THE PIXIES ***

The Pixies are an American alternative rock band that formed in Boston, Massachusetts in 1986. The group consists of Black Francis (vocals, rhythm guitar), Joey Santiago (lead guitar), Kim Deal (bass guitar, vocals), and David Lovering (drums). While the Pixies found only modest success in their home country, they were significantly more successful in the United Kingdom and elsewhere in Europe, although never achieving prolonged mainstream success with their studio albums. The group disbanded in 1993 in acrimonious circumstances but reunited in 2004.

The band's style of music contains elements including indie rock and surf rock. Francis is the Pixies' primary songwriter and singer who has been noted for his yowling delivery. He has typically written about offbeat subjects, such as extraterrestrials, surrealism and Biblical violence.

The group has been described as a big influence on the alternative rock boom of the 1990s, though they disbanded before reaping any of the benefits this might have brought them. Avowed fan Kurt Cobain's acknowledgement of the debt his band Nirvana owed to the Pixies, along with similar tributes by other alternative bands, helped the Pixies' legacy and popularity grow in the years following their break-up, leading to sold-out tours following their reunion in 2004.

History

Formation

Joey Santiago and Black Francis (born Charles Thompson IV) first met when they lived next to each other in a suite while attending the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Although Santiago was worried about distractions, he noticed Francis played music and the pair began to jam together. Francis then embarked on a student exchange trip to Puerto Rico to study Spanish. After six months, he returned to Amherst and dropped out of the university. Francis and Santiago spent 1984 working in a warehouse, with Francis composing songs on his acoustic guitar and writing lyrics on the subway train.

The pair formed a band in January 1986. Bassist Kim Deal joined Santiago and Francis two weeks later after responding to a classified advertisement Francis had placed, seeking a female bassist who liked both folk music icons Peter, Paul and Mary and the band Hüsker Dü.bass guitar as she had never played the instrument before. She later obtained one, and the trio started rehearsing in Deal's apartment. Deal was the only person to respond, but arrived at the audition without a

After recruiting Deal, the band tried unsuccessfully to get her sister, Kelley Deal, to join as its drummer. Kim's husband suggested they hire drummer David Lovering, whom Kim had met at her wedding reception. The group arrived at a name after Santiago selected the word "pixies" randomly from a dictionary and took a liking to how it looked and its definition as "mischievous little elves". Once the band had settled on a name and stable line-up, they moved rehearsals to Lovering's parents' garage in mid-1986. They began to play shows at bars in and around the Boston area.

Record contract and Come On Pilgrim

While the Pixies were playing a concert with Throwing Muses, they were noticed by producer Gary Smith, manager of Fort Apache Studios. He told the band he "could not sleep until you guys are world famous." The band produced a 17-track demo at Fort Apache soon afterwards, known to fans as "The Purple Tape" because of the tape cover's purple background. Funded by Francis' father at the cost of $1000, the recording session was completed in three days. Local promoter Ken Goes became the band's manager, and he passed the demo to Ivo Watts-Russell4AD. Watts-Russell nearly passed on the band, finding them too normal, "too rock 'n' roll", but signed them at the persuasion of his girlfriend. of the independent record label

Upon signing with 4AD, eight tracks from the Purple Tape were selected for the Come On Pilgrim EP, the band's first release. In the EP, Francis drew upon his experiences in Puerto Rico, mostly in the songs "Vamos" and "Isla de Encanta"; the album included lyrics describing the poverty in Puerto Rico. The religious lyrics in Come On Pilgrim and later albums came from his parents' born-again Christian days in the Pentecostal Church. Critic Heather Phares sees themes such as sexual frustration ("I've Been Tired") and incest ("Nimrod's Son" and "The Holiday Song") on the EP.

Surfer Rosa and Doolittle

Come On Pilgrim was followed by the band's first full-length album, Surfer Rosa. The album was recorded by Steve Albini (who was hired by Watts-Russell on the advice of a 4AD colleague), completed in two weeks, and released in early 1988. Surfer Rosa gained the Pixies acclaim in Europe; both Melody Maker and Sounds gave Surfer Rosa their "Album of the Year" award. American critical response was also positive yet more muted, a reaction that persisted for much of the band's career. The album was eventually certified Gold in the U.S. in 2005. After the album was released, the band arrived in England to support Throwing Muses on the European "Sex and Death" tour—beginning at the Mean Fiddler in London. The tour became notable for the band's in-jokes, such as playing their entire set list in alphabetical order.

Meanwhile, they signed an American distribution deal with major record label Elektra. Around this time, the Pixies struck up a relationship with the British producer, Gil Norton. Norton was to produce their second full album, Doolittle, which was recorded in the last six weeks of 1988 and seen as a departure from the raw sound of Come On Pilgrim and Surfer Rosa. Doolittle had a much cleaner sound, largely due to Norton and the production budget of US$40,000, which was quadruple that of Surfer Rosa. Doolittle featured the single "Here Comes Your Man", which biographers Josh Frank and Caryn Ganz describe as an unusually jaunty and pop-like song for the band. "Monkey Gone to Heaven" was a Top 10 modern rock radio hit in the US, and reached the Top 100 in the UK. Like Surfer Rosa, Doolittle was acclaimed by fans and music critics alike.

