Space-Age Debuting: Muse Tackles 'Showbiz'

MUSE: SHOWBIZ

SCORE: 95/100 - 9.5

Comparable to Radiohead, sure - but Muse has a space-age-esque aesthetic that the former couldn't possibly pull off, especially not like this.

'Showbiz' feels like an album meant for slow, spiraling nights - with a dark and deeply picturesque set of soundscapes that creates a movie worthy album, the band has a clear direction that they chose to follow; and it worked in their favor incredibly well. It shows a band's promise to a much higher degree when an album this full of artistic and musical value is the first thing in their catalogue, and the fact that many of the songs were written far before the album came to light makes it that much more clear that the band had places that they wanted to climb to - and that they did. 

Many of the album's songs had been written by 1997 at the latest, with the earliest of the bunch being penned in 1996. The band had their ideas laid out for years before they were able to get them out; and the people of France were the first to get the album before it was eventually released in the United Kingdom before being put out in other regions of the world. 

The sound of the album is immersive - making you feel almost enchanted as the melodies lift you up and take you to the world created by the band. It's blue and dark, full of plants on a cold rock surface as you're lifted into zero-gravity, but you let it take you; and the ride seems peaceful, but you can't help but feel weighed down by the things in your life that bring you lower. It all comes together as you start to unwind and let everything happen - and maybe your journey isn't as bad as you had made it out to be after all. 

It's anxious while still being reassured, and everything comes together into one massive spectacle that makes for one of the most impressive debut albums of the 90's. 

Despite it's largely experimental nature, the more "out there" and more deeply experimental cuts the band had written were kept off of the album as they opted for the tracks they deemed as the most straightforward and conventional to make the album come together in a more palatably mainstream way despite their unique and highly alternative approach. 

For a debut album, 'Showbiz' is particularly impressive, with cinematic and grungy riffs and an alternative sound that borders against art and indie rock in a dual of black and blue, this album is one of the most striking ways the band could have possibly presented themselves in. It gets their name across and shines their style in ways that very few other bands could ever manage on such a high scale, and the project is exceptionally well atmosphered.