Exogenesis Part I/II/III

[kindakooky]

As a whole, i am absolutely STUNNED by Exo-Genesis. Really, i can't emphasise it enough. Overture is so dark and powerful, then your have the slightly lighter magnificence of Cross-Pollination, but Redemption just kills me, it's just so so beautiful.

 

"Let's start over agaaaaaain" :'(:'(:'(

[JennaFoxLives]

I don't get it either. Since day one I have found it incredibly overhyped. It's dull. Especially the second half.

 

And yeah, Exogensis is one of my favourite things they've done, especially Part I.

 

Oh wow I can't believe you think CE is no big deal. It's their best song evar!

[Hopix]

Citizen Erased album version is meh but its unbelievable live

 

I'd commit genocide to see it live this tour...

 

Can you imagen if they played CE and then just before the outro ends you hear the start of Exo 1, then they play Exo with an orchestra. That would be the best set ender ever.

[Problemfanatique]

I'd commit genocide to see it live this tour...

 

Can you imagen if they played CE and then just before the outro ends you hear the start of Exo 1, then they play Exo with an orchestra. That would be the best set ender ever.

 

Oh my... that would be magnificent.

[Knightofcydonia]

Hate the way Cross Pollination ends abruptly with no play into the final part. Makes it sound like one long song and a second, shorter final track.

 

Not very symphonic in my mind for it to die and come back as something different, but then I don't know much about classical music and how symphonies are meant to sound.

 

Its always been my favourite since I first heard it in 2001. Its because of the different sections (movements?) that are all awesome.

 

1. Heavy intro verse with catchy melody

2. Legendary heavy chorus

3. Cool clean guitar riff

4. Cool clean soft verse and chorus - the verse is amazing live as build up

5. Mental solo

6. Gorgeous transition to ending

7. Beautiful sung ending

 

People talk about Muse doing the "bohemium Rapsody" of the 2000s but I think Citizen Erased is it.

 

This. I still get goosebumps because of the sound. It's just so dirty sounding at the start, despite being quite a harsh treble. I've also never heard anything else like it, which makes it even more special.

[Caff]

Oh wow I can't believe you think CE is no big deal. It's their best song evar!

 

What is it with you people and not being able to accept other opinions?

 

CE is boring. There are better songs on that album. Bliss is way better for me than CE both on record and live.

[hyper_chondriac_muser]

Hate the way Cross Pollination ends abruptly with no play into the final part. Makes it sound like one long song and a second, shorter final track.

 

I agree that there should have been a transition into the third part... it doesn't sound like it's part of the whole Symphony because Cross-Pollination seems to have a 'finale' sound to it. It ends without a suggestion of something to follow. But it doesn't ruin the whole piece for me, just a bit annoying, lol.

 

I get really emotional every time I hear this; I can't help it, it's kind of weird now, lol! Probably because I've been waiting for something like this from them for so long... we all have, in a way! They were bound to take their OTT-ness to another level, and this is it. In the best possible way! <3

[Requiem1394]

What is it with you people and not being able to accept other opinions?

 

CE is boring. There are better songs on that album. Bliss is way better for me than CE both on record and live.

 

I agree. I have never understood the CE love. It's fine, I guess, but it has never struck a chord with me. The guitar sounds so flat and I don't really think it's a catchy riff.

 

New Born, Bliss, Hyper Music, Plug in Baby, Micro Cuts, Dark Shines, and Megalomania are all far superior songs.

[Caff]

I was starting to think I was unusual. I'm fine with people liking it but it's not an untouchable religious relic guys, people are allowed to not like it.

 

I always find myself thinking "is it over yet?" including when it's live.

[Lick My Face]

Anyone else here think Exogenesis was a bit...jerky? A bit of a start-stop affair? It just doesn't seem to flow that much.

[Niall]

I can't listen to this song.

[Trilateral_Symmetry_Com'n.]

If anyone here happens to have a recording of Wagner's Das Rheingold (the first of four operas in his "Ring Cycle"), can you comment on whether you hear a similarity between the first scene (of the Rhinemaidens frolicking in the Rhine) and Exo 1?

 

I feel there might be a strong similarity, but it's been a long time (close to 20 years) since I last heard that one.

