Customer Rating: 
Summary: Excellent one!
Comment: I don't have much to say of this CD. It rocks, but it's not their best one. They have great songs in there, like "Muscle Museum" and "Sunburn".
But there's one thing: no matter what people say, I just can't see anything in Muse that sounds like Radiohead. I do think that they have totally different styles.
Anyway... It's an awesome first album for an awesome band.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Not Even Their Best and Still Stunning
Comment: Muse has done a lot of improving since their Showbiz days yet this CD still remains one of my favorite in my music library. Why? Simple: Because Muse has always been awesome.
Sunburn starts out the album was a dramatic and captivating mixture of piano arpeggios and guitar. I get chills every time I hear Matt sing "And I feel...a guilty conscience grow."
Well, while were on the subject of Matt Bellamy, let me say this. This guy deserves so much credit. He plays the guitar/piano on all the tracks, sings, and wrote the music? And he was only 19/20ish at the time? Ridiculous. He refuses to back down from any melody or line, forgetting things such as "vocal limitations", and belts it out as is. From his falsetto chorus in "Unintended" to his practical screaming in "Uno", his quickly emerging (though not quite perfected) talent is impossible to ignore.
Moving on, the album produces other highlights like "Muscle Museum", with lyrics so refreshingly honest and mind tugging ("I don't want you to adore me/Don't want you to ignore me when it pleases you"), you may have to listen to this song multiple times before you can grasp it entirely.
"Cave" holds a similar suit, with easily relatable lyrics for anyone who has ever just wanted to be left alone or take responsibility for their own self. "Uno" is an almost James Bond-esque type track, bouncing back between slow and hyper, but always mysterious. Matt almost screams the chorus and lets his guitar do a lot of the work, making this an excellent track.
"Uno" is not the only track that captures verbal angst; the Album-titled song "Showbiz" is not only one of best on this CD, but a standout among all Muse songs. It's dark, building mood climaxes into Matt's screams on anguish. Never before had I ever been able to feel someone's pain so vibrantly through music, but Muse captures a haunting feeling of deception and confusion. Amazing song.
On the slower side, "Unintended" undoubtedly takes the cake. A tender, slow, and unoffensive love song that could very well make you cry. The lyrics are truly beautiful ("I'll be there as soon as I can/but I'm busy mending broken/pieces of the life I had before/before you")and they manage to capture an uncertainness and hesitation of love ("You COULD be my unintended") that's very real, but few artists manage to capture.
"Falling Down", with its blusely riffs definitely deserves a mention. Matt's voice seems to verge on breaking from mixture of high notes, yelling, and more anguish. It pulls together for an unexpected-ly lovely song.
The album concludes with the song "Hate This and I'll Love You." Once you hear this song completely though you'll understand why they put it as the finale. Starting out with chirping crickets, progressing into another catchy passionate chorus with stunning yet vague lyrics ("Cause I was born to destroy you; and I am growing by the hour), Matt's voice growing so tender and poignant you SWEAR it's going to crack ("You led me on...") and jamming back to crickets again. I consider it to be one of Muse's most underrated tracks. A true gem
In conclusion, despite what the critics may say, this album is definitely worth a listen for anyone who likes Muse or meaningful music. Muse has gone on to expand and improve but they started out innovative and talented to begin with, and the proof lies clearly here. It's not exactly an easy listen; it's a CD that challenges you and might even make you think. Multiple songs portray anguish and pain and some border on dark, but it's overall amazing music.
Customer Rating: 
Summary: Muse just before their peak
Comment: Back when Muse were younger they belonged to Maddona's label Maverick. Which made this more poppy. But it's still very good. The only problem is the arrangement of the album.
1. Sunburn 10/10. Great piano ostinato (AKA riff) and evil vocals from Matt. The chorus is also very evil and never tires throughout the song.
2. Muscle Museum 10/10. Very intersting guitars (they sound Italian but I could be wrong) intersting vocals 'I have played in every toilet, but you just want to spoil it' and the mix of vocals and guitar at the end is pure genius. Sounds very epic.
3. Filip 7/10. I assume that this is Maverick's doing because it starts off very poppy. The chorus is okay and there is a point where it goes slow and Pink Floydy. Fortunately this is the worst song of the album.
4. Falling Down 8/10. The chorus is Pink Floydy and the rest of the song sounds Bluesey. A grower.
5. Cave 9/10. Distorted guitars, emotional vocals and an instumental part near the end showing that Muse has potential for great things.
