Muse

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• Genre: Brit Rock
• Hometown: Devon
• Muse Website

About

Growing up in the quiet English town of Devon, dreaming of being in a loud, rambunctious rock band probably isn't the norm. But for the three members of Muse, it was their dream since the tender age of 13 when they formed (ahem) Gothic Plague. A few years and name changes later, the trio chose the name Muse and settled into their current quiet-loud-quiet style of music. In 1997, Muse released a self-titled EP which was followed by the Muscle Museum a year later. "Muscle Museum" was highly touted in the British press and the buzz over Muse was officially on. The trio signed to Madonna's Maverick Records after playing a music industry show in New York and released Showbiz in 1999. Origin of Symmetry followed in 2001 and the band enjoyed some radio success with the single "Hyper Music" but still wasn't able to break through in America the way their idols Radiohead and Nirvana had. With the release of their fifth full-length, 2006's bombastic Black Holes and Revelations, Muse continues to split opinion down the middle and confound listeners. Some consider the single "Knights of Cydonia" a smart, smarmy, ultra-camp classic in the vein of "Bohemian Rhapsody." Some think it's utter cheeseballing. Muse, at the very least, evoke strong reactions both ways, which is more than a lot of bands can say.

- Linda Ryan