| Absolution | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 22 September 2003 (2003-09-22) | |||
| Recorded | September 2002 – June 2003 | |||
| Studio |
| |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 52:19 | |||
| Label | Taste[a] | |||
| Producer |
| |||
| Muse chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Absolution | ||||
| ||||
Absolution is the third studio album by the Englishrock bandMuse, released on 22 September 2003 throughTaste Media.[1] It was produced by Muse andRich Costey, with additional production by John Cornfield and Paul Reeve.
Absolution incorporates classical influences, with orchestra on tracks such as "Butterflies and Hurricanes" and "Blackout", andapocalyptic lyrical themes. Muse usedeffects, synthesisers and software to process many tracks. Most of the album was recorded atGrouse Lodge inCounty Westmeath, Ireland, with additional sessions atAIR Studios andLivingston Recording Studios in London,Cello Studios in Los Angeles, andSawmills Studios inCornwall. Costey aimed to give Muse a bigger, more aggressive sound.
Absolution reached number one on theUK Albums Chart. It also produced Muse's first top-ten single, "Time Is Running Out", which reached number 8 on theUK singles chart. As of 2018,Absolution had sold more than 3.5 million copies worldwide. A 20th-anniversary version was released in 2023, with remastered audio, unreleased demos and live versions.
Muse set aside time to develop their third album, as their previous recording sessions had been rushed.[2] In early 2002, they rented a country house outsideBrighton for six months to write material.[3] During this period, they were dropped by their American record label,Maverick.[3] TheSystem of a Down singer,Serj Tankian, attempted to sign Muse to his label,Serjical Strike, but Maverick asked for half a million dollars to release them from their contract and his attempts to haveSony provide the money failed.[4]
Muse decided to focus on Europe, and embarked on the final leg of their tour for their previous album,Origin of Symmetry (2001), playing the futureAbsolution songs "Hysteria" and "The Small Print".[3] After the tour, Muse resumed writing and recording demos in an unused commercial loft inHackney, London.[3] The singer and songwriter,Matt Bellamy, wrote most of the songs on piano, including guitar-based songs such as "Stockholm Syndrome".[5]
Muse began recording in late 2002 with the producers John Cornfield and Paul Reed atAir Studios, London, where they recorded "Butterflies and Hurricanes" and "Blackout".[6] They were joined later by the American producerRich Costey, who produced the rest of the album. Costey had worked with acts Muse admired, includingRage Against the Machine andAudioslave, and wanted to give them a bigger, more aggressive sound. According to Costey, Muse wanted to sound like a "colossal, dynamic, epic and powerful rock band".[6]
Muse and Costey returned to Air in late 2002 to work on songs including "Hysteria" and "Stockholm Syndrome". Bellamy restructured "Hysteria" after feedback from Costey. For "Stockholm Syndrome", Costeyvocodered Bellamy's guitar with aNord modular synthesiser.[3] Muse and Costey regrouped in early 2003 for 10 days atLivingston Recording Studios, London, completing the recordings they had made at Air.[6]
Muse moved toGrouse Lodge, a residential recording studio inCounty Westmeath, Ireland, where most of the album was recorded.[6] The sessions were marred by Muse's strained relationship with their record company and a lawsuit with their production company. When Muse's co-manager arrived to review their progress, they found him disruptive and threw him out of the studio. Bellamy said later that "there was a genuine sense of impending doom for the band".[3] The bassist,Chris Wolstenholme, struggled with alcoholism during the sessions.[3]
To create basic tracks, Muse recorded together live, then focused onoverdubs.[6] Costey minimised editing to preserve the "human touch" and avoid an artificial result.[6] He added littlereverb, preferring to use the natural ambience recorded by the microphones.[6]
Bellamy used customManson guitars andMarshall andDiezel amps.[6] Wolstenholme split his signal into three Marshall amps, one clean and twodistorted, and blended the results.[6] For "Fury", Bellamy used aDigiTech Whammy pedal to rhythmicallypitch-shift the guitar riff.[7] Muse and Costey used the sound design systemKyma to process tracks including "Time Is Running Out", "Hysteria" and "Apocalypse Please". Bellamy said Kyma added an "outrageously hi-fi and bright and futuristic sound"; Costey described it as "the sound of the record".[3]