 

Here's an excerpt of what Wiki says of Scene 1:

 

Das Rheingold begins with a 136-bar unmodulating prelude outlining an E flat major chord, which is meant to represent the eternal unchanging motions of the River Rhine. It is considered the best known drone piece in the concert repertory, lasting approximately four minutes.[1] [snip] The music grows in power, and the curtain rises. At the bottom of the River Rhine, the three Rhinemaidens (Woglinde, Wellgunde, and Flosshilde) are playing together near the Rheingold...[snip]

[RCJ_08]

Hate the way Cross Pollination ends abruptly with no play into the final part. Makes it sound like one long song and a second, shorter final track.

 

Not very symphonic in my mind for it to die and come back as something different, but then I don't know much about classical music and how symphonies are meant to sound.

 

That's basically Symphonic structure. Although movements don't really "flow" together. Although there are always exceptions. But yeah, it's not uncommon for something like that to happen in a symphonic piece.

[Suvi]

I can't listen to this song.

 

why?

[CarrieB]

Feeling emotional yet again after listening to the album. This is so very beautiful!

[Clunge]

I can't listen to this song.

Do elaborate...

[Mozza]

I agree. I have never understood the CE love. It's fine, I guess, but it has never struck a chord with me. The guitar sounds so flat and I don't really think it's a catchy riff.

 

New Born, Bliss, Hyper Music, Plug in Baby, Micro Cuts, Dark Shines, and Megalomania are all far superior songs.

 

I was starting to think I was unusual. I'm fine with people liking it but it's not an untouchable religious relic guys, people are allowed to not like it.

 

I always find myself thinking "is it over yet?" including when it's live.

 

Its only my 5th or 6th favourite on Origin, and i've heard it live 3 times. Thats enough really.

[Peroxide Pixie]

Its only my 5th or 6th favourite on Origin, and i've heard it live 3 times. Thats enough really.

 

I've also heard it live but I still don't rate it that highly.

[Couchy]

well if you listen to a classical/baroque symphony there are pauses between each movement, so in a way they've done it right. That aside even I was expecting a 15 minute song, but you wouldn't have been able to split it up properly

 

I'd also like to say Redemption is my favourite part of the symphony. Overture is much too repetitive and the string arpeggios sounds pretty weird, and while Cross-Pollination is pretty awesome I still love the whole piano/strings thing in the Redemption.

 

I got Sibelius today (music composing kinda thing) and I've figured out most of the piano in Redemption up to the middle part where Dom starts drumming, plus some of the strings. Is coming along very nicely so I might post it up here somewhere if I get around to finishing it.

[Wingardium LevioSIA]

I think I now like Overture and Redemption equally.

[Mue]

Exogenesis is amazing!! Truely one of the best Muse songs! You can tell that they have put a serious amount of time and effort into this!

I'm still kinda speechless when i hear it! No words to describe it really

I like Overture best

Bellamy has a RIDICULOUS amount of talent to compose and arrange those strings! And when he sings "i will not forgive and i will not forget you"

Fuck! Beyond words

[Enemy]

Overture - A work of utter, sheer 'wow'ness. So... incredible. Quite speechless, really.

Cross-Pollination - Lovely leading from Overture, great 'rocky' section... but where it goes up a gear, it should've lasted for longer.

Redemption - Again, 'wow'. I do shed a tear when they sing the line 'and we'll be good'.

 

Unforgettable.

[Anxyous]

I always wanna listen to 'Even Flow' by Pearl Jam, after listening to Exogenesis... It just sounds natural

[GNoulez]

Hi, after listening to Exogenesis I think I've gotten the real meaning behind the song. After each listen I felt that I discovered something more about the song, some more meaning to it. I've been trying to put it into words for the past couple of days, and I think I know how to put it now, so here it goes!

 

Exogenesis

 

In short: Exogenesis Symhpony is about exogenesis (duh!). Now, one might ask what exogenesis is? Well exogenesis (or panspermia) is a theory. A theory about life. After some simple researching on the term exogenesis you can easily find what it is. I'll sum it up in short for you:

Panspermia is a theory which suggests that 'seeds' of life exist all over the universe. Earth being one of them. It suggests that the life on Earth might have originated through one of those seeds.

Now, exogenesis is more or less the same, but more limited, more strict. Exogenesis is an idea that proposes that life on Earth was transferred from somewhere in the universe, whilst not suggesting how wide-spread that life in the universe is.