Hiatus

After Doolittle tensions between Deal and Francis came to a head (for example, Francis threw a guitar at Deal during a concert in Stuttgart), and Deal was almost fired from the band when she refused to play at a concert in Frankfurt. Santiago, in an interview to Mojo, described Deal as being "headstrong and want[ing] to include her own songs, to explore her own world" on the band's albums; eventually she accepted that Francis was the singer and had musical control of the band, but after the Frankfurt incident, "they kinda stopped talking". The band became increasingly tired during the post-Doolittle "Fuck or Fight" tour of the United States and fighting among members continued. After the tour's final date in New York, the band was too exhausted to attend the end-of-tour party the following night and soon announced a hiatus.

During this time, Santiago and Lovering went on holidays, while Francis did a short solo tour, Deal formed a new band, The Breeders, with Tanya Donelly of Throwing Muses and bassist Josephine Wiggs of Perfect Disaster. Their debut album, Pod, was released in 1990. which consisted of a number of concerts to generate gas money as he traveled across the country.

Bossanova, Trompe le Monde, and break-up

In 1990, all members of the group except for Deal moved to Los Angeles. Lovering stated that he, Santiago, and Francis moved there "because the recording studio was there". Unlike previous recordings, the band had little time to practice beforehand, and Black Francis wrote much of the album in the studio. Featuring the singles "Velouria" and "Dig for Fire", Bossanova In contrast, the album peaked at number three in the United Kingdom. Also in 1990, the Pixies released a cover of the Paul Butterfield Blues Band'sRubáiyát: Elektra's 40th Anniversary. reached number 70 in the United States. "Born in Chicago" on the compilation album

The band continued to tour, and released Trompe le Monde in 1991, their final album before their break-up. The album included "U-Mass", which has been described as being about college apathy, and whose guitar riff was written years before at the University of Massachusetts before Francis and Santiago dropped out. The album also featured a cover of "Head On" by The Jesus and Mary Chain. Also that year, the band contributed a cover of "I Can't Forget" to the Leonard Cohen tribute album I'm Your Fan, and began an international tour in which they played stadiums in Europe and smaller venues in the United States. They then embarked on an uncomfortable tour supporting U2 on their Zoo TV tour in 1992. Tensions rose between band members, and, at the end of the year, the Pixies went on sabbatical and focused on separate projects.

In early 1993, Francis announced in an interview to BBC Radio 5 that the band was finished and offered no explanation at the time, unbeknownst to the other members of the band. He later telephoned Santiago and subsequently notified Deal and Lovering via fax, in January 1993.Frank Black, and he released several solo albums, including a string of releases with Frank Black and the Catholics. Deal returned to The Breeders, who scored a hit with "Cannonball" from that group's platinum-selling Last Splash in 1993, and released two more albums several years later. She also formed and released one album with The Amps. Santiago played lead guitar on multiple Frank Black albums, as well as on other artists' albums. He wrote theme music for the show Undeclared on Fox television and for Crime and Punishment in Suburbia. He formed a band called The Martinis with his wife, Linda Mallari, who released an album in 2004. Lovering went on to become a magician and make occasional appearances as "The Scientific Phenomenalist", performing experiments on stage and occasionally opening for Frank Black and The Breeders. Lovering continued to do some drumming, playing with the band Cracker, as well as on one of Tanya Donelly's solo albums, and on the Martinis' song "Free", which appeared on the Empire Records soundtrack. After the break-up, the four members embarked on separate projects. Black Francis renamed himself

4AD and Elektra Records continued to release Pixies material in the band's absence. They released the best-of album Death to the Pixies (1997), the Peel-session compilation Pixies at the BBC (1998), and the Complete 'B' Sides compilation (2001). Meanwhile, in 2002 material from the band's original 17-track demo tape was released as an EP, Pixies, on Cooking Vinyl in the U.K. and SpinArt Records in the U.S.; Frank Black has also used these labels to release solo work, and/or albums with The Catholics.^[42][61]

Reunion

In the 11 years following the break-up, rumors sometimes circulated regarding a reunion. Though Frank Black steadfastly dismissed them, he did begin to incorporate an increasing number of Pixies songs in his sets with The Catholics, and occasionally included Santiago in his solo work and Lovering's magic show as an opening act to concerts.

In 2003, a series of phone calls between band members resulted in some low-key rehearsals, and soon to a decision to reunite. By February 2004, a full tour was announced, and tickets for nearly all the initial tour dates sold out within minutes. The band's four night run at London's Brixton Academy was the fastest selling in the venue's 20 year history.

The Pixies played their first reunion concert on April 13, 2004 at The Fine Line Music Cafe in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and a warmup tour through the U.S. and Canada was followed by an appearance at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. The band then spent much of 2004 touring throughout Brazil, Europe, Japan, and the U.S. The group won the Act of the Year award in the 2004 Boston Music Awards. The 2004 reunion tour reportedly grossed over $14 million in ticket sales.

In June 2004, the band released a new single, "Bam Thwok" exclusively on the iTunes Music Store. The song reached number one in the UK Official Download Chart. 4AD released Wave of Mutilation: The Best of Pixies, along with a companion DVD, entitled Pixies. The band also contributed a rendition of "Ain't That Pretty At All" to the Warren Zevon tribute album Enjoy Every Sandwich.

In 2005 the band made appearances at festivals including Lollapalooza, "T on the Fringe", and the Newport Folk Festival. The band continued to make appearances through 2006 and 2007, Since 2005, Francis has at various times stated that the Pixies recording a new studio album was either a possibility, or an unlikelihood, culminating in their first-ever appearances in Australia. the main obstacle being Deal's reluctance to do so.

