Album of the day (#3622): Origin Of Symmetry by Muse

[albummaster]

Today's album of the day

Origin Of Symmetry by Muse (View album | Buy this album)

Year: 2001.
Country:
Overall rank: 180
Average rating: 79/100 (from 1287 votes).

Thumbnail. Click to enlarge.

Tracks:
1. New Born
2. Bliss
3. Space Dementia
4. Hyper Music
5. Plug In Baby
6. Citizen Erased
7. Micro Cuts
8. Screenager
9. Dark Shines
10. Feeling Good
11. Megalomania

About album of the day: The BestEverAlbums.com album of the day is the album appearing most prominently in member charts in the previous 24 hours. If an album, or artist, has previously been selected within a x day period, the next highest album is picked instead (and so on) to ensure a bit of variety. A full history of album of the day can be viewed here.

[DommeDamian]

listen to this yesterday, with their other stuff, and this is - safe to say - the only Muse album I will come back to.
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My music:
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Spotify: ----------------------------------------------------↓

[EyeKanFly]

I know Muse has fallen out of favor with a lot of people, but goddamn do I still love this album (as well as most of their albums up through The Resistance).

OoS has been at or near the very top of my favorite albums since I first listened. I don't think it's ever dropped out of my top 10 (right now it sits at #6 but I think it might fall to #7-8 next time I update my chart). For years, it was my #1 album, but it has since been dethroned by Black Holes and Revelations also by Muse, and then Born to Run by Bruce Springsteen.

I really cannot emphasize how much I love this album. Some songs are so absolutely over the top but still flow magically. From the top:
1. New Born: starts off with a wonderfully eerie keyboard lick before explosively building up to one of Muse's absolute best guitar solos. Even better live.
2. Bliss: also a piano highlight on the album, a little smoother but still gut-hitting
3. Space Dementia: continuing the piano bits, also includes great vocoder use, almost a preview of sorts to the more famous "Supermassive Black Hole" off of Black Holes and Revelations
4. Hyper Music: an emo chorus and lyrics set into an incredibly funky bass line, a delight from start to finish
5. Plug in Baby: continuing the funk, but overall a more standard rock song which focuses on the main guitar riff. Explodes into Matt Bellamy's insane falsetto at the end of the song: "I've seen you're loving, and mine is gone"
6. Citizen Erased: longest track on the album, and it's an epic. Angsty and forceful. Segues beautifully into...
7. Micro Cuts: absolutely incomprehensible lyrics but Matt Bellamy's falsetto is unmatched. His slightly whiny twang fits so perfectly
8. Screenager: one of the weaker tracks on the album, but still great. On the somber side, building up to the end of the album
9. Dark Shines: a western-styled backing guitar, really shows how much Muse has been influenced by Ennio Morricone in particular, which really hit a peak on multiple tracks off of Black Holes and Revelations
10. Feeling Good: a cover of Matt Bellamy's mom's favourite song. THIS is how you handle a cover song. Still has the showtune grandiosity, but adds such a unique style including singing one verse through a megaphone.
11. Megalomania: nearly unplayable live because it features an organ. A bolero-like crescendo throughout the song and a perfect finale to the album


I realize this album's not for everyone. Some people feel they have "grown out of" Muse's style of emo alt-rock, but this album still strikes a major chord for me.
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51 Washington, D.C. albums!

[LedZep]

It’s interesting how quickly a band can go from “one of the coolest 21st century alt rock bands” to “overrated modern bland rock garbage” just because they’ve released a few terrible albums. Now I know they had haters ever since they’ve started (I can imagine most of the regulars on BEA aren’t huge fans), but it’s still funny.

Oh and I love Origin of Symmetry, the best Muse album after or along with Black Holes and Revelations. Completely agree with EyeKanFly’s analysis. Favourites are Citizen Erased, New Born and Space Dementia.
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Finally updated the overall chart

2020s
90s

[Tha1ChiefRocka]

I think I say this everytime one of them comes up, but Muse and Incubus have a similar problem for me. Their music is good for like a week, and then I don't want to hear it again for a year. Technically proficient bands. They can crossover and have a pop hit. But, they both just seem so bland at album length. Lacking some sort of deeper substance and listenability. This album is the one I'd return to the most though.

[CA Dreamin]

I somewhat agree with Rocka; I need to be in a certain mood to listen to a full-length Muse album (which isn't very often). However, Origin of Symmetry is pretty damn good and strikes a chord whenever I revisit it.
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on such a winter's day

[EyeKanFly]

[Skinny]

[Applerill]

[LedZep]