SHOWBIZ

SHOWBIZ is the debut album by indie / alternative rockers MUSE who managed to learn their craft of multi-genre fusion right on their first album. Actually these songs go back a few years and many of them appear on the first two EP s, but here they find a home on a full length album delivering an astounding array of influences and vocalist / guitarist / songwriter mainman Matt Bellamy pulling off his best Radiohead meets U2 vocal performances. Right on the very first track we hear some classical piano snippets that make up little rhythmic packets signifying a long lasting relationship with artists like Chopin in their mostly indie rock structured songs with a highly developed melodic catchiness absent from many acts in that particular branch of rock. Although MUSE is accused of ripping off Radiohead in many ways but especially in the vocal department I would have to slightly agree but really MUSE incorporate a million more influences than Radiohead's non-chalant space folk rock ever did. Matt Bellamy to me sounds like he took the Thom Yorke approach and infused it with a more passionate Bono style that can leave you instantly loving or hating this band. The comparison with Radiohead wasn't helped by the fact the producer of SHOWBIZ also worked on "The Bends."

MUSE is simply willing to try out anything and no influence is too strange or eclectic to throw in when it works. On the title track for example it sounds like Native American drumming that ushers in one of their punky alternative noise rockers as well as ending it, "Uno" starts off with some electronic noise followed by a tango bass line that is the backbone of the track creating a super catchy lead single that was well received in the UK. Although the influences aren't always as well woven together as they would be on the next few albums, this debut album is a lot better than I initially thought it would be coming to it after the following ones. The passionate delivery both vocally and instrumentally is in full force and so are the well written pop sensibilities incorporated into every track. I can easily listen to this entire album time and time again without skipping a single track. MUSE are masters of variety and that is not absent here. There are rockers and ballads. Angry outbursts, tender passages and lots of noise and myriad influences lurking beneath the surface. Overall a great start for this band who may shamelessly plunder the vaults of the sonic temples but at least they achieve interesting results in the end. 3.5 stars rounded up