In order to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the release of Doolittle, the Pixies launched a tour in October 2009, in which all the album's songs and B-sides would be played. The tour began in Europe, continued in the United States in November, with Australia, New Zealand, and more European dates in spring 2010, and back to North America in autumn 2010 and into spring 2011, although setlists being less exclusively based around Doolittle by now.

Musical style

The Pixies' musical style has been described as "an unorthodox marriage of surf music and punk rock, ... characterised by Black's bristling lyrics and hackle-raising caterwaul, Kim Deal's whispered harmonies and waspy basslines, Joey Santiago's fragile guitar, and the persistent flush of David Lovering's drums." The band's music incorporates extreme dynamic shifts; Francis explained in 1991, "Those are the two basic components of rock music [. . .] the dreamy side and the rockin' side. It's always been either sweaty or laid back and cool. We do try to be dynamic, but it's dumbo dynamics, because we don't know how to do anything else. We can play loud or quiet—that's it".

Influences

The Pixies draw influence from a range of artists and genres; each member came from a different musical background. When he first started writing songs for the Pixies, Francis says he was listening to nothing but Hüsker Dü, Captain Beefheart, and Iggy Pop; Other influences associated with Francis include The Cars. During the making of Doolittle he was listening heavily to The Beatles' "White Album". He has cited Buddy Holly as a model for his compressed songwriting.

Santiago listened to 1970s and 1980s punk (including Black Flag) and David Bowie. Guitarists who influenced him include Jimi Hendrix, Les Paul, Wes Montgomery, and George Harrison.country; she had formed a country-folk band with her sister in her teenage years, who played covers of artists such as The Everly Brothers and Hank Williams. Other artists they listened to included XTC, Gang of Four and Elvis Costello.Rush. Deal's musical background was folk music and Lovering is a fan of the band

Other media such as film has had an impact on the Pixies; Francis cites surrealist films Eraserhead and Un chien andalou (as mentioned in "Debaser") as influences. He has commented on these influences, saying he "didn't have the patience to sit around reading Surrealist novels", but found it easier to watch twenty-minute films.

Songwriting and vocals

Most of the Pixies songs were composed and sung by Francis. Critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine has described Francis's writing as containing "bizarre, fragmented lyrics about space, religion, sex, mutilation, and pop culture". Biblical violence is a theme of Doolittle's "Dead" and "Gouge Away"; Francis told a Melody Maker interviewer, "It's all those characters in the Old Testament. I'm obsessed with them. Why it comes out so much I don't know." He has described Come on Pilgrim's "Caribou" as being about reincarnation, and extraterrestrial themes appear in a number of songs on Bossanova.

Deal co-wrote Doolittle's "Silver" with Francis, and they share lead harmony vocals on the track.Surfer Rosa's "Gigantic", and the single "Bam Thwok", She also sang lead vocals on the Francis-written "Into the White" and the Neil Young cover "I've Been Waiting For You", both B-sides. Lovering sang lead vocals on Doolittle's "La La Love You" and the B-side "Make Believe". She wrote and sang lead vocals on credited as Mrs. John Murphy on the former composition.

Legacy

Although the Pixies produced relatively few albums, whose sales were modest, they had a significant influence on the alternative rock boom of the 1990s. Gary Smith, who produced the Pixies' first recording, Come On Pilgrim, commented on the band's influence on alternative rock and their legacy in 1997:

I've heard it said about The Velvet Underground that while not a lot of people bought their albums, everyone who did started a band. I think this is largely true about the Pixies as well. Charles' secret weapon turned out to be not so secret and, sooner or later, all sorts of bands were exploiting the same strategy of wide dynamics. It became a kind of new pop formula and, within a short while, "Smells Like Teen Spirit" was charging up the charts and even the members of Nirvana said later that it sounded for all the world like a Pixies song.

Sonically, the Pixies are credited with popularizing the extreme dynamics and stop-start timing that would become widespread in alternative rock; Pixies songs typically feature hushed, restrained verses, and explosive, wailing choruses. Artists including David Bowie, Radiohead, U2, The Strokes, and Pavement have cited admiration of or influence by the Pixies. Bono of U2 and Radiohead's Thom Yorke has said that, while at school, "the Pixies had changed my life". David Bowie, whose music had inspired Francis and Santiago while they were at university, has said that the Pixies made "just about the most compelling music of the entire 80s". has called the Pixies "one of America's greatest bands ever",

One notable citation as an influence was by Kurt Cobain, on influencing Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit", which he admitted was a conscious attempt to co-opt the Pixies' style. In a January 1994 interview with Rolling Stone, he said, "I was trying to write the ultimate pop song. I was basically trying to rip off the Pixies. I have to admit it [smiles]. When I heard the Pixies for the first time, I connected with that band so heavily I should have been in that band—or at least in a Pixies cover band. We used their sense of dynamics, being soft and quiet and then loud and hard." Cobain cited Surfer Rosa as one of his main musical influences, and particularly admired the album's natural and powerful drum sounds—a result of Steve Albini's influence on the record. Albini later produced Nirvana's 1993 In Utero at the request of Cobain.

