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==Background and development==
==Background and development==
MuseCampbell]] who had worked with acts such as [[Radiohead]], [[Paul McCartney]], [[Evanescence]], [[Avril Lavigne]], [[Beck]] and [[Adele (singer)|Adele]] was helping the band compose the album.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://instagr.am/p/HYJaGsOyFH/ |title="Matt discusses his score with David Campbell." // Photo by nowherethomas|publisher=Instagram. nowherethomas's account |accessdate=28 February 2012}}</ref> In an interview in the April 2012 issue of ''[[NME]]'', Bellamy said that the band were set to include elements of [[electronic music]], with influences coming from acts such as [[French house]] duo [[Justice (baned system, the entropy of that system increases. Energy continuously flows from being concentrated, to becoming dispersed, spread out, wasted, and useless. New energy cannot be created and high-grade energy is being destroyed. An economy based on endless growth is unsustainable.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.musewiki.org/The_2nd_Law_%28album%29#Name|title=The 2nd Law (album)|publisher=Muse Wiki|accessdate=1 October 2012}}</ref></blockquote>
Muse entered the studio to begin recording their sixth studio album in September 2011, which bassist [[Christopher Wolstenholme]] later confirmed in an interview with [[BBC Radio 1]], stating: "September and October, that's when we're going to get into the studio to start writing the new album."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gigwise.com/news/65755/Muse-To-Begin-Recording-New-Album-In-September|title=Muse To Begin Recording New Album In September|publisher=Gigwise|date=2011-08-10}}</ref> In an interview with ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' on 18 October 2011, the band's manager Anthony Addis revealed that Muse had begun recording their sixth album in London and that he expected it to be released by October 2012.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.billboard.biz/bbbiz/genre/rock-and-pop/muse-manager-anthony-addis-talks-new-album-1005416432.story |title=Exclusive: Muse Manager Anthony Addis Talks New Album, Touring and the Challenges of Conquering America |publisher=Billboard.biz |deadurl=no |accessdate=4 February 2013}}</ref> Bellamy jokingly described the album as a "christian gangsta rap jazz odyssey, with some ambient rebellious dubstep and face-melting metal flamenco cowboy psychedelia" on his [[Twitter]] account.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.skynews.com.au/showbiz/article.aspx?id=688323&vId= |title=Muse start recording new album |publisher=Sky News |accessdate=23 December 2011}}</ref>

In an interview with ''[[Kerrang!]]'' on 14 December 2011, Wolstenholme stated that the next Muse album would be "something radically different" from their prior releases. He also said that it felt as if the band were "drawing a line under a certain period" of their career with their sixth album.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nme.com/news/muse/60983|title=Muse: 'It feels like it's time to do something radically different on our next album'|publisher=NME|accessdate=11 December 2011}}</ref> In another interview Chris mentioned that the band had experimented with music and sounds in particular, which makes this album their most experimental piece ever.<ref>"We spent a lot of time experimenting with a lot of things, with the music and sounds in particular, and I think that’s why this album has this kind of freshness to it".</ref> It was revealed via Muse's publicist Tom Kirk on his [[Twitter]] account that composer [[David Campbell (composer)|David Campbell]] who had worked with acts such as [[Radiohead]], [[Paul McCartney]], [[Evanescence]], [[Avril Lavigne]], [[Beck]] and [[Adele (singer)|Adele]] was helping the band compose the album.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://instagr.am/p/HYJaGsOyFH/ |title="Matt discusses his score with David Campbell." // Photo by nowherethomas|publisher=Instagram. nowherethomas's account |accessdate=28 February 2012}}</ref> In an interview in the April 2012 issue of ''[[NME]]'', Bellamy said that the band were set to include elements of [[electronic music]], with influences coming from acts such as [[French house]] duo [[Justice (band)|Justice]] and UK [[electronic rock]] group [[Does It Offend You, Yeah?]],<ref>{{cite web|last=Reid |first=Poppy |url=http://www.themusicnetwork.com/music-news/artists/2012/06/07/new-muse-album-set-for-september |title=New Muse album set for September – Artists |publisher=The Music Network |date= |accessdate=27 June 2012}}</ref> as well as the inclusion of brass players.

The name "The 2nd Law" references the [[second law of thermodynamics]],<ref name=rs1177>{{cite journal|last=Fricke|first=David|title=The Madness of Muse|journal=[[Rolling Stone]]|date=28 February 2013|issue=1177|pages=30–31|issn=0035-791X}}</ref> which is quoted in the track "Unsustainable" as follows:
<blockquote>All natural and technological processes proceed in such a way that the availability of the remaining energy decreases. In all energy exchanges, if no energy enters or leaves an isolated system, the entropy of that system increases. Energy continuously flows from being concentrated, to becoming dispersed, spread out, wasted, and useless. New energy cannot be created and high-grade energy is being destroyed. An economy based on endless growth is unsustainable.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.musewiki.org/The_2nd_Law_%28album%29#Name|title=The 2nd Law (album)|publisher=Muse Wiki|accessdate=1 October 2012}}</ref></blockquote>


==Writing and composition==
==Writing and composition==

Revision as of 07:43, 21 May 2013

This article is about the Muse album. For the rule of energy transfers upon which this album is based, see Second law of thermodynamics. For other theoretical laws, see Second law.