 

Now, I believe that Exogenesis Symphony is not exactly about the theory of exogenesis, but about the theory of pansperma. Then why is it called Exogenesis? I think Matt/Muse chose the name Exogenesis just more 'cosmetic' reasons. It sounds way more epic than panspermia. Especially if you announce the piece as a symphonic monster, people expect an epic name. Would you really want to listen to something called Panspermia? To me it sounds like some sort of exotic disease.

 

Now, I have 2 reasons to believe that Exogenesis Symphony is about panspermia/exogenesis. Those two being the titles (which I've already explained a bit of) and the lyrics of the song.

 

The Titles

 

Of course, the most obvious reason to believe that the song is about one of those theories is the title of the song. It already suggests 70% of what it's about. But you also have Overture, Cross-Pollination and Redemption. Correct me if I'm wrong here, but those are really just terms used in classical music I believe. But let me explain

 

Overture

You can hear as well as, well, read in the title that someone in this part is upset. The music is very dark, very angry. Something is wrong. The world might be dieing perhaps? (I'll explain this in the lyrics section, there isn't much to talk about when thinking of relating it to the theory here)

 

Cross-Pollination

Now this gets interesting. I do not believe this choice of subtitle was merely coincidence. It might be a classical music term, all the better. But cross-pollination is also used in horticulture (with bees and stuff). Pollination is the process in which a flower is fertilised so that it can produce more flowers. Cross-pollination is when a flower is fertilised by another, different flower. Sounds familiar to the theory? Just as flowers create life on another one here, exogenesis suggests that life on earth was transferred from somewhere else in the universe.

 

Redemption

Again, like Overture, there isn't much to talk about here when not taking the lyrics and music into account.

 

 

Music and lyrics

 

The music and the lyrics only support my theory about the song, let me explain.

 

Overture

As I've said, the music here sounds as if there is something wrong. Someone/something is angry. The person singing in this part doesn't know where it belongs ("Where are we, why,...") It doesn't understand what it's doing there. It doesn't recognize the world it once knew. They can't escape. How I view it the creatures world is destroyed. It's become inhabitable (or is vastly becoming that). It doesn't know what to do, why it is there.

 

Cross-Pollination

Again, this one is the most interesting part in my opinion. Although the music here might not sound as epic or beautiful as in the two other parts, it has the most content. Again, it's still Matt singing, but in the story someone other than in Overture is speaking.

 

First and foremost: I believe whoever is speaking now is someone of high rank in society. Perhaps a leader, commander, whatever. It's talking as if it's giving orders.

 

"Wade through toxic clouds" This supports my believe on the planet of the race being nearly destroyed. The air itself there has become corrupted, toxic.

 

"Breach the outer sphere, the edge of all our fears" Whoever it's talking to, it gives him the order to escape the planet (outer sphere). But, wherever he must go, it is (partly) unknown territory (edge of all our fears).

 

"We are counting on you, you must rescue us all" We is the race that needs rescuing from the dieing planet. I do not believe they are hoping for the rescue of all the inhabitants. No, they're hoping that their race might continue to exist.

 

"Spread our codes through the stars" The high ranking officer here is commanding the other one to travel through the universe, obviously to find an inhabitable planet. But he must keep the uses of his culture there.

 

"Now we know you can't return" As I've said, their not counting on the rescue of the entire race, merely on the survival of the race. If they would have asked him to find a planet where they all could live, he would return, which he won't.

 

Also, the music in this part sounds strict, and official, which coincides with the high ranking person giving orders.

 

Redemption

In this part the music sounds peacefully. Whoever was sent to find a new planet, he has succeeded in it. But now they must start over, and do it better (Let's start over again [...] this time we'll get it right).

 

 

Conclusion

 

I think I've made my point here. Although with even the littlest of research you could already determine the statement behind Exogenesis. If you pay more attention to things in the piece you will find more and more to support it. A lot may have already noticed this is what Exogenesis is about, then I still feel happy for deconstructing this song and bringing it to those who didn't yet know!

[Carbo]

Its not as orchestral/symphonic as I thought it'd be. It feels a bit symphonic in terms of Megalomania + B&H + Ruled By Secrecy, I expected something in lines of the orchestrals that Immediate Music does.

 

With that said though, Exogenesis is a masterpiece. It has that perfect melody to it that flows throughout the entire symphony. Its hard to notice every moment when it switches to a new part. The exciting Overture to the melodically grim Cross-Pollination, ending with the hope filled Redemption.

 

Amazing job, Muse.