Music videos and DVDs

No music videos were released from Come on Pilgrim or Surfer Rosa, but from Doolittle these were later released on the 2004 DVD Pixies. The videos for "Here Come Your Man" and "Allison" were also released on The Complete 'B' Sides. onwards, the following videos were made: "Monkey Gone To Heaven", "Here Comes Your Man", "Velouria", "Dig For Fire", "Allison", "Alec Eiffel", "Head On", and "Debaser";

By Bossanova, the band had developed a severe aversion to recording music videos, and Francis refused to lip-sync to them. For example, in the "Here Comes Your Man" video, both Black and Deal open their mouths wide instead of mouthing their lyrics. According to the record label this became one of the reasons that the Pixies never achieved major coverage on MTV.

With Bossanova's release, 4AD hoped to get the Pixies chosen to perform their single "Velouria" on the BBC music program Top of the Pops. To this end, the band was pressured into producing a video for the song, and they made one cheaply with the band members filmed running down a quarry, shown in slow motion. The group was ultimately not given a spot on the show.

A 90-minute documentary called loudQUIETloud: a film about The Pixies directed by Steven Cantor and Matthew Galkin was released in 2006. The film documents their 2004 reunion and tour, and covers the years after the break-up. In addition to Pixies and LoudQUIETloud, four other Pixies' DVDs were released between 2004 and 2006, all featuring concert performances: Live at the Town and Country Club 1988, The Pixies—Sell Out, The Pixies Acoustic: Live in Newport, and The Pixies Club Date: Live at the Paradise in Boston.

MUSE *****

Muse are an English alternative rock band from Teignmouth, Devon, formed in 1994. The band consists of school friends Matthew Bellamy (lead vocals, guitars, piano, keyboards, keytar), Christopher Wolstenholme (bass, backing vocals, keyboards, guitars, harmonica) and Dominic Howard (drums, percussion, synthesisers, backing vocals, sampling). After the release of their 2006 album Black Holes and Revelations, keyboardist and percussionist Morgan Nicholls has performed live with the band. Muse are known for their energetic and extravagant live performances, and their fusion of many music genres, including progressive rock, alternative rock, space rock, pop music, heavy metal, and electronica, with recurring themes of revolution.

Muse have released five studio albums: Showbiz (1999), Origin of Symmetry (2001), Absolution (2003), Black Holes and Revelations (2006), and The Resistance (2009). The band have also issued three live albums, Hullabaloo Soundtrack (2002), which is also a compilation of B-sides, Absolution Tour (2005), and HAARP (2008).

Black Holes and Revelations earned the band a Mercury Prize nomination and a third place finish in the NME Albums of the Year list for 2006. Muse have also won numerous other music awards throughout their history, including five MTV Europe Music Awards, five Q Awards, eight NME Awards, two BRIT awards, an MTV Video Music Award, four Kerrang! Awards and an American Music Award. They were also nominated for three Grammy Awards, of which they won Best Rock Album for their fifth studio album, The Resistance. As of November 2010, Muse have sold over ten million albums worldwide.

History

1992–1998: Formation and early years

The members of Muse played in separate school bands during their stay at Teignmouth Community College in the early 1990s, but the formation of Muse began when Bellamy successfully auditioned for the part of guitarist in Dominic Howard's band. They asked Chris Wolstenholme – who played the drums at the time – to learn to play bass guitar for the band; the other original members of Gothic Plague left after Bellamy suggested that they write their own songs rather than doing covers. Wolstenholme agreed and took up lessons, while Bellamy had to become singer and songwriter for the band.

Bellamy and Howard's first band name was Gothic Plague. After Gothic Plague came Fixed Penalty, and after that, Rocket Baby Dolls.In 1994 the band used the name Rocket Baby Dolls with a goth/glam image to compete in a local battle of the bands. The band won the contest, smashing their equipment in the process. "It was supposed to be a protest, a statement," Bellamy said, "so, when we actually won, it was a real shock, a massive shock. After that, we started taking ourselves seriously." Shortly after the contest, the three decided to forget university, quit their jobs, change the band name to Muse (1994–1995), and move away from Teignmouth. The name "Muse" was inspired by Matthew Bellamy's art teacher. The art teacher Samuel Theoun mentioned the word "Muses". Bellamy then looked it up in the dictionary and decided to shorten it to "Muse." It was also used because it was short and the members felt it looked good on a poster.

1998–2000: First EPs and Showbiz

After a few years building a fan base, Muse played their first gigs in London and Manchester. The band had a significant meeting with Dennis Smith, the owner of Sawmills Studio, situated in a converted water mill in Cornwall. He had seen the three boys grow up as he knew their parents and had a production company together with their manager to be Safta Jaffery.

This meeting led to their first proper recordings and the release of the Muse EP on Sawmills' in-house Dangerous label. Their second EP, the Muscle Museum EP, reached number 3 in the indie singles chart and attracted the attention of British radio broadcaster Steve Lamacq as well as the weekly British music publication NME. Dennis Smith introduced the band to Safta Jaffery with whom he had recently started the record label Taste Media. Muse signed with Smith and Jaffery and recorded their first three albums, Showbiz, Origin of Symmetry, and Absolution, with Taste Media.

Despite the success of their second EP, British record companies were reluctant to sign Muse. It was after a trip to New York's CMJ Festival that an American record label flew them to Los Angeles to showcase. Nanci Walker, then Sr. Director of A&R at Columbia Records, flew Muse to the U. S. to showcase for Columbia Records' then-Senior Vice President of A&R, Tim Devine, as well as for American Recording's Rick Rubin. It was during this trip, on 24 December 1998, that Muse signed a deal with Maverick Records. Upon their return from America, Taste Media arranged deals for Muse with various record labels in Europe and Australia, allowing them to maintain control over their career in individual countries.

