press wrote that its "chaotic choruses feel like the triumphant culmination of some earth-shattering undertaking",[19] while Andrew Future of Drowned in Sound called it "a truly elemental opus".[21] Tyler Fisher of Sputnikmusic felt that Absolution was Muse's most consistent album to date and that it perfected their sound,writing that it "expands on newer sounds and improves on others".[28]Alexis Petridis of The Guardian wrote:"Muse sound like a band who are at the top of their game. Their confidence carries you through the album's excesses."[22] Rob Kemp of Rolling Stone was less enthusiastic,drawing Radiohead comparisons and concluding that Bellamy "doesn't bring as much ingenuity to his singing".[25]
Absolution was Muse's first album to chart in the US,and is credited with establishing their fan base there.[16] It was the second Muse album released in the US,after a dispute with Maverick Records had canceled the release of Origin of Symmetry there.[29]Absolution reached No. 1 on the BillboardTop Heatseekers chart and No. 107 on the Billboard 200.[30] It was certified gold in March 2007,becoming Muse's first album to be certified in the US.[31] "Time Is Running Out" became Muse's first top-10 single on the UK singles chart and was certified gold in the US.[32]
Legacy
In 2005,Absolution was ranked number 345 in the Rock Hard book The 500 Greatest Rock &Metal Albums of All Time.[33] In 2009,Q readers voted it the 23rd-best British album,[34] and in 2009,Kerrang! readers voted it the second-best album of the century so far.[35]
A remastered 20th-anniversary reissue,Absolution XX Anniversary,featuring bonus tracks,live recordings and demos,was released on 17 November 2023.[8]Clash wrote that the reissue was not as "neatly constructed or unique" as the 2021 Origin of Symmetry reissue,with "largely dispensable" bonus material,but praised the "punchier,cleaner" remaster.[36]
* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. ‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.
Muse are an English rock band from Teignmouth, Devon, formed in 1994. The band consists of Matt Bellamy, Chris Wolstenholme, and Dominic Howard.
Showbiz is the debut studio album by English rock band Muse, first released on 7 September 1999 through Taste Media. It was released in various other regions around the world through the band's different regional labels such as; Naïve in France, Motor in Germany, Russia, Turkey and Ukraine, Maverick in the United States, Play It Again Sam (PIAS) in Benelux, and Avex Trax in Japan.
Origin of Symmetry is the second studio album by English rock band Muse, released on 18 June 2001 through Taste Media. It was produced by John Leckie, who produced Muse's debut album, Showbiz (1999), and David Bottrill.
Christopher Tony Wolstenholme is an English musician. He is the bassist and backing vocalist for the rock band Muse. He combines bass guitar with effects and synthesisers to create overdriven fuzz bass tones, a motif of many Muse songs. He sang lead on two songs he wrote from Muse's sixth album, The 2nd Law (2012), and in 2024 launched a solo project, Chromes.
Hullabaloo Soundtrack, also known as simply Hullabaloo, is a compilation and live album by English rock band Muse. The album is a double album with disc one containing previously released B-sides and disc two acting as the soundtrack to their live video Hullabaloo: Live at Le Zenith, Paris, which documented the band's performances at Le Zénith in Paris, France, on 28 and 29 October 2001. It was released alongside the live video on 1 July 2002 via Taste and Mushroom records.
Absolution Tour is the second live video album by English rock band Muse. Released on 12 December 2005, the DVD release documents the band's headlining performance at the 2004 Glastonbury Festival. It also features additional live performances of other Muse songs from the tour as bonus features.
Black Holes and Revelations is the fourth studio album by the English rock band Muse, first released on 3 July 2006 through Warner Bros. Records and Muse's Helium-3 imprint. It was produced by Rich Costey over four months in New York City, London, Milan and southern France.
"Butterflies and Hurricanes" is a song by English rock band Muse. It was released as the sixth and final single from their third studio album, Absolution (2003), on 20 September 2004. Unlike Absolution, the single was released through Atlantic Records.
