Released 25 years ago this Thursday in the UK and other parts of the world, this is the second album from British alternative rock band Muse. This album isn't one I have listened to very often, but I'm loving it. Three of the tracks are over 6 minutes long, and I love a good, long epic rock track. Matt Bellamy's vocals are all over the place in a good way, sometimes singing softly, sometimes belting it out, and often singing in falsetto. I'm not sure how he could play guitar while also doing these vocals live too, but the guitar is also excellent. They also have lots of fun sounds in here you don't often hear on a rock album, like strings, lots of electronic-sounding elements, and in general some other-worldly sounds. This album is a bit less polished than their later works, but I like its more underground style. Apparently this album was not liked by their USA label, so it was not released until 2005 in the states, after they moved on to another label and released their immensely popular Absolution album. I became aware of this band only later, but it was fun to go back and hear their earlier stuff like this.

Release Year: 2001
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