John Leckie was brought in to produce the band's first record, Showbiz. The album showcased the band's soft style, and the lyrics made reference to the difficulties they had encountered while trying to establish themselves in Teignmouth.

2001–02: Origin of Symmetry

During production of the band's second album, Origin of Symmetry, the band experimented with instrumentation such as a church organ, Mellotron, and an expanded drum kit. There were more of Bellamy's high-pitched vocal lines, arpeggiated guitar, and piano playing. Bellamy cites guitar influences such as Jimi Hendrix and Tom Morello (of Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave), the latter evident in the more riff-based songs in Origin of Symmetry and in Bellamy's extensive use of pitch-shifting effects in his solos.The album also features a reworking of Anthony Newley and Leslie Bricusse's "Feeling Good".

Celine Dion was threatened with legal action in 2002 when she planned to name her Las Vegas show "Muse," despite the band owning the worldwide performing rights to the name. Celine Dion offered $50,000 for the rights but Muse rejected this with Bellamy stating that "We don't want to turn up there with people thinking we're Celine Dion's backing band." Eventually Dion was forced to back down.

Origin of Symmetry was well-received by critics; NME gave the album 9/10 with Roger Morton writing, "It's amazing for such a young band to load up with a heritage that includes the darker visions of Cobain and Kafka, Mahler and The Tiger Lillies, Cronenberg and Schoenberg, and make a sexy, populist album. But Muse have carried it off."

Maverick had reservations about Bellamy's vocal style on this album (considering it not to be "radio-friendly" and asked Muse to change some of their songs prior to U. S. release. The band refused and left Maverick, resulting in Maverick's decision not to release "Origin of Symmetry" in the United States. The album was finally released in the U.S. in September 2005, after Muse signed to Warner Bros.

Muse released a live DVD, Hullabaloo, featuring live footage recorded during Muse's two gigs on consecutive nights at Le Zenith in Paris in 2001 and a documentary film of the band on tour. A double album, Hullabaloo Soundtrack was released at the same time, containing a compilation of B-sides and a disc of recordings of songs from the Le Zenith performances. A double-A side single was also released featuring new songs "In Your World" and "Dead Star".

2003–05: Absolution

Absolution (produced by Rich Costey) was released in 2003 and debuted at number one in the UK. The album yielded their first top ten hit with "Time Is Running Out" and later three top-twenty hits: "Hysteria", "Sing For Absolution" and "Butterflies and Hurricanes". Muse subsequently undertook their first international tour. It continued for about a year and saw Muse visiting Australia, New Zealand, the United States, Canada, and France. Meanwhile, the band released six singles (one being for charity) ("Time Is Running Out", "Hysteria", "Sing for Absolution", "Stockholm Syndrome", "Butterflies and Hurricanes" and "Apocalypse Please"). The US leg of the 2004 tour began ominously as Bellamy injured himself on stage during the opening show in Atlanta.The tour resumed after several stitches and a couple of days.

The band also played at the Glastonbury Festival in June 2004. After the festival, the band described the concert as "the best gig of our lives". However, drummer Dominic Howard's father, William Howard, who was at the festival to watch the band, died from a heart attack very shortly after the performance. "It was the biggest feeling of achievement we've ever had after coming offstage", Bellamy said. "It was almost surreal that an hour later his dad died. It was almost not believable. We spent about a week sort of just with Howard trying to support him. I think he was happy that at least his dad got to see him at probably what was the finest moment so far of the band's life". The single Butterflies & Hurricanes was dedicated to Howard's dad. Muse then continued their tour. They won two MTV Europe awards, including "Best Alternative Act" and a Q Award for "Best Live Act". Muse also received an award for "Best Live Act" at the 2005 BRIT Awards. Muse lost out twice to The Libertines for the NME award Best British Band, in 2004 and 2005. In July 2005, Muse participated in the Live 8 concert in Paris.

2003 saw the band sue Nestlé, who used their cover of Nina Simone's "Feeling Good" on an advert for Nescafé without the band's permission. They donated the compensation money to Oxfam.The main reason behind the legal action was the bassist, Christopher Wolstenholme, who at the time had his third child, and was against the company that had a dubious reputation when it came to the promotion of powdered milk to new mothers in the third world.

An unofficial and unauthorised DVD biography containing no Muse music called Manic Depression was released in April 2005; the band was not involved with the project and did not endorse the release. Another DVD, this time official, was released by the band on 12 December 2005, called Absolution Tour. The official release contained re-edited and re-mastered highlights from the Glastonbury Festival 2004 and previously unseen footage from London Earls Court, Wembley Arena, and the Wiltern Theatre in Los Angeles. Two songs, "Endlessly" and "Thoughts Of A Dying Atheist", are hidden tracks on the DVD taken from Wembley Arena. The only song from Absolution not to appear on the live DVD is "Falling Away With You", which has never been performed live to date. Absolution eventually went Gold in the US.