Untitled

The 2nd Law is the sixth studio album by English alternative rock band Muse, released throughout most of the world on 28 September 2012, and elsewhere on 2 October 2012.

Background and development

MuseCampbell]] who had worked with acts such as Radiohead, Paul McCartney, Evanescence, Avril Lavigne, Beck and Adele was helping the band compose the album.[1] In an interview in the April 2012 issue of NME, Bellamy said that the band were set to include elements of electronic music, with influences coming from acts such as French house duo [[Justice (baned system, the entropy of that system increases. Energy continuously flows from being concentrated, to becoming dispersed, spread out, wasted, and useless. New energy cannot be created and high-grade energy is being destroyed. An economy based on endless growth is unsustainable.[2]

Writing and composition

"Madness", according to NME, features influences which draw from Queen's "I Want to Break Free" and David Bowie's Scary Monsters and Super Creeps album.[3] Frontman Matt Bellamy has stated that dubstep producer Skrillex was an influence when writing one of the final two tracks on the album – "The 2nd Law: Unsustainable".[4] He also stated that the song "Follow Me" was written about his newborn son, Bingham Bellamy. "Panic Station" features musicians who performed on Stevie Wonder's "Superstition" and includes funk rock and Michael Jackson influences.[5] Bassist Chris Wolstenholme wrote two songs for the album about his battle with alcoholism – "Save Me" and "Liquid State" – and provided lead vocals on both tracks.[6] The electronic-tinged track "Follow Me" was produced by Nero.

The album marks the first time Muse have received a Parental Advisory label on an album with the inclusion of explicit lyrics in the song "Panic Station".[7]

Release and promotion

File:The 2nd Law deluxe.jpg
The muse.mu limited edition box set of The 2nd Law, including a CD, DVD, double vinyl, and 3 posters.

On 6 June 2012, Muse released a trailer for their next album, The 2nd Law, with a countdown on the band's website suggesting a 17 September release date.[8] The trailer, which included dubstep elements, was met with mixed reactions from fans.[9][10] On 9 August, Muse made the album track "The 2nd Law: Unsustainable" available to fans who pre-ordered the album from their online store, and then uploaded the video for the track onto their YouTube channel on 10 August.

Artwork

The album's cover art, taken from the Human Connectome Project, represents the map of the human brain's pathways, "tracking the circuits in our heads and how we process information with bright, neon colors."[11] The artwork was subsequently utilized by Muse in a social Connectome Project on 21 September 2012. As more fans joined the online project, the album art was built, representing the network of the neurons within the brain. As the album art branched and more fans joined the network, incremental segments of the album track "The 2nd Law: Isolated System" were released.[12][13]

Singles

"Survival" was released as the album's first single on 27 June 2012. Premiering on BBC Radio 1's Zane Lowe show, along with the song's counterpart intro, "Prelude",[14] the song served as the official song of the London 2012 Olympics Games.[15]

"Madness" was revealed as the second single by Muse in an interview with NME magazine.[16] Released on 20 August 2012, it was announced that the song "Madness" would make its world premiere on BBC Radio 1 at 19:30 BST, but the track was leaked online beforehand, due to an unintentional early release in South Korea.[17][18]

"Follow Me" was revealed as the third single when several promo CD's allegedly sent to radio stations appeared on eBay.[19] The official lyric video was released on Muse's YouTube channel on 1 November 2012.[20] the audio recording of the song follow me live at the O2 in London was released via a URL in the lyric video on youtube

"Supremacy" was announced as the fourth single by Muse on 16 January 2013 along with the release of a lyric video.[21] The official video was released on YouTube on 7 February 2013.[22]

The band conducted a competition to produce a music video for "Animals". The winning entry was released on 20 March 2013.[23]

"Panic Station" was released as a promotional single from The 2nd Law in the days leading up to its release on 24 September 2012. Its first airplay occurred on British alternative music station XFM. The band performed this track, as well as "Madness" on the 6 October 2012 episode of Saturday Night Live. Panic Station will be released as the fifth single on 3 June 2013,[24] accompanied by a music video shot during the Japanese dates of The 2nd Law Tour. The music video was released on 22 April 2013 at 10:00 a.m. PDT on the official YouTube channel,[25] and the lyric video was released on 9 May 2013 in two formats: an interactive version,[26] and a normal version released on the official YouTube channel.[27]

Tour

On 7 June 2012, Muse announced a European Arena tour; the first leg of The 2nd Law World Tour. The leg included dates in France, Italy, Ireland, Spain, Finland and the United Kingdom as well as other countries. They recently announced North American tour dates.[28]

Reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic70/100[29]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[30]
BBCpositive[31]
Digital Spy[32]
Drowned in Sound8/10[33]
Entertainment WeeklyC+[34]
The Guardian[35]
NME8/10[36]
The Observer[37]
Pitchfork Media5.5/10[38]
Rolling Stone[39]

Critical reception

The 2nd Law received favourable reviews from music critics. On Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 70 based on 28 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews."[29] The Guardian's Alexis Petridis rated the album four out of five stars, complimenting the band's ambition but finding fault with the album's bombastic tendencies which were also present on their previous albums, stating "no one goes to see a blockbuster for its profundity and deep characterisation. They go for the stunts and the special effects, both of which The 2nd Law delivers."[40] BBC music critic Ian Winwood also gave the album a positive review, highlighting "Supremacy", "Liquid State" and "The 2nd Law: Isolated System", saying that Muse "present themselves in any guise they please".[31] The Telegraph's Helen Brown rated the album four out of five stars, noting the album's eclectic influences and reserving praise for "Madness" in particular.[41] The Observer's reviewer also alluded to Muse's bombastic tendencies, saying "Bellamy is not blind to the contradictions of his band's attempts continually to ramp the ludicrousness up to 11; endless growth is, of course, unsustainable. But for now they remain pretty comfortable with the idea of obscene over-inflation. So should we."[37]

Allmusic rated the album three out of five stars, noting "their excursions into dubstep and dance music on tracks like "Madness" and "Follow Me" feel more like remixes than original songs. Songs like these definitely have the spine of Muse tracks, but the production that's built up around them feels almost alien."[30] Kyle Anderson of Entertainment Weekly gave the album a grade of C+, claiming that "the band goes overboard with Queen-isms" and expressing disappointment at the lack of electronic music elements compared to the band's expectations that the album would be a departure from previous releases.[34] The album was a nominee for Best Rock Album at the 55th Grammy Awards, which were held on 10 February 2013. The song "Madness" was also nominated for Best Rock Song.

The album was listed at #46 on Rolling Stone's list of the top 50 albums of 2012, saying "In an era of diminished expectations, Muse make stadium-crushing songs that mix the legacies of Queen, King Crimson, Led Zeppelin and Radiohead while making almost every other current band seem tiny."[42]

Commercial performance

The album sold around 475,000 copies worldwide on its release. It debuted at number 2 on the Billboard 200 with 101,000 copies sold in its first week, giving Muse the highest charting debut of their career in the US, although it sold fewer copies than the debut of their previous album The Resistance, which debuted at number three with 128,000 copies.[43] It also debuted at number 2 in Australia, Germany, Ireland, Korea and Spain. The album gave Muse their fourth number 1 debut in the UK, while also debuting at number 1 in 13 other countries. It has sold 255,000 copies in the UK in 2012.[44] The album sold 1,600,000 copies becoming the 21st best selling album of 2012 worldwide.

Track listing

All tracks are written by Matthew Bellamy, except "Save Me" and "Liquid State" by Chris Wolstenholme

No.TitleLength
1."Supremacy"4:55
2."Madness"4:39
3."Panic Station"3:03
4."Prelude"0:57
5."Survival"4:17
6."Follow Me"3:51
7."Animals"4:23
8."Explorers"5:48
9."Big Freeze"4:41
10."Save Me"5:09
11."Liquid State"3:03
12."The 2nd Law: Unsustainable"3:47
13."The 2nd Law: Isolated System"4:59
Total length:53:49
Deluxe edition
No.TitleLength
14."The Making of The 2nd Law" (video)32:25
15."Bonus Feature" (video)07:52

Personnel

Muse
Additional personnel

Charts and certifications

Year-end charts

Chart (2012) Peak
position
Australian Albums Chart [88] 73
Austrian Albums Chart [89] 38
Belgian Albums Chart (Flanders)[90] 14
Belgian Albums Chart (Wallonia)[90] 5
Danish Albums Chart 44
Dutch Albums Chart[91] 24
French Albums Chart[92] 8
Finnish Albums Chart[93] 25
Hungarian Albums Chart[94] 13
Italian Albums Chart[95] 20
Mexican Albums Chart[96] 71
Russian Albums Chart[97] 18
UK Albums Chart [98] 32
US Billboard 200 [99] 154
Swiss Albums Chart[100] 6

Release history

Country Date Format Label
Australia[101] 28 September 2012 Standard, deluxe, box set, 2 LP Warner Music
Austria[102]
Belgium[103]
Germany[104]
Finland[105]
Netherlands[106]
Switzerland[107]
Ireland[108]
United Kingdom[109] 1 October 2012 Helium 3
Italy[110] 2 October 2012 Warner Music
Canada[111] Standard, deluxe, 2 LP Warner Bros.
United States[112]
Sweden[113] 3 October 2012 Standard, deluxe, box set, 2 LP Warner Music
Japan[114] Standard, deluxe, box set

See also

References

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