The group experimented with drum sounds, using a number of microphones. For the introduction to "Apocalypse Please", they recorded twokick drums in the Grouse Lodge swimming pool. They also recorded Wolstenholme diving into the pool, which was used in the bridge of "Thoughts of a Dying Atheist".[6] For "Ruled by Secrecy", they recorded a drum take in the courtyard outdoors, hoping to capture an unusual ambience, but discarded the results.[6] On "Falling Away with You", Costey captured the sound of Bellamy's fingers on the guitar strings to create an intimate feeling.[6]
For "Sing for Absolution", Muse usedprepared piano, laying metal objects such as nails and guitar strings on the piano strings. They also processed the piano with a pitch-shiftingDigiTech Whammy pedal and anEchloplex delay effect.[6] For "Ruled by Secrecy", they blended piano and a Yamaha CP-80electric piano. Costey recorded Bellamy's left and right-hand parts separately, and ran them through guitar amps and an Echoplex.[6] "Time Is Running Out" was the most difficult song to record; Muse spent hours working on the bass sound for the introduction, processing Wolstenholme's bass with multiple effects.[6] Eventually, they used aRoland synthesiser played through a Marshall amp.[3]
"Endlessly" was the last song completed. Muse struggled to improve on the simplicity of Bellamy's demo, recorded with a piano and afour-to-the-floor drum machine rhythm. Eventually, they used lighter, jazzier drumming and an oldHammond organ.[6] Later in 2003, Muse and Costey spent three weeks inCello Studios, Los Angeles.[6] They recorded more overdubs, including the marching sounds that open the album, and the final version of "Endlessly", andmixed the album.[3][6] They also attracted interest from American labels and signed a contract withWarner Bros. Records.[3]
Absolution contains elements ofalternative rock,progressive rock,[8]hard rock, andart rock. Its sound is more polished and direct than Muse's previous albums.[9] In 2020, Wolstenholme described it as a continuation ofOrigin of Symmetry: "We knew what we wanted to do, and we'd found our feet a little bit, and we felt comfortable with what we did."[10]
Initially, Bellamy plannedAbsolution as aconcept album about insanity; "Butterflies & Hurricanes" was a remnant of this idea.[11] The direction changed following the beginning of theIraq War.[11][2] Bellamy said that the lyrics for "Apocalypse Please" followed naturally from the "epic and in-your-face" chord progression.[5] "Butterflies and Hurricanes" was inspired by the "intensive, repetitive" piano compositions ofTerry Riley, such as "In C".[5] Bellamy sought to create a heavy rock song using classical piano instead of guitar, with a "mechanicalparadiddle thing all the way through".[5] "Blackout" featuresmandolin and orchestra.[6]
The lyrics incorporate themes of fear, mistrust, achievement and joy, and a general theme of "things coming to an end".[2] Bellamy was inspired by9/11 conspiracy theories, which he described as "good subject matter" for songwriting. He later disavowed conspiracy theories as dangerous.[12][3] The end of Muse's relationship with their American label, Maverick, also influenced the lyrics.[3] Bellamy said thatabsolution was "not necessarily a religious word; it has meanings of purity, but it's not necessarily talking from a Christian or any particular religious point of view. I think it's just suggesting that the act of making music is a way of understanding things."[13]
TheAbsolution cover was created byStorm Thorgerson, and depicts the shadows of figures either leaving or descending to Earth.[14][15] Rather than use software such asPhotoshop, Thorgerson's team cut shapes from hardboard, fixed them to poles and photographed them in a chalk pit to create strong shadows.[14] TheReader's Digest writer Kris Griffiths likened the image to the 1953René Magritte paintingGolconda.[14]
