Origin of Symmetry

Origin of Symmetry is the second studio album by English rock band Muse, released on 18 June 2001 through Taste Media. It was produced by John Leckie, who produced Muse's debut album, Showbiz (1999), and David Bottrill.

Origin of Symmetry
White ground with grayish sticks and an orange sky. The stick's shadows are seen along with the image. A rectangle is seen in the image, which shows the band's name and the album's title colored black.
Each physical release of the album includes its respective catalog number inside the white box; this cover art is for the digital release.
Studio album by
Muse
Released18 June 2001 (2001-06-18)
RecordedSeptember 2000 – February 2001
Studio
Genre
Length51:41
LabelTaste[lower-alpha 2]
Producer
Muse chronology
Random 1–8
(2000)		 Origin of Symmetry
(2001)		 Hullabaloo Soundtrack
(2002)
Muse studio album chronology
Showbiz
(1999)		 Origin of Symmetry
(2001)		 Absolution
(2003)
XX Anniversary RemiXX cover
Singles from Origin of Symmetry
  1. "Plug In Baby"
    Released: 5 March 2001
  2. "New Born"
    Released: 4 June 2001
  3. "Bliss"
    Released: 20 August 2001
  4. "Hyper Music" / "Feeling Good"
    Released: 19 November 2001

Origin of Symmetry reached number three on the UK Albums Chart[1] and was certified platinum.[2] Four singles were released: "Plug In Baby", "New Born", "Bliss", and "Hyper Music" / "Feeling Good". As of 2018, Origin of Symmetry had sold more than two million copies worldwide.

Initial reception for Origin of Symmetry was generally positive, with critics praising the album's blend of rock and classical music. Critical reception has further improved over the years, and Origin of Symmetry is now seen as a landmark album of the 2000s rock scene, with numerous critics hailing the album as one of the greatest rock albums of the 2000s.

For the album's 20th anniversary in 2021, Muse released a remixed and remastered version, Origin of Symmetry: XX Anniversary RemiXX.

Writing

Origin of Symmetry has been described as alternative rock,[3] progressive rock,[4] hard rock,[5] and space rock.[6] Muse developed it during their tour for their debut album, Showbiz. "Feeling Good", a cover, was written for Broadway by Anthony Newley and Leslie Bricusse in 1964, and first recorded by Nina Simone for her 1965 album I Put a Spell on You.[7]

The album title derives from the 1994 book Hyperspace by the theoretical physicist Michio Kaku, which suggests the title The Origin of Symmetry for a future book about the discovery of supersymmetry, a reference to On the Origin of Species. According to the Muse songwriter, Matt Bellamy: "Everyone's been writing about the origin of life so now they'll start looking at the origin of symmetry; there's a certain amount of stability in the universe and to find out where it originates from would be to find out if God exists."[8] Whereas the Showbiz lyrics had "wallowed in heartbroken angst", Bellamy's lyrics moved to "sci-fi surrealism".[9]

Recording

After completing the Showbiz tour, Muse recorded "Plug In Baby", "Bliss", "New Born" and "Darkshines" with the producer David Bottrill, forming the "backbone" of Origin of Symmetry. To capture their live energy, Muse recorded together as a band, with some overdubs.[9]

After Bottrill departed to work on the Tool album Lateralus, Muse enlisted John Leckie, who had produced Showbiz.[9] They recorded in Sawmills in Fowey, Cornwall; Ridge Farm Studio in Surrey; Real World Studios in Box, Wiltshire; and David Gilmour's Astoria houseboat studio on the Thames.[9] While they were working in Real World Studios, they went to a church in Bath to record a church organ for "Megalomania".[9]

Having mainly recorded Showbiz with a Gibson Les Paul guitar, Bellamy recorded Origin of Symmetry using a custom Manson guitar equipped with a built-in Fuzz Factory, a fuzz distortion effect.[9] It was the first of many collaborations between Bellamy and Manson.[9] Bellamy used the Fuzz Factory effect on many of the riffs.[9]

Release

Origin of Symmetry was released on 18 June 2001.[10] It was originally scheduled for release in the United States through Maverick Records, who had also released Showbiz. However, Muse left Maverick when Maverick demanded Bellamy rerecord the album with less falsetto. The album was not released in the US until 2005.[11]