"Stockholm Syndrome" is a song by the English rock band Muse from their third studio album, Absolution (2003). The song was released as the album's first single on 13 July 2003 and also appears on the Absolution live DVD. It was released alongside its artwork as a download-only single through the official Muse website. The song's promotional video was included in the "Time Is Running Out" CD single, and was shot using a thermal camera. A different video was made for the song's release in the US, depicting the band playing the song in a fictitious talk show.
"Hysteria" is a song by the English rock band Muse, released on 1 December 2003 as the third single from their third studio album, Absolution (2003). It was produced by Muse and Rich Costey.
The discography of the English rock band Muse includes nine studio albums, two live albums, one compilation album, one box set, five EPs, 44 singles, two video albums and 61 music videos.
"Apocalypse Please" is a song by English rock band Muse, featured on their third studio album, Absolution (2003). A live version of the song was released as a download single on 23 August 2004, from which approximately 70% of all proceeds were donated to Oxfam. The song reached number ten on the first edition of the UK Official Download Chart, announced on 1 September 2004.
"Time Is Running Out" is a song by the English rock band Muse. It is the third track on their third studio album, Absolution. The song was released as the second single from the album on 8 September 2003 in the United Kingdom and other countries. It was also the band's first Top 10 hit in the UK, peaking at number eight, besting the number eleven peak of "Plug In Baby".
The Resistance is the fifth studio album by the English rock band Muse, released on 11 September 2009 through Warner Bros. Records and Muse's Helium-3 imprint. It was self-produced and recorded from September 2008 to May 2009 at Studio Bellini in Lake Como, Italy. It mixes rock with orchestral and electronic music, with lyrics influenced by politics and more oppressive subjects. It includes a three-part, 13-minute long symphony piece, "Exogenesis".
"Uprising" is a song by the English rock band Muse, released on 4 August 2009 as the lead single from their fifth studio album, The Resistance (2009). It was written by Matt Bellamy, produced by Muse and mixed by Spike Stent.
"Undisclosed Desires" is a song by English rock band Muse. It was released as the second single from their fifth studio album, The Resistance, on 16 November 2009. The song was written by lead vocalist Matthew Bellamy, who has described it as being "quite a personal song about me and my girlfriend." The song peaked at number 49 on the UK Singles Chart. It also achieved large success in Australia where it was certified Platinum and is Muse's highest-charting single in that country.
The 2nd Law is the sixth studio album by English rock band Muse, first released on 28 September 2012 through Warner Bros. Records and the band's own Helium-3 imprint. Recording of the album took place in studios between London and Los Angeles County, beginning in October 2011 and ending in August 2012. The 2nd Law was Muse's second album to be solely self-produced, following The Resistance (2009), and features a plethora of additional musicians that performed brass, strings, and choir vocals.
Drones is the seventh studio album by English rock band Muse, released on 5 June 2015 through Warner Bros. Records and the band's own Helium-3 imprint. The album was recorded between October 2014 and April 2015 at the Warehouse Studio in Vancouver, with orchestral sections recorded at Officine Meccaniche in Milan, and was produced by the band and Robert John "Mutt" Lange. Drones is a concept album following a soldier's abandonment, indoctrination as a "human drone", and eventual defection. It also comments on the Obama administration's drone program. After their previous albums incorporated orchestral and electronic music, Muse aimed to return to a more straightforward rock sound musically.
Simulation Theory is the eighth studio album by English rock band Muse. It was released on 9 November 2018 through Warner Bros. Records and Helium-3. Muse co-produced the album with Rich Costey, Mike Elizondo, Shellback, and Timbaland. Following the darker themes of Muse's prior albums, Simulation Theory incorporates lighter influences from science fiction and 1980s pop culture, with extensive use of synthesisers. The contemporary political climate of the United States informed the lyrics.
Will of the People is the ninth studio album by English rock band Muse, released through Warner Records and Helium-3 on 26 August 2022. Self-produced by the band, it is a genre-hopping album that Matthew Bellamy described as "a greatest hits album – of new songs." "Won't Stand Down", "Compliance", "Will of the People", and "Kill or Be Killed" were released as singles before the album was released, and "You Make Me Feel Like It's Halloween" was released as a single the same day the album came out.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
