Origin of Symmetry


Origin of Symmetry is the second studio album by English rock band Muse, released on 18 June 2001 through Mushroom Records and Taste Media. Its title and theme comes from a concept put forward by the theoretical physicist Michio Kaku in his book Hyperspace.
Origin of Symmetry was a critical and commercial success in the UK, peaking at number three on the UK Albums Chart and achieving BPI platinum status. Four singles were released from the album: "Plug In Baby", "New Born", "Bliss", and "Hyper Music" / "Feeling Good".

Background

Muse developed Origin of Symmetry 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.
The title derives from the 1994 book Hyperspace by 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 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."

Production and composition

Recording took place at Ridge Farm Studios in Surrey and Real World Studio in Wiltshire, and additional recordings were made at David Gilmour's Astoria houseboat studio, Richmond Studios and Abbey Road Studios in London and Sawmills Studio in Fowey, Cornwall. The album was mixed at Sawmills and mastered at Sony Music Studios in London. Origin of Symmetry was produced by Muse with David Bottrill and John Leckie. Songs like "New Born", "Plug In Baby", and "Bliss" were recorded with producer Bottrill during the middle of touring in late 2000, in Ridge Farm Studios, Surrey. The songs were recorded within just a few days, so the band later had to re-master the songs with the help of John Cornfield after finishing with the Showbiz tour in order to make them suitable for an album release. The relatively stripped down nature of these songs helped to set a contrast for the recording of the rest of the album. "New Born", "Plug In Baby" and "Bliss" were seen as the "backbone of the album", with the other material being more experimental and ambitious.
Musically, Origin of Symmetry has been described as alternative rock, progressive rock, hard rock, and space rock. The album saw the band experimenting with new instruments and dynamics. Dominic Howard expanded the standard rock drum kit with various other items of his own, including a balaphone and even animal bones on "Screenager". Matt Bellamy also used an organ at St Mary the Virgin's Church, Bathwick to record "Megalomania". Because of the requirement of the pipe organ, this song is rarely played live by Muse, perhaps the most notable occasion being at Muse's charity gig at the Royal Albert Hall.

Release

Origin of Symmetry was first released on 18 June 2001. 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.
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.

Critical reception

Origin of Symmetry was met with positive reviews from critics. 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." Roger Morton of NME called it "amazing for such a young band to load up with a heritage that includes the darker visions of Cobain and Kafka, Mahler and The Tiger Lillies, Cronenberg and Schoenberg, and make a sexy, populist album. But Muse have carried it off." The Guardians Betty Clarke, however, panned Origin of Symmetry as "unbelievably overblown, self-important and horrible" in a one-star review of the album. Stylus Magazine critic Tyler Martin conceded that Muse "are very good at their craft", but felt that "the constant overplaying of everything waters it all down immensely." Q later listed Origin of Symmetry as one of the best 50 albums of 2001, while Kerrang! named it the ninth best album of the year.
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, it placed at number 74 on Q magazine's list of the 100 Greatest Albums of All-Time, while in February 2008, the album placed at number 28 on a list of the Best British Albums of All Time determined by the magazine's readers. Kerrang! placed the album at number 20 in its 100 Best British Rock Albums Ever! List and at number 13 on its 50 Best Albums of the 21st Century list. Acclaimed Music ranks Origin of Symmetry as the 1,247th greatest album of all time.

Legacy

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", adding that many elements of the band's later sound on albums such as Black Holes and Revelations could be traced back to the album. In her 2011 work Revolution Rock: The Albums Which Defined Two Ages, author Amy Britton argued that on Origin of Symmetry Bellamy "progressed 's sound so much that he earned a new title – this generation's guitar hero," highlighting "Plug In Baby" and "New Born".
On 26 and 28 August 2011, Muse designed and performed a special set at the Reading and Leeds Festivals to commemorate the 10th anniversary of Origin of Symmetry. The album was played from start to finish, marking the first time certain songs had been played in several years.

Track listing

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Personnel

Muse
Guest musicians
Additional personnel