Absolution (album)
| Absolution | ||||||||||
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| Studio album by Muse | ||||||||||
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| Released | September 21, 2003 (UK) September 28, 2003 (AU) March 23, 2004 (U.S.) | |||||||||
| Recorded | 2003 | |||||||||
| Genre | Alternative rock, New Prog | |||||||||
| Length | 52:19 | |||||||||
| Label | A&E Records 5046685872 (UK) 5046751112 (AU re-release) | |||||||||
| Producer | Rich Costey, John Cornfield, Muse, Paul Reeve | |||||||||
| Professional reviews | ||||||||||
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| Muse chronology | ||||||||||
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Absolution is the third studio album by English alternative rock band Muse. It was released on September 21, 2003 in the UK and on March 23, 2004 in the U.S. by Taste Music Limited. The album yielded the band's first big American hits - "Time Is Running Out" and "Hysteria", the former becoming their first UK Top 10 single. In 2006 it was voted the 21st best British album ever.[1] In 2009 it was voted by Kerrang as the 2nd best album of the 21st century.
Contents[hide] |
Writing and composition
The band spent much of 2002 recording Absolution with producer Rich Costey.[2] The album was recorded in studios in both Los Angeles and London.[2] Bellamy said that the band made a "conscious decision" to "get together in a room and make music", setting aside time to record the album, as with previous albums recording sessions were 'hastily arranged' and rushed.[2]
The album incorporates themes of fear, mistrust, personal achievement and joy.[2] Bellamy said that the beginning of the Iraq War had an effect on their songwriting.[2]
The track "Blackout" featured an 18-piece orchestra.[3]
Release
Absolution was released on 23 September 2003 on CD and double vinyl.[4] It was their first album released on the A&E Records label.[4] There were six singles, of which the first, "Stockholm Syndrome", was download only.[4] Due to contractual obligations the band couldn't allow the song to be downloaded for free, so the fee was set at $0.99 and it was downloaded more than 20,000 times.[2]
Reception
[edit] Commercial
Absolution was Muse's first album to chart in the US, and is credited with establishing the band a fan base there.[2] The album reached #1 on the Billboard Top Heatseekers chart and #107 on the Billboard 200.[5]
Critical
The album was largely well received by critics. Both Q and The Guardian gave it four out of five stars, with three out of five stars being awarded by Allmusic and Rolling Stone. As with previous albums they were compared to Radiohead, with Tim DiGravina of Allmusic calling Bellamy's vocals a "Thom Yorke vocal impersonation".[6] However, DiGravina also said that the album still "struck a nerve" with the band's more alternative hard rock fans,[6] a view that was agreed with by The Guardian's Alexis Petridis.[7]
Track listing
All lyrics written by Matthew Bellamy, all music written by Muse.
- "Intro" – 0:22
- "Apocalypse Please" – 4:12
- "Time Is Running Out" – 3:56
- "Sing for Absolution" – 4:54
- "Stockholm Syndrome" – 4:58
- "Falling Away With You" – 4:40
- "Interlude" – 0:37
- "Hysteria" – 3:47
- "Blackout" – 4:22
- "Butterflies and Hurricanes" – 5:01
- "The Small Print" – 3:28
- "Fury" (bonus track between "The Small Print" and "Endlessly" on Japanese release) – 4:58
- "Endlessly" – 3:49
- "Thoughts of a Dying Atheist" – 3:11
- "Ruled by Secrecy" – 4:54
Initial copies of the CD featured inlay errors, where the songs "Interlude" and "Hysteria" switched places on the track listing. Cover art by Storm Thorgerson.
Limited edition UK bonus DVD
- "The Making of Absolution" documentary
(Also Hysteria and Interlude positions are switched on the tracklisting, yet this is not the case on the album)
Australian Tour Bonus Disc
- "Stockholm Syndrome" – 7:14
- "New Born" – 6:11
- "Muscle Museum" – 4:18
- "Hysteria" – 4:14
- "Bliss" – 4:01
- "Time Is Running Out" – 4:06
This bonus CD is entirely composed of live versions, recorded at the Big Day Out in Sydney, January 23, 2004 for Australian radio station Triple J and broadcast in the radio show "Live at the Wireless".
Personnel
- Matthew Bellamy – lead vocals, guitars, piano, synthesizers, mandolin on "Blackout"
- Chris Wolstenholme – backing vocals, bass guitar, synthesizers on "Hysteria" and "Time Is Running Out"
- Dominic Howard – drums, percussion
- Paul Reeve – backing vocals, vocal samples
Chart positions
Album
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | UK Top 40 | 1 |
| 2003 | Billboard Top Heatseekers | 1 |
| 2003 | The Billboard 200 | 107 |
| 2003 | France Albums Top 150 | 1 |
| 2003 | Dutch Albums Top 100 | 2 |
| 2003 | Ireland Top 75 | 3 |
| 2003 | Swiss Albums Top 100 | 3 |
| 2003 | Austria Top 75 | 3 |
| 2003 | Italy Top 50 | 4 |
| 2003 | Norway Top 40 | 5 |
| 2003 | Belgium Top 70 | 7 |
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | "Stockholm Syndrome" | UK Downloads Chart | 31 |
| 2003 | "Time Is Running Out" | UK Singles Chart | 8 |
| 2003 | "Hysteria" | UK Singles Chart | 17 |
| 2004 | "Sing For Absolution" | UK Singles Chart | 16 |
| 2004 | "Apocalypse Please" | UK Downloads Chart | 10 |
| 2004 | "Butterflies & Hurricanes" | UK Singles Chart | 14 |
| 2004 | "Time Is Running Out" | Modern Rock Tracks | 9 |
| 2005 | "Hysteria" | Modern Rock Tracks | 9 |
| 2005 | "Stockholm Syndrome" | Modern Rock Tracks | 31 |
References
- ^ "NME 100 Greatest British Albums Ever! - 2006". NME's Best 100 Albums. rocklistmusic.co.uk. April 2008. http://www.rocklistmusic.co.uk/nmes_100_best_albums.htm#Greatest%20British%20Albums.
- ^ a b c d e f g "'Absolution' plows the ground for Muse's U.S. following". Seattle PI. http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/pop/172255_muse07.html. Retrieved 2008-09-04.
- ^ "Innocence and Absolution". http://www.keyboardmag.com/article/innocence-and-absolution/Jun-05/9880.
- ^ a b c "Muse (official fansite)". http://www.muse.mu/index.php.
- ^ "Billboard chart history". http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/retrieve_chart_history.do?model.chartFormatGroupName=Albums&model.vnuArtistId=119054&model.vnuAlbumId=601768. Retrieved 2008-06-10.
- ^ a b "Absolution". Allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:4dd8vwrqa9qk.
- ^ "Muse, Absolution". http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2003/sep/19/popandrock.shopping4. Retrieved 2008-12-05.
External links
| Preceded by Permission to Land by The Darkness | UK number one album October 4, 2003 – October 10, 2003 | Succeeded by Life for Rent by Dido |