Absolution was presented to the press with a star show at theLondon Planetarium, followed by a party atMadame Tussauds.[11] It was released on 22 September 2003 on CD and double vinyl.[16] The first single, "Stockholm Syndrome", was released as adownload and was downloaded more than 20,000 times.[2] Because of contractual obligations, Muse could not allow it to be downloaded free, so the fee was set at $0.99 in the US.[2] On tour forAbsolution, Muse performed in arenas for the first time and headlinedGlastonbury Festival in 2004.[9] The tour ended with two sold-out nights atEarls Court, London.[3] Muse also toured the United States, playing in small clubs.[3]
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 72/100[17] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [18] |
| Alternative Press | 5/5[19] |
| Blender | [20] |
| Drowned in Sound | 10/10[21] |
| The Guardian | [22] |
| NME | 9/10[23] |
| Q | [24] |
| Rolling Stone | [25] |
| The Scotsman | [26] |
| Uncut | [27] |
OnMetacritic,Absolution has a score of 72 of 100 based on 16 reviews, indicating "generally favourable reviews".[17]Alternative Press wrote that its "chaotic choruses feel like the triumphant culmination of some earth-shattering undertaking",[19] while Andrew Future ofDrowned in Sound called it "a truly elemental opus".[21] Tyler Fisher ofSputnikmusic felt thatAbsolution was Muse's most consistent album to date and that it perfected their sound, writing that it "expands on newer sounds and improves on others".[28]Alexis Petridis ofThe Guardian wrote: "Muse sound like a band who are at the top of their game. Their confidence carries you through the album's excesses."[22] Rob Kemp ofRolling Stone was less enthusiastic, drawingRadiohead comparisons and concluding that Bellamy "doesn't bring as much ingenuity to his singing".[25]
Absolution was Muse's first album to chart in the US, and is credited with establishing their fan base there.[29] It was the second Muse album released in the US, after a dispute withMaverick Records had canceled the release ofOrigin of Symmetry there.[30]Absolution reached No. 1 on theBillboardTop Heatseekers chart and No. 107 on theBillboard 200.[31] It was certifiedgold in March 2007, becoming Muse's first album to be certified in the US.[32] "Time Is Running Out" became Muse's first top-10 single on theUK singles chart and was certified gold in the US.[33]
In 2005,Absolution was ranked number 345 in theRock Hard bookThe 500 Greatest Rock & Metal Albums of All Time.[34] In 2009,Q readers voted it the 23rd-best British album,[35] and in 2009,Kerrang! readers voted it the second-best album of the century so far.[36] A remastered 20th-anniversary reissue,Absolution XX Anniversary, featuring bonus tracks, live recordings and demos, was released on 17 November 2023.[9]Clash wrote that the reissue was not as "neatly constructed or unique" as the 2021Origin of Symmetry reissue, with "largely dispensable" bonus material, but praised the "punchier, cleaner" remaster.[37]
All lyrics are written byMatt Bellamy; all music is composed by Bellamy,Dominic Howard andChris Wolstenholme.[38]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Intro" | 0:22 |
| 2. | "Apocalypse Please" | 4:12 |
| 3. | "Time Is Running Out" | 3:56 |
| 4. | "Sing for Absolution" | 4:54 |
| 5. | "Stockholm Syndrome" | 4:58 |
| 6. | "Falling Away with You" | 4:40 |
| 7. | "Interlude" | 0:37 |
| 8. | "Hysteria" | 3:47 |
| 9. | "Blackout" | 4:22 |
| 10. | "Butterflies and Hurricanes" | 5:01 |
| 11. | "The Small Print" | 3:28 |
| 12. | "Endlessly" | 3:49 |
| 13. | "Thoughts of a Dying Atheist" | 3:11 |
| 14. | "Ruled by Secrecy" | 4:54 |
| Total length: | 52:19 | |
Personnel adapted fromAbsolution liner notes,[38] except where noted.
Muse
Production
| Additional personnel
|
Weekly charts[edit]
| Year-end charts[edit]
|
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[70] | Platinum | 70,000^ |
| Belgium (BRMA)[71] | Gold | 25,000* |
| Canada (Music Canada)[72] | Gold | 50,000^ |
| Germany (BVMI)[73] | Gold | 100,000‡ |
| Italy (FIMI)[74] sales in between 2003-2004 | Gold | 50,000* |
| Italy (FIMI)[75] sales since 2009 | Gold | 25,000* |
| Netherlands (NVPI)[76] | Gold | 40,000^ |
| New Zealand (RMNZ)[77] | Gold | 7,500^ |
| Russia (NFPF)[78] | Gold | 10,000* |
| Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[79] | Gold | 20,000^ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[81] | 3× Platinum | 948,685[80] |
| United States (RIAA)[82] | Platinum | 1,000,000^ |
| Summaries | ||
| Europe (IFPI)[83] | Platinum | 1,000,000* |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. | ||
Notes
References
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