6. Showbiz 9/10. Has a crescendo (gradually getting louder) of drums and then bursts in with screeching guitars and screeching Matt. A very good song.
7. Unintended 9/10. A quiet song that sounds all lovey. Depends what mood you are in really but Matt seems very in love with something.
8. Uno 10/10. Starts off in an explosion of distorted sound and then turns into a rocky tango getting louder in the chorus. They did say they liked Flamenco music.
9. Sober 9/10. This song makes me laugh so much when he does the keyboard solo. It sounds just like John Shuttleworth (if you know who he is you'll understand). Besides that it's a pretty cool song.
10. Escape 9/10. Matt says your unlovable, then says he doesn't care. Regardless though this song is very emotional with some decent guitaring in it.
11. Overdue 10/10. For some reason I like this song. It explodes in with loads of sound then goes quiet with Matt singing like an unhappy schoolgirl. A great song regardless of its simplicity.
12. Hate this song and I love you 8/10. A quiet and sound effect filled end. They may have overdone it a bit but Matt is singing well so that kind of balances it out.
Muse were not famous at all at this point. Therefore you know this album is trying to get your attention. Let it talk to you and you won't regret it (unless you listened to Origin of Symetry first then you may be disapointed)
Customer Rating:
Summary: not their best album, but still great.
Comment: I've been listening to Muse for a few months, and I'm amazed by how good they are. "Showbiz," their first album, doesn't quite show how amazing they are, but it's still a great album. First off, I would have given this 4 1/2 stars if I could. The album starts off with two really good songs, "sunburn and "muscle museum." What I love about Muse is that every album has a different feel to it. In this album the songs aren't quite polished as much as they are in their other albums. However, the songs have a cool, epic and raw feel to them. The best songs in the album are "sunburn", "muscle museum", "falling down", "showbiz", "unintended", and "uno".
Customer Rating:
Summary: No biz like Showbiz
Comment: Britpop is always swarming over the pond, in different incarnations -- retro rock, mellifluous pop, whatever.
But Muse has something special -- this magnificent young band is perhaps the most powerful Britpop band to emerge in years. If you want comparisons, they're equal parts Radiohead and Led Zeppelin, with a unique sound that is both melodic and raw. Few debuts are as intense as Muse's "Showbiz."
A steady piano melody ripples by, followed by some steady drumming. That, in turn, segues into the expansive bombastic rock'n'roll of "Sunburn." Matt Bellamy sits in the middle of the song, singing in a trembly voice, "I'll feel/A guilty conscience grow/And I'll feel/A guilty conscience grow." Then he bursts into an anguished howl: "And I'll hide from the world/Behind a broken frame/And I'll run forever/I can't face the shame..." The music crests with it, a panoramic blend of guitar, bass and piano.
And that's only the first song.
The songs that follow are just as powerful, if a bit lower-key. Muse dabbles first in some truly ominous guitar pop, followed by acoustic ballads, and an angsty lament or two. Then, about halfway through the album, things get loud again -- songs like the title track have a wall-of-sound guitar'n'bass melody. In these songs, Muse sounds eerily like a British version of the Smashing Pumpkins.
Good as their debut was, Muse wasn't at their peak with "Showbiz" -- they hadn't quite perfected the epic-guitar thing, and the production isn't at its best. But they are still a compelling listen -- the climax of "Uno" is the sonic equivalent of being hit with a tsunami. For a band that was still defining their sound, it's remarkable.
Chris Wolstenholme does an exceptional job with the driving bass, while Bellamy pulls double, triple and sometimes quadruple duty, playing everything from Hammond to piano. His roiling guitar riffs are absolutely stunning. It takes a special drummer to have an impact with all of that going on, and fortunately Dominic Howard is up to the task.
Bellamy also is the vocalist, and here he shines. Too often comparisons are made to Radiohead's frontman Thom Yorke. However, Bellamy's vocals are more versatile -- he starts off in a sort of trembly voice, sounding sad and vulnerable. Then he lets rip with anguished howls, purrs, murmurs and much more. And he does it in perfect harmony to the music.
With their epic sound and excellent musicianship, Muse have the makings of a rock'n'roll legend. "Showbiz" was their first album and it shows, but even with its flaws, it's a stunning piece of work.
|