Origin of Symmetry was remastered and reissued as part of the Origin of Muse boxset, alongside Showbiz, demos, live performances and other material. The box set was released on 6 December 2019.[12]

The Japanese edition of the album features the bonus track "Futurism" which is placed before "Megalomania". This track is also tagged onto the end of the tracklisting on digital editions.[13][14]

Origin of Symmetry: XX Anniversary RemiXX

On 18 June 2021, the album's 20th anniversary, Muse released a remixed and remastered version, Origin of Symmetry: XX Anniversary RemiXX.[15] A collaboration with the producer Rich Costey, who worked on several later Muse albums, it features a "more open, dynamic and less crushed sound".[16] The new mixes also restores elements that were originally muted or obscured, such as string sections on "Space Dementia", "Citizen Erased" and "Megalomania", and a harpsichord on "Micro Cuts". The album features new cover artwork by Sujin Kim.[15] The Pitchfork critic Jazz Monroe described the reissue as "definitive ... even more colossal and timeless".[17]

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[18]
Drowned in Sound10/10[19]
Hot Press8/12[20]
The Independent[21]
The List4/5[22]
NME9/10[23]
Pitchfork8.3/10[17]
Q[24]
Stylus MagazineC[25]
Sunday Herald[26]

Origin of Symmetry received mainly positive reviews. Roy Wilkinson of Q praised it as an "astonishing record... where extra-terrestrial fascinations meet the classical world's more unhinged impulses", adding that "comparisons with Radiohead that dogged Muse's early career now seem all but obsolete".[24] Roger Morton of NME called the album a "reinvention of grunge as a neo-classical, high gothic future rock, full of flambéed pianolas and white-knuckle electric camp ... It's apparent that Muse can handle their brutal arias."[23] Q named Origin of Symmetry one of the best 50 albums of 2001,[27] while Kerrang! named it the ninth-best.[28]

The Guardian's Betty Clarke panned Origin of Symmetry as "unbelievably overblown, self-important and horrible".[29] The Stylus critic Tyler Martin felt that Muse were "very good at their craft", but that "the constant overplaying of everything waters it all down immensely".[25]

Legacy

Origin of Symmetry has made appearances on lists of the greatest rock albums of the 2000s, both poll-based and on publication lists. In 2006, Q named it the 74th-greatest album of all time,[30] and in 2008 Q readers voted it the 28th-best British album. Kerrang! named it the 20th-best British rock album and the 13th best album of the 21st century.[31]

In a retrospective review, Natalie Shaw of BBC Music wrote that Origin of Symmetry "shows a band with the drive and unfettered ambition to create a standalone marvel which not only awakens the ghosts and clichés from prog's pompous past, but entirely adds its own voice". He said that many elements of the band's later albums, such as Black Holes and Revelations (2006), could be traced back to the album.[32] The author Amy Britton argued that on Origin of Symmetry Bellamy "progressed [his band]'s sound so much that he earned a new title – this generation's guitar hero," highlighting "Plug In Baby" and "New Born".[33] In a retrospective review in 2021, the Pitchfork critic Jazz Monroe wrote: "Muse were playing melodrama as teenage realism, an extremely, ridiculously honest noise ... By combining goth vulnerability with sci-fi scale and hard-rock drama, [Origin of Symmetry] captures a paradox of young romance: on one hand, Bellamy sounds wracked with despair, but he proclaims his heartbreak with the glee of an ecstatic preacher."[17]

On 26 and 28 August 2011, Muse performed a special set at the Reading and Leeds Festivals, which consisted of the band playing Origin of Symmetry from start to finish, to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the album.[34]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Matthew Bellamy, except "Feeling Good" by Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley[35]

Original release
No.TitleLength
1."New Born"6:03
2."Bliss"4:11
3."Space Dementia"6:20
4."Hyper Music"3:21
5."Plug In Baby"3:38
6."Citizen Erased"7:21
7."Micro Cuts"3:38
8."Screenager"4:20
9."Darkshines"4:46
10."Feeling Good"3:18
11."Megalomania"4:39
Total length:51:35
  • Most streaming services place "Feeling Good" as the eighth track, between "Micro Cuts" and "Screenager", and include "Futurism" as the 12th track.

