After wowing audiences with a rousing set at this summer's Glastonbury Festival, the British trio known as Muse is currently flexing its layered guitar zeitgeist with "Muscle Museum," the first single from the band's just-released debut, "Showbiz."

Though the members of Muse are only 20 years old, guitarist-vocalist Matthew Bellamy, bassist Chris Wolstenholme, and drummer Dominic Howard have all been playing together in groups in Devon, England since 1994.

Lured by its roster (most notably the Deftones, whom Muse admires), Muse signed with Maverick Records in 1998 and recorded its first full length album with famed Radiohead and Stone Roses producer John Leckie.

Because of Leckie's connection with Radiohead (he produced its second LP, "The Bends"), some have been quick to draw comparisons between both groups' intricate song structures. But as frontman Bellamy told MTV News, Muse agreed to work with Leckie not because of his work with Radiohead, but rather because of his admitted fan-boy fascination with the three-piece.

"We met John Leckie about a year ago," Bellamy explained, "and he started coming to our gigs that we were doing in England. He was just a fan of the band, and he really liked the music we were playing. And it got to a point where it looked like we were gonna get a record deal, and so he started talking that maybe he'd like to do the album with us."

"He came over with us to New York when we did CMJ last year," he continued. "He was with us that time, and he's just a great guy. We got along with him really well, and there's no one else I'd rather work with on a first record. He thinks... well, he said that we're the best guitar group he's ever worked with." [RealAudio]

Muse will launch a U.K. tour with Skunk Anansie on October 9 in Cambridge and will open for the Red Hot Chili Peppers' tour of Germany in early November. The group plans to return to the States for another round of shows just after Thanksgiving.

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