Muse

英国流行音乐界总是人才辈出，自上世纪90年代的“Brit-pop”大潮逐渐散去之后，英国独立音乐与主流音乐的界限正在被更多的年轻乐队打破，他们不仅保持着前辈乐队在音乐创作方面的原创性，而且正在将更多元化的音乐元素融合到自己的音乐当中，以求得在更加广泛的范围内制造成功。Muse无疑就是这些英国新乐队当中的佼佼者。     来自英国Devon的海湾小镇Teignmouth的Muse乐队，成员年纪并不大，个个长着一张娃娃脸，但是他们的在音乐界的资历并不浅。1998年就出道的他们，在乐坛已经沉浮六载。乐队成员分别是词曲创作、歌手、吉他手兼键盘手Matt Bellamy，贝司手Chris Wolstenholm，鼓手Dominic Howard。经过在欧洲及美国的各大音乐节上的表演，他们引起了歌迷的广泛注意，并且很快成为1999年最受瞩目的年轻英国乐队之一。之后乐队从一个只为他们出过两张EP唱片的小公司Dangerous Records转投到半主流厂牌Mushroom Records旗下，随即推出乐队的处女唱片《Showbiz》，这张慢热的唱片虽然在英国没有大红大紫，但是他们鲜明紧凑的音乐节奏所带来的爆发力，却为他们赢得了美国市场的青睐。主唱Matt Bellamy英俊而略带忧郁的长相，以及他酷似Radiohead乐队主唱Thom Yorke的嗓音，无疑使得Muse乐队成为世纪交接时期最令人期待的英国乐队。 随着乐队知名度的不断扩展，以及在世界各地不断演出的锤炼，Muse乐队也开始为乐队确定出以后的音乐发展方向。迄今为止，乐队已经发表了三张音乐专辑，分别是2001年的《Origin Of Symmetry》以及去年发表的新专辑《Absolution》。与同时代众多的英国乐队相比，这个摇滚三人组合的音乐极富爆炸性，总是给人以激情四溢的感觉，这样的乐风和美国另类摇滚的风格有些不谋而合，所以他们能够受到美国市场的关注，甚至还曾被麦当那的音乐公司Maverick青睐就不足为奇了。而乐队的真正野心却是要在他们的音乐中，融入古典音乐的元素，创造出一种与众不同的古典摇滚乐风，因为乐队的主唱Matt Bellamy从小学习钢琴，受到古典音乐的影响很深，并且经常聆听如帕格尼尼以及拉赫马尼诺夫等古典音乐大师的作品，所以乐队成员不想只是被人看作是一支平庸的摇滚乐队，而是要站在古典传统的基础上，将摇滚乐的内涵发扬光大。在新专辑《Absolution》当中，他们将古典主义的心境与摇滚乐的激情共冶一炉，将歌剧花腔的演唱技巧、美丽迷人的钢琴乐韵以及吉他噪音有机地结合，创作出了一种前所未有的古典摇滚风范，受到英国乐评人的强烈称赞，称他们的音乐是巴洛克摇滚的旗帜。 Muse's fusion of progressive rock, electronica, and Radiohead-influenced experimentation is crafted by guitarist/vocalist Matthew Bellamy, bassist Chris Wolstenholme, and drummer Dominic Howard. Bored by the sleepy life provided by their hometown of Teignmouth, Devon, the three British friends began playing music together. They started the first incarnation of their band while only 13 years old, changing the name of the group from Gothic Plague to Fixed Penalty to Rocket Baby Dolls as time passed. By 1997, the bandmates settled on the name Muse and released their self-titled debut EP on Dangerous Records, followed by the Muscle Museum EP in 1998. The group's emotive, passionate sound and live presence drew critical acclaim and industry buzz, and Muse signed a deal with Maverick Records after a trip to New York's CMJ festival. The singles "Cave" and "Uno" preceded their debut full-length album, Showbiz, which was released toward the end of 1999. Two years later, Muse issued The Origin of Symmetry and had a major hit with "Hyper Music." In 2002, fans were treated to a combination rarities/live set, the double-disc Hullabaloo Soundtrack. Muse's fourth album, Absolution, got the usual royal treatment upon its late-2003 release, and stateside fans finally got a taste when it was released on Warner Bros. the following March. A short North American tour in the spring of 2004 coincided with Muse's spot on the fifth annual Coachella Music and Arts Festival. Their fifth effort, 2006's Black Holes and Revelations, marked the band's brightest, most dynamic set of material to date, topping the U.K. album charts within its first week and earning Muse their second consecutive number one album. In America, Black Holes and Revelations broke into the Top Ten. Muse toured Europe, America, Australia, and Southeast Asia in support of the album, and their dynamic stage performance (which has won the band multiple awards for Best Live Act, including accolades from the NME Awards, the Q Awards, and the Vodafone Live Music Awards) was captured on 2008's H.A.A.R.P. Live from Wembley.