Personnel

Personnel adapted from Origin of Symmetry liner notes[35]

Guest musicians

Additional personnel

  • David Bottrill – production and engineering (tracks 1, 2, 5 and 9)
  • John Leckie – production and engineering (tracks 3, 4, 6-8, 10 and 11)
  • Ric Peet – engineering (tracks 3, 4, 6-8, 10 and 11)
  • Steve Cooper – additional engineering (tracks 1, 2, 5 and 9)
  • Chris Brown – additional engineering and programming (tracks 3, 4, 6-8, 10 and 11)
  • Mark Thomas – assistant engineering (tracks 2, 4, 5 and 7)
  • Claire Lewis – assistant engineering (tracks 3, 4, 6-8, 10 and 11)
  • Damon Iddins – assistant engineering
  • Mirek Styles – assistant engineering
  • John Cornfield – mixing
  • Ray Staff – mastering
  • William Eagar – artwork

Charts and certifications

Notes and references

Notes

  1. Additional recording at Astoria in Richmond, Abbey Road in London, Sawmills in Fowey, and St. Mary's Church in Bathwick.
  2. Also released through Mushroom Records in the United Kingdom, PIAS Recordings in Benelux, Motor Music in Germany, Naïve Records in France, Festival Mushroom Records in Oceania, Cutting Edge/maximum10 in Japan, and Warner Bros. Records in the United States.

References

  1. "The Official Charts Company – Muse". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 12 May 2011.
  2. "Platinum Awards Content". British Phonographic Industry. Archived from the original on 12 October 2018. Retrieved 1 November 2008.
  3. Vinyard, Lauren (2013). "Muse – Origin of Symmetry". puluche. Retrieved 22 August 2016.
  4. Philip, Tom (19 December 2018). "Muse Found Solace in Escaping Reality on Their New Record". GQ. Retrieved 13 September 2019.
  5. Raper, Dan (19 July 2006). "Muse: Black Holes & Revelations". PopMatters. Retrieved 17 March 2015.
  6. Trendell, Andrew (17 July 2014). "Happy Birthday Muse's Origin of Symmetry: The Tracks Ranked". Gigwise. Retrieved 17 March 2015.
  7. Allen, Jeremy (2 March 2016). "Nina Simone – 10 of the best". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 April 2018.
  8. "English Articles". archive.is. Archived from the original on 24 March 2002.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  9. Price, Andy (21 April 2021). "The genius of… Origin of Symmetry by Muse". Guitar.com. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
  10. "Ultratop.be – Muse – Origin of Symmetry" (in Dutch). Hung Medien.
  11. Spin Sep 2009. September 2009. Retrieved 5 July 2011.
  12. Kreps, Daniel (7 September 2019). "Muse Mark 20th Anniversary of 'Showbiz' With 'Origin of Muse' Box Set". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 8 September 2019.
  13. "Origin of Symmetry by Muse on Apple Music". Music.apple.com. Retrieved 16 August 2022.
  14. "Muse Music".
  15. "ORIGIN OF SYMMETRY: XX ANNIVERSARY REMIXX". Accessed in 5 June 2021.
  16. "Muse announce 20th anniversary 'Origin of Symmetry' remix album". NME. 20 May 2021. Retrieved 20 May 2021.
  17. Monroe, Jazz (11 July 2021). "Muse: Origin of Symmetry album review". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on 11 July 2021. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
  18. Carlson, Dean. "Origin of Symmetry – Muse". AllMusic. Retrieved 12 May 2011.
  19. Adams, Sean (19 May 2001). "Album Review: Muse – Origin of Symmetry". Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on 11 October 2012. Retrieved 12 May 2011.
  20. Tyaransen, Olaf (21 June 2001). "Origin of Symmetry". Hot Press. Retrieved 2 June 2015.
  21. Price, Simon (17 June 2001). "Muse: Origin of Symmetry (Taste)". The Independent.
  22. Northmore, Henry (7 June 2001). "Muse: Origin of Symmetry (Mushroom)". The List (415): 112. Retrieved 13 April 2017.
  23. Morton, Roger (12 June 2001). "Muse : Origin of Symmetry". NME. Archived from the original on 11 December 2013. Retrieved 12 May 2011.
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  25. Martin, Tyler (1 September 2003). "Muse – Origin of Symmetry – Review". Stylus Magazine. Archived from the original on 8 December 2015. Retrieved 5 November 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
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