Matt Bellamy reveals all about the Devon rockers new songs and theyre inspired by The Strokes! Muse have spoken to NME about their amazing new direction, describing how a summer of tragedy has brought them closer together than ever before. In the past four months, three hugely acclaimed festival slots at Glastonbury, T in the Park and V Festival have seen Muse become undisputed kings of UK rock music, and last week you voted them Band of the Summer in the NME Great Festival Poll 2004 to prove it. Shortly before jetting off to Australia for yet more dates, Matt Bellamy took time to tell NME about their future plans and revealed that their new songs have taken unlikely inspiration form The Strokes. He said: They sound like a heavier version of The Strokes, I suppose. Theyre not necessarily tracks that would make it on to the next album. Were working on a number of different tracks, but usually the stuff we play live early doesnt make it on to the album, but I think we need to start moving forward and start playing some new stuff, whatever it is. Bellamy explained the unlikely link between Muse and his favourite New Yorkers. He said: I really like the fast tempo and really melodic stuff. I dont think people would ever hear that within our songs because were a different style, but I think theres some really strong melodies and some of that has stuck with me. But fans of the big music can rest assured that the UKs premier space-rockers arent about to turn into a garage band. Ive got one song that has definitely gone further, said Bellamy, a fair bit further! Im not sure how its going to be recorded. I think its a new category of epicness! But a lot of the stuff is a bit more stripped down, a bit more minimal and a bit more exposed as a three-piece band. I think its something we always try to do, but something happens and we just get carried away and it all goes kind of overboard. I think theres just this built-in thing in us that is always likely to take something to its furthest extreme. And I think were always trying to taper that with pulling back and being more minimal in our arrangements. With what we do therell always be that contradiction within songs and within albums between minimal straightforward stuff and ridiculously complex stuff. Muse are touring Australia and the US until the end of the year, after which time they plan to start recording. I think (after Christmas) well definitely start working on songs in a serious way and then maybe start recording in the summer, Bellamy revealed. Itll be the first time weve ever recorded an album in the summer, weve always recorded albums at the beginning of the year, January, or the end of November all our albums have been recorded in that period, so itd be nice to record an album in the summer. And if we did that we could maybe do something for the end of the year, but at the latest itd be early 2006. Stand-in bass player Morgan Nicholls has travelled to Australia with the band while injured Chris Wolstenholme eases back into playing, and Bellamy didnt rule out the possibility of The Streets/Senseless Things man becoming a permanent fixture. We might try to get Morgan to play some keyboard stuff, he revealed. Whether or not that becomes a permanent thing I suppose depends on: one whether it works, and two, whether he wants to do that. Weve always talked about trying out some kind of four-piece thing, so this is maybe a chance to give that a go. But one of the things that has come out of all this is that its made us realise that we do like being a three-piece a lot, because in a way we were forced to extend into a four-piece, and I do think were maybe better as a three-piece, but as Morgans with us on the road well definitely experiment. This means everything to me Muse ended
the summer as the biggest band in the country. While the UKs other
big rock act, The Darkness, floundered, Muse became through a
combination of jaw-dropping musicianship and grit in the face of adversity
the nations favourite. Last week, NME readers voted them
band of the summer in the Great NME Festival Poll. Glastonbury Triumph Muse headline
the Sunday at Glastonbury. Glastonbury Tragedy Dominics
father Bill collapses and dies on-site, minutes after the set finishes. The Aftermath With the
support of his family, Dominic decides to continue playing with Muse T in the Park The summers
second headlining performance Curiosa While playing
football with The Cooper Temple Clause, Chris breaks his wrist Emergency Surgery Morgan
Nicholls has four days to learn the set before V. Triumph at V Band of
the year, anyone? |
NME
- Muse:
Its a new category of epicness -
September 04
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