In case you haven't figured it out, I am comparing Muse's `Showbiz' to Nirvana's `Bleach', Radiohead's `Pablo Honey', and Smashing Pumpkins' `Gish'. Why? Well, because all of these albums are made by young and emotional alternative rock bands. All of these albums show that there is promise and potential in these bands. All of these albums are the heaviest work that was released by each band. The level of rawness and roughness that all of these albums have is incredible, so much energy is created. Showbiz highlights Muse's influences better than any other of their albums. Rage Against The Machine, Nirvana, Radiohead are clear influences along with classical musicians such as Richard Wagner and Wolfgang Mozart. The influences of Rage Against The Machine and Nirvana are evident through the guitar playing. The influence of Radiohead is clear through the vocals. The influence of Richard Wagner and Wolfgang Mozart are shown in the piano playing. As time has passed, and Muse has grown older, Muse's sound has evolved and become much more original and distinctive. There are little guitar effects on this album compared to their later releases, the guitar work is a lot more straight forward, and edgier. However, the dynamics and arrangements on this album are very original. Some of the songs have a lot more to offer than the typical verse, chorus, verse, chorus ... or the typical quite, loud, quite technique. For some time now I have believed that Matt Bellamy is the best musician of his generation. Matt is an excellent guitar player for so many reasons; he has created excellent and original guitar riffs on all of his albums. He has great solos that demonstrate his ability to understand and use effects pedals as well as his own techniques. He is also a great piano player and singer. But most importantly he is an amazing songwriter. He has always been able to transform his emotions into poetry and tie that with fantastic lyrics. It is also evident that Matt knows how to create hooks in songs in order to draw the listener in. Muse has also evolved over the years, experimenting with different genres such as punk, heavy metal, and electronica to name a few. Muse have also tackled and released many thought and emotions, covering love, politics, and space to name a few. The most impressive aspect of this record along with all of the other Muse albums is the level of consistency. Muse has already established a huge catalogue of amazing songs. There are no weak tracks on this album which is a rarity. Most albums, even the so called CLASSIC albums have weak tracks. For example, Pearl Jam's `Ten' has a few weak that include `Garden' and `Deep'. However I still believe that `Ten' is an excellent album. However this is just a better album. There is a high level of consistency. I can happily listen to this album from start to finish without wanting to skip any tracks. Best Tracks: Sunburn Muscle Museum Falling Down Cave Showbiz Unintended Uno
