Absolution (album)

Infobox Album
Name = Absolution
Type = studio
Artist = Muse


Released = September 21 2003 (UK)
September 28 2003 (AU)
March 23 2004 (U.S.)

Recorded = 2003
Genre = Alternative rock
Progressive rock
Length = 52:19
Label = Mushroom
5046685872 (UK)
5046751112 (AU re-release)
Producer = Rich Costey, John Cornfield, Muse, Paul Reeve
Reviews =
*Allmusic Rating|3|5 [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:4dd8vwrqa9qk link]
*Drowned In Sound (10/10) [http://www.drownedinsound.com/articles/7998.html link]
*"NME" (9/10) [http://www.nme.com/reviews/muse/7168 link]
*"Q" Rating|4|5 (Oct. 2003, p.109)
*"The Guardian" Rating|4|5 [http://arts.guardian.co.uk/fridayreview/story/0,12102,1044617,00.html link]
*"Rolling Stone" Rating|3|5 [http://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/album/5175533/absolution link]
Last album = "Hullabaloo Soundtrack"
(2002)
This album = "Absolution"
(2003)
Next album = "Absolution Tour"
(2005)Singles
Name = Absolution
Type = Studio
single 1 = Stockholm Syndrome
single 1 date = 14 July, 2003
single 2 = Time Is Running Out
single 2 date = 8 September, 2003
single 3 = Hysteria
single 3 date = 1 December, 2003
single 4 = Sing for Absolution
single 4 date = 17 May, 2004
single 5 = Apocalypse Please
single 5 date = 23 August, 2004
single 6 = Butterflies and Hurricanes
single 6 date = 20 September, 2004

"Absolution" is the third studio album by English alternative rock band Muse. It was released on September 21, 2003 in the UK and on March 23, 2004 in the U.S. by Taste Music Limited. The album yielded the band's first big American hits - "Time Is Running Out" and "Hysteria", the former becoming their first UK Top 10 single.

Writing and composition

The band spent much of 2002 recording "Absolution" with producer Rick Costey. The album was recorded in studios in both Los Angeles and London.

The album incorporates themes of fear, mistrust, personal achievement and joy. Bellamy said that the beginning of the Iraq War had an effect on their songwriting.

Reception

"Absolution" was Muse's first album to chart in the US, and is credited with establishing the band a fan base there.cite web|url=http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/pop/172255_muse07.html|title='Absolution' plows the ground for Muse's U.S. following|publisher=Seattle PI|accessdate=2008-09-04] The album reached #1 on the "Billboard" Top Heatseekers chart and #107 on the Billboard 200.cite web|url=http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/retrieve_chart_history.do?model.chartFormatGroupName=Albums&model.vnuArtistId=119054&model.vnuAlbumId=601768|title=Billboard chart history|accessdate=2008-06-10]

The first release from the album was download-only single "Stockholm Syndrome".

Track listing

All lyrics written by Matthew Bellamy, all music written by Muse.

# "Intro" – 0:22
# "Apocalypse Please" – 4:12
# "Time Is Running Out" – 3:56
# "Sing for Absolution" – 4:54
# "Stockholm Syndrome" – 4:58
# "Falling Away With You" – 4:40
# "Interlude" – 0:37
# "Hysteria" – 3:47
# "Blackout" – 4:22
# "Butterflies & Hurricanes" – 5:01
# "The Small Print" – 3:28
#* "Fury" (bonus track between "The Small Print" and "Endlessly" on Japanese release) – 4:58
# "Endlessly" – 3:49
# "Thoughts Of A Dying Atheist" – 3:11
# "Ruled By Secrecy" – 4:54

Initial copies of the CD featured inlay errors, where the songs "Interlude" and "Hysteria" switched places on the track listing.

Limited edition UK bonus DVD

#"The Making of Absolution" documentary(Also Hysteria and Interlude positions are switched on the tracklisting, yet this is not the case on the album)

Australian Tour Bonus Disc

#"Stockholm Syndrome" – 7:14
#"New Born" – 6:11
#"Muscle Museum" – 4:18
#"Hysteria" – 4:14
#"Bliss" – 4:01
#"Time Is Running Out" – 4:06

This bonus CD is entirely composed of live versions, recorded at the Big Day Out in Sydney, January 23 2004 for Australian radio station Triple J and broadcasted in the radio show "Live at the Wireless".

B-Sides

Three non-album studio tracks were released as b-sides.

"The Groove" - 2:38, b-side to "Time Is Running Out"
"Eternally Missed" - 6:04, b-side to "Hysteria"
"Fury" - 5:02, b-side to "Sing for Absolution" Included on Japanese version of the Album

Personnel

*Matthew Bellamy – lead vocals, guitars, piano, synthesizers, mandolin on "Blackout"
*Chris Wolstenholme – backing vocals, bass guitar, synthesizers on "Hysteria" and "Time Is Running Out"
*Dominic Howard – drums, percussion
*Paul Reeve – backing vocals, vocal samples

Chart positions

Album

ingles

References

External links

* [http://muse.mu Official Muse website]

succession box
before = "Permission to Land" by The Darkness
title = UK number one album
years = October 4 2003 – October 10 2003
after = "Life for Rent" by Dido