2006–08: Black Holes and Revelations and HAARP

In 2006, Muse released their fourth album, Black Holes and Revelations, co-produced by Muse and Rich Costey. The album's title and themes are the result of the band's fascination with science fiction and political outrage. The album charted at No. 1 in the UK, much of Europe, and Australia. It was also a success in the United States, reaching number nine on the Billboard 200 album chart. Prior to the release of the new album, the band resumed making live performances, which had halted while recording, making a number of promotional TV appearances starting on 13 May 2006 at BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend. The Black Holes and Revelations Tour started just before the release of their album and initially consisted mostly of festival appearances, most notably a headline slot at the Reading and Leeds Festivals in August 2006. The band's main touring itinerary started with a tour of North America from late July to early August 2006. After the last of the summer festivals, a tour of Europe began, including a large arena tour of the UK. Black Holes and Revelations was nominated for the 2006 Mercury Music Prize, but lost to Arctic Monkeys. The album did, however, earn a Platinum Europe Award after selling one million copies in the continent. In August 2006, Muse recorded a live session at Abbey Road Studios for Live from Abbey Road.

The first single from the album, "Supermassive Black Hole", was released as a download in May 2006. It was later followed by general releases as a single the next month, all ahead of the main album release. The second single, "Starlight", was released in September 2006. "Knights of Cydonia" was released in the US as a radio-only single in June 2006 and in the UK in November 2006. "Knights of Cydonia" was voted number 1 in the world's largest music poll Australian Radio's Triple J Hottest 100 for 2007 and 18th in Triple J's Hottest 100 of All Time in 2009. The fourth single from the album, "Invincible", was then released in April 2007. Another single, "Map of the Problematique", was released for digital download only in June 2007, following the band's performance at Wembley Stadium.

The band spent November and much of December 2006 touring Europe with British band Noisettes as the supporting act. The tour continued in Australia, New Zealand, and Southeast Asia in early 2007 before returning to England for the summer. Possibly their biggest performances to date were two gigs at the newly rebuilt Wembley Stadium on 16 and 17 June 2007. Both Wembley concerts were recorded for a DVD/CD titled HAARP, which was released on 17 March 2008 in the UK and 1 April 2008 in the USA. The touring continued across Europe in July 2007 before heading back to the US in August where they played to a sold out crowd at Madison Square Garden, New York. They earned a headline spot on the second night of the Austin City Limits Music Festival on 15 September 2007, after The White Stripes cancelled their performance. Not long after, they also performed at the October 2007 Vegoose in Las Vegas alongside bands like Rage Against the Machine, Daft Punk, and Queens of the Stone Age. Muse continued touring in Eastern Europe, Russia, and Scandinavia before moving on to Australia and New Zealand. Muse played their final show of the Black Holes and Revelations tour as headliner of the KROQ Almost Acoustic Christmas after playing to sell-out crowds throughout Southeast Asia, Australia, the United States, and New Zealand.

A number of individual live appearances also occurred in 2008. In March, they played concerts in Dubai, Johannesburg, and Cape Town. On 12 April they played a one-off concert at the Royal Albert Hall in aid of the Teenage Cancer Trust. Muse were present at Rock in Rio Lisboa on 6 June, along other bands such as Kaiser Chiefs, The Offspring and Linkin Park. The band also performed at a new gig in Marlay Park, Dublin on 13 August and were set to play at a gig in Belfast on 14 August. However, the Belfast date was dismissed according to The Belfast Telegraph. Kasabian and Glasvegas supported Muse on their Irish date. A few days later, they were the headline act at V Festival 2008, playing in Chelmsford on Saturday 16 August and Staffordshire on Sunday 17 August. They also hinted at the possibility of a future stadium tour or concerts in South America.

On 25 September 2008, Bellamy, Howard and Wolstenholme all received a Honorary Doctorate of Arts from the University of Plymouth for their contributions to music.

2009–present: The Resistance

The band's fifth studio album The Resistance was released in September 2009. It is the first Muse album to have been produced by the band itself. The album was engineered by Adrian Bushby and mixed by Mark Stent. On its release, it topped the album charts in 19 countries, became the band's third number one album in the UK, and reached number 3 on the Billboard 200. Critics were mostly positive about the album, with much of the praise directed towards its ambition, classical music influences and the thirteen-minute, three-part "Exogenesis: Symphony". It also beat its predecessor Black Holes and Revelations in relative album sales in its debut week in the UK with approximately 148,000 copies sold. The first single "Uprising" was released seven days earlier.

The Resistance Tour started with a Seaside Rendezvous in Teignmouth, Devon in September 2009 and included headlining Coachella Festival in April 2010. It also included two gigs at Wembley Stadium in September 2010. The band also supported U2 for their U2 360° Tour. In the "Breakfast with Muse Concert" KROQ held, Muse was asked how long they would be on tour. They commented saying in a paraphrase, "We will probably be touring until the end of next year. We will be doing this U2 and European tour and ship off to Australia and Asia and return for an extensive US tour. It will actually be our longest US tour to date. Starting at about the end of February or March."

In January 2010, Muse headlined the Big Day Out festival at its various venues in Australia and New Zealand starting with Auckland and eventually ending with Perth. Muse headlined Coachella on Saturday 17 April.Muse also headlined the Glastonbury Festival 2010 along with Gorillaz and Stevie Wonder as well as the Oxegen festival in 2010 alongside Arcade Fire and Eminem. The group were also headline on the 2010 Hovefestivalen, as well as T in the Park 2010 and among other festivals, including the Austin City Limits Music Festival. On 20 April 2010, the band announced fourteen dates for a North American tour, which will be held between September and November 2010. In addition to this, the band have added further four dates to their forthcoming North American tour, on 28 April 2010. On 7 May 2010, it was announced that Muse would provide a pre-written song to be the lead single for the third film of The Twilight Saga: Eclipse. The soundtrack's lead single "Neutron Star Collision (Love Is Forever)" was released on 17 May.

