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Dailystar - Muse desperate to conquer America


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Sorry about the sensationalistic title, not my fault. And my bad if the interview bits are old.

 

CHART-TOPPERS Muse admit conquering America is their ultimate goal.

 

The lads scored the best chart position of their career Stateside this week with new album, The 2nd Law.

 

The Devonshire rockers’ latest offering entered the US chart at No 2, behind fellow Brits Mumford & Sons.

 

And the lads remain firm believers in the American dream.

 

Frontman Matt Bellamy, 34, said: “Coldplay are the only English group to have had real success there in the last 15 years.”

 

Bassist Chris Wolstenholme, 33, agreed: “You don’t think about it when you start, you’re just content to be recognised on home soil. But then you want something more.”

 

The new album is Muse’s most diverse record yet, with funk, dubstep and orchestral touches.

 

But there’s still one musical style Muse have yet to master.

 

Matt laughed: “I’m disappointed that we don’t have many acoustic tracks, more quiet moments.

 

“When I left the studio after having laid the foundations for the single Madness it was sparse.

 

“When I returned two days later, Chris and Dom Howard had put absolutely everything on it.”

 

Besides the UK, The 2nd Law hit No 1 across the world, but sales of albums in general are lower than when they released 2009’s The Resistance.

 

Chris explained: “My generation made the effort to buy CDs and even if you were disappointed, you forced yourself to keep playing it. Unfortunately, people download things and forget about them.”

 

At least touring has become more important.

 

Chris explained: “In the past, a group’s career may have been judged by albums. Today, bands have to provide a big spectacle.”

 

Muse kick off their UK tour in Glasgow on October 24.

 

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Watch Muse do a song with Rihanna. Dom already said she's an amazing vocalist.

 

And to be honest, a lot of people don't know who Muse is, and a looot of people have heard about Coldplay. Unless Muse do a really drastic switch of music (and famewhoring), they'll never get the kind of Coldplay fame.

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LOL at Matt saying Coldplay are the only English group to have success here in the last 15 years. Apparently he's never heard of Mumford & Sons.

 

It's the level of success though. I've never heard of Mumford & Sons selling out stadiums or anything to that extent.

 

They are equally shit though.

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Mumford had some really flash sucess in the US, and was fortunate enough to have gotten it late enough in the album cycle, that their new one came out when they were still fresh in people's minds.

It remains to be seen if people will care about them a few years from now, while the country still does love Coldplay, and has for a hell of a lot longer than normal.

Their consistent style will either make them or break them, and it's too early in the US to tell.

 

I think it's sometimes difficult for people from Britain, or even Europe, to get a sense of how Muse is doing in the US. It sounds like the band is just everywhere in Britain, to the extent it's become "cool" to hate on the band. That's pretty big.

 

Even with the relative sucess Muse had here with KoC/Starlight, TR and now the T2L chart position... you still hardly HEAR anything about Muse in a lot of places in the US. I have never run across anyone talking about them, playing the CDs, or even wearing a Tshirt, and the band gets the next thing closest to no radio play in a lot of areas.

 

When someone happens to see me with the CD, they either have no idea who Muse is, or asks me why I'm a 30something year old Twilight fan.

 

To compare, there are radio/satellite stations that JUST play Coldplay (ok, Coldplay and Maroon 5... and I'm not exagerating.)

Pretty much every single radio station plays Coldplay, and many at least every half hour.

Again, at least in my state.

Everyone's mom loves Coldplay to death, and if they ever do "fall" in America, it will be by being forced into "severe uncoolness" by the sheer amount of old farts that listen to them.

Although, that's not yet killed the band Train... and god I wish it would...

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They are equally shit though.

 

QFT.

 

Personally, I don't understand why the band want to crack America so badly. If I were them, I'd be very happy with what I had. But then again, I'm not in their position and Chris said that they used to think like that but that things change over time so who knows. I can't see them getting much more popular than they are already over there though.

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QFT.

 

Personally, I don't understand why the band want to crack America so badly. If I were them, I'd be very happy with what I had. But then again, I'm not in their position and Chris said that they used to think like that but that things change over time so who knows. I can't see them getting much more popular than they are already over there though.

 

The last album/tour really got their name more well known, so there's still room to become bigger over here. But I wish they wouldn't keep trying so hard to do so. They've already got the selling out arenas and headlining festivals down.

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When someone happens to see me with the CD, they either have no idea who Muse is, or asks me why I'm a 30something year old Twilight fan.

 

Above all else, I really hope Muse can eventually shake that association off someday. It is pretty much responsible for their arena status though, like you said radio doesn't seem to support them much. I only really listen to college/indie radio and they don't even play Muse much anymore.

 

*edit - but Billboard has Madness right now at #2 on Alternative Songs (down from #1 last week). I suppose that means some stations must be playing it.

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Some stations in the US do indeed play Madness, it's just not that widespread. We had a station that had it in "second tier" rotation, which they told me meant playing it "every few hours, or so" - but that lasted for a week, and now it's down to less than once a day.

 

I think the bump was definately helped by SNL, which suprises me that people still watch that shit.

 

To them, conquering America is like a Penis extension.

 

And, I guess, like a penis extension, it makes them feel like more of a man, AND makes their partner happy (in this case the US fans...)

I'm still all for it.

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It's just something else to brag about.

 

"We played Wembley four times, we made a song for the Olympics, we got Kate Hudson pregnant."

 

I can understand wanting to become popular but I don't feel like it would ruin my day if I were in a band.

 

Surely conquering America would entail some kind of war? I'm not sure if Muse could take America...

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I feel like Muse is almost underestimating their fanbase here. Sure they're not a household name yet but most people I've seen have at least heard their name, which in its own is a big change from 2008 and before. They're still selling out arenas headlining festivals getting huge crowds. They've played on TV shows, even the Grammys. Talking about "conquering" America makes it seem like they think they've still got a majorly niche fanbase.

 

Also, I wonder why they never allowed any festival last year to stream their sets if they wanted to be so well known.

 

 

You ruined it. I hate you.

 

Nothing's changed.

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I've only seen one band play a longer set in the last 10 years, and it was a band that didn't even have a record label, released their CD online, and was playing in a bar's basement.

Short sets are extremely common in the US, and I've even seen major bands play for right on an hour.

 

I literally do not know one single person, in person, who knew who Muse was before I told them, and at my local stores, the CD went without selling a single copy for the first week.

It's depressing.

 

I was so suprised to see them play an arena in 2010, here, and actually have a decent amount of people there (it wasn't anywhere near sold out,) I nearly crapped my pants.

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