Muse played at Glastonbury in June 2010 and were joined onstage by The Edge from U2 to play "Where The Streets Have No Name", after U2 pulled out of their headlining slot due to lead singer Bono's back injury.

Muse's fearsome live reputation helped secure them the O2 Silver Clef Award in London on 2 July 2010.The award was presented by Roger Taylor and Brian May of Queen. Taylor described the Warner-signed trio as "probably the greatest live act in the world today," while May said that "this is a magnificent, incredible group."

On 12 July 2010 bassist Chris Wolstenholme informed NME magazine that the band would be taking a break following the conclusion of their world tour supporting The Resistance. He also stated that the band would definitely begin recording material for a new album in 2011. Also, on 8 September, frontman Matthew Bellamy claimed in an interview with NME that the music for the band's next studio album would be more "personal" and more fitting for smaller scale performances as opposed to their current stadium tour.

In 2010, Muse topped a poll by popular music magazine NME for their cover of Nina Simone's song "Feeling Good" as the greatest cover song of all time. Over 15,000 people voted.

On 12 September 2010, Muse won an MTV Video Music Award in the category of Best Special Effects, for the promo for "Uprising". On November 21, Muse took home an American Music Award for Favorite Artist in the Alternative Rock Music Category, in a ceremony at the Nokia Theater, Los Angeles. On 2 December, it was announced that Muse had been nominated for three awards for the 53rd Grammy Awards: Best Rock Performance By a Duo or Group with Vocals - ("Resistance"); Best Rock Song - ("Resistance"), and Best Rock Album: (The Resistance). Based on having the largest airplay and sales in the U.S, Muse were named the Billboard Alternative and Rock artist for 2010 with "Uprising", "Resistance" and "Undisclosed Desires" achieving 1st, 6th and 49th on the year end Alternative Song chart respectively. At the 53rd Grammy Awards on February 13, 2011, Muse won the Grammy Award for Best Rock Album for The Resistance.

Musical style

Muse are an alternative rock band, and are often associated with space rock and progressive rock. Some of their music mixes elements from genres such electronica, classical music and rock opera. Many Muse songs are recognisable by lead vocalist Matthew Bellamy's use of falsetto and vibrato influenced primarily by Jeff Buckley. As a guitarist, Bellamy often utilises arpeggiator and Pitch-shift effects to create a more "electric" sound, citing Jimi Hendrix and Tom Morello as influences for this method.

Muse's album Black Holes and Revelations was influenced by various styles of European and Asian music. "I've been listening to quite a lot of music from the south of Italy on this album", Bellamy admits. "I've been living in Italy for a while, and I discovered this music from Naples, which sounds like a mix of music from Africa, Croatia, Turkey, and Italy. It kind of gives it a mystical sound, so I think that's one thing that influenced the album. I like being influenced by things that have a mixed style".

Muse have cited Queen as an influence. Queen guitarist Brian May has praised Muse's work, calling the band "extraordinary musicians" who "let their madness show through, always a good thing in an artist." In particular, Dominic Howard noted the influence of Queen on "United States of Eurasia".

On the band's association with progressive rock, Dominic Howard has said: "I associate it with 10-minute guitar solos, but I guess we kind of come into the category. A lot of bands are quite ambitious with their music, mixing lots of different styles — and when I see that I think it's great. I've noticed that kind of thing becoming a bit more mainstream."

MARCY PLAYGROUND ***

Marcy Playground is an American alternative rock band consisting of three members: John Wozniak (lead vocals, guitar), Dylan Keefe (bass), and Shlomi Lavie (drums). The band is best known for their 1997 hit "Sex and Candy".

 

History

Early years

The band is named after the Marcy Open grade school in Minneapolis, which is an alternative school John Wozniak attended. He chose the name because many of his songs were inspired by his childhood. Marcy Playground emerged in the late 1990s. Influences include David Bowie, Paul Simon, Neil Young, Van Morrison, Jimi Hendrix, Syd Barrett of Pink Floyd, Nirvana and the Beatles. The influences are quite clear on Marcy Playground's self-titled album, with songs like Shadow of Seattle and Saint Joe On The School Bus. Frontman John Wozniak's first effort, Zog BogBean - From the Marcy Playground, was self-produced, recorded in his bedroom studio with some help from his then-girlfriend Sherry Fraser and her brother Scott in the early nineties. A small run of CDs were self-released by Wozniak, and to this day they remain extremely difficult to find. "Our Generation" and "Dog And His Master," two songs found on Wozniak's Zog BogBean project, would appear on later Marcy Playground albums. As of April 2009, Zog BogBean is available for download at Marcy Playground's official site as well as other outlets such as iTunes.

Marcy Playground (self-titled album) (1997–1998)

After attending the Evergreen State College for two years, Wozniak moved east to New York, in order to work with Multi-Instrumentalist/Producer Jared Kotler who John had known from suburban Philadelphia. Jared believed in John's songwriting talent and put together money with his cousin Jeff White in order to pay for the duo to record at Sabella Recording Studios, in nearby Roslyn NY. After hearing the two records worth of material Jared and John had recorded of John's songs, Capitol Records became interested in the music. Kurt Rosenwinkel, a mutual friend, introduced bassist Dylan Keefe to John Wozniak and Marcy Playground began performing in NYC. The band was signed to capitol in 1995 and they performed a series of NYC club dates that would be the first incarnation of Marcy Playground as a band.

Personal problems between John and Jared reached a peak after a year of playing the New York music scene and drummer Dan Rieser was brought in to replace Jared. The self-titled album was released in 1997, with the first single, "Poppies", released soon after. Marcy Playground emerged into the mainstream with the success of the single "Sex and Candy". The song spent 15 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart. The album went platinum and managed to spawn two other singles, "Saint Joe on the School Bus" and "Sherry Fraser". Marcy Playground is quiet and minimalist in tone. Wozniak's songs run in many different styles: some are modern folk music; many have undertones reminiscent of children's songs; the blurred sound of psychedelia makes appearances; and then there are the songs with a clear rock sound.

Shapeshifter (1999–2000)

Marcy Playground's next outing was 1999's Shapeshifter. A minor controversy came to light when Paul Leary of the Butthole Surfers revealed on Marcy Playground's website forum that the cover art for Shapeshifter had originally been conceptualized and commissioned by Leary for his band's aborted After the Astronaut album. He admitted to being a fan of Marcy Playground and Leary's outrage was eased once he learned that Capitol Records, former home of the Butthole Surfers and then-current home of Marcy Playground, had pitched the artwork to Wozniak as original work from their own art department and that Marcy Playground had no knowledge of the work's origins. Upon learning the truth, Wozniak proclaimed that he was "honored" to have an album cover designed by Paul Leary. It's Saturday the album's lead single, managed to hit No. 23 on the Modern Rock Charts, and followed by a second single, Bye Bye.

After Shapeshifter, drummer Dan Rieser left the band to pursue other interests. The position was eventually filled on his recommendation by Gonzalo "Gonz" Martinez De La Cotera, a friend whose previous band Lincoln had opened for Marcy Playground.

MP3 (2004–2006)

After a considerable hiatus; "Marcy Playground" recorded a follow-up to Shapeshifter, Marcy Playground's third album, MP3, was finally released in 2004.

Marcy Playground did some touring in support of MP3. The album's first single, "Deadly Handsome Man" was a song featured on the Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back movie soundtrack a few years earlier under its original title, "The Devil's Song". The second single, "Punk Rock Superstar" surprised many fans while bringing in some new ones, when it was featured on the XBox 360's playlist upon its re-release in 2006.Other singles from the album include "Blood In Alphabet Soup" and "No One's Boy", both were featured on promotional ads for MP3. One album track, "Paper Dolls," was co-written by Jimi Haha of the alternative rock band Jimmie's Chicken Shack. On the track titled, "Hotter Than the Sun," Wozniak reflects on the band's one-time success and remains positive about the band's future. 

Leaving Wonderland (2009)

Marcy Playground's fourth album, Leaving Wonderland...in a fit of rage, was released on July 7, 2009. Originally conceived as a solo record by John Wozniak, he later brought Dylan Keefe into the project and the record was released under the bands name. Leaving Wonderland features 12 songs, including the singles "Good Times" and "Blackbird." Also included on the record is a version of "Memphis," a Marcy Playground b-side that Wozniak's wife felt deserved a second breath of life. Sherry Frasier, Wozniak's longtime friend and lead vocalist of Two Ton Boa, designed the album cover. Leaving Wonderland was Produced, Recorded and Mixed by Producer Jeff Dawson.

The band has also stated its intention to release a collection of b-sides and previously unheard tracks, culled from over a decade of recording sessions. No release date or tracklist has yet been finalized.

Indaba remixes from Wonderland (2010-present)

Marcy Playground's fifth album, Indaba remixes from Wonderland, was released on September 28, 2010. "Indaba remixes from Wonderland" is a new CD and digital collection of remixes from Marcy Playground's 2009 critically-acclaimed album "Leaving Wonderland...in a fit of rage". Marcy Playground partnered with Indaba Music to offer fans the opportunity to remix songs from their album "Leaving Wonderland". Marcy Playground then selected their favorite mixes, from hundreds submitted, to be included on "Indaba". This is the first time Marcy Playground had an album produced exclusively from fan submitted remixes to Indaba Music in which the winners will receive royalties from album sales.

Marcy Playground frontman John Wozniak stated: "I wanted to make this record to show people what the online music community is capable of. I believe the talent reflected in these tracks speaks for itself. This community is thriving. It's thriving because musicians feed on inspiration they get from other musicians. Music is not meant to be a solitary endeavor. It's something we like to do with other people."

2009-2010 Tour

After Gonzalo Martinez's departure from the band, family-friend Shlomi Lavie stepped in to fill the void as drummer for the band's 2009 tour, promoting two new albums. After a successful 4-Day Carnival Cruise show(s) in the Bahamas alongside Post-grunge band Sponge it was announced that the band would kick off an official tour for the Spring of 2009, playing in venues along the California coastline, including the notorious Key Club, as well as various cities in Canada and North Carolina. On May 8 they played at Cantina's in Sparks, Nevada with opening band "Nevada."

Marcy Playground were to tour many venues in support of their new album "Indaba remixes from Wonderland" through 2010.