quote:

Originally posted by turbo:
Muse are a trio of unoriginal dunderheads who cover their lack of musicianship and songwriting talent with over-the-top production and neo-classical nonsense.
If I were in Radiohead, I'd feel insulted by the comparison.

Hmmm, even if you don't like "The" Muse, to say they are not good musicians is ignorant and just plain wrong. Matt Bellamy is clearly one of the most extravigantly gifted musicians in the world today. Not many people can play a guitar like that never mind the piano as well.

Radiohaed V Muse, however is clearly an unfair comparison. Firstly because Radiohead are possably the greatest band of the last 15 years and have written possably the finest album of all time so to compare any band to them is harsh. Secondly, although the first Muse album did sound a bit like Radiohead they have developed their own style now and do not sound like them.
I will, however, say that at this exact moment in time Muse are the better band and are certainly a more exciting live act.

Muse will far surpass Radiohead. Radiohead is an excellent band and Muse definitely was influenced by their awesome sound. Muse, however, recognized the major flaw of Radiohead; they don't rock. Simple as that. Even in some of their more "rockin'" songs, they don't have the power of Muse. Muse took over where Radiohead went wrong. They added Sabath like Riffs, use Classical Piano Compositions and never stop rocking. With only three members, Muse's live concerts just destroy the monstrosity that is Radiohead.

Matt Belamy's voice is more powerful than Yorke's. Matt Belamy is not to blame for having a high voice which sounds like Radionhead. A voice like either of them is not something you imitate. For the most part, you either can sing that high or you can't. They both simply have high voices.

Radiohead is excellent, but just because they were first doesn't mean they were the best. Listen to Knights of Cydonia.
(Obviously I recognize the bias and counterarguments. I welcome them.)

both r amazing bands with mindblowin albums.

i prefer radiohead (the bends & ok computer make the difference)

I just laughed when I read this thread title.

quote:

Originally posted by ArticNewt:
Radiohead is an excellent band and Muse definitely was influenced by their awesome sound. Muse, however, recognized the major flaw of Radiohead; they don't rock. Simple as that. Even in some of their more "rockin'" songs, they don't have the power of Muse. Muse took over where Radiohead went wrong. They added Sabath like Riffs, use Classical Piano Compositions and never stop rocking. With only three members, Muse's live concerts just destroy the monstrosity that is Radiohead.

This is by far the best summation of the difference between the two I have heard this entire thread. It's what I was looking for when I started it. Thank You. Someone gets it.

I wouldn't quite call Muse better than Radiohead just because they rock harder. Radiohead took a completely different direction with their music and it worked out very well, with a dive headfirst into electronica. I'm not saying that Kid A is the second coming of Christ (wouldn't that make it Kid B anyway?) but it's just as good in its own way as Knights of Cydonia is good at rocking.

I never knew this thread even existed until today. Someone really needs to let me know when Radiohead is mentioned so that I can offer my expertise analysis and wisdom.

Haha, anyways, I am an immense Radiohead fan. I have loved them for a long time. With that said, I really like Muse a lot. Their 2006 album is the number one album of the year for me, with a bullet. To say that Muse is a direct reproduction of Radiohead is a bit unreasonable. I do see parallels in the voices of the lead singers, but it never hurts to sound like Thom Yorke. As for the music, some of it is comparable but a lot of it isn't. I think that when a band like Radiohead hits a certain "classic" label as a band they will involuntarily be referenced when bands that haven't been around as long as them are mentioned. When Radiohead made The Bends and OK Computer everyone deemed them as the new U2, the new biggest band in the world. Many compared them to R.E.M.—mind you that Yorke never has a problem saying that they are largely influenced by R.E.M.

This could go on for days but my main opinion is that there are similarities but I really like both bands. Although I haven't listened to all of Muse's music, they are increasingly growing on me. As for Radiohead, well, I know almost every single sound they have ever recorded and/or made. I finally got to see them live this past summer in Berkeley and was one of the few people (along with my girlfriend) that was singing along to "Fake Plastic Trees" and "Black Star" (the only pre-OK Computer stuff they played) because everyone seems to like their newer stuff more. So as much I love Radiohead I can still give Muse their rightful due.

The idea the Muse rock more means they are better makes me laugh. I've seen Muse live twice, once when I was 16 and again when I was 21. At 21 I really wasn't as into the crazed moshing as much as when I was younger. I don't think just because a band 'rock' they're better, I mean when have Pink Floyd ever rocked? And they've made some of the greatest albums ever.

I think Radiohead are the better band because they aren't afraid to change. I'm amazed that they have such a large audience that follow them even though they've made albums that are so polar in their sounds. That's a great band. No matter what they try it turns out good, because they've got great songs as their basis.

quote:

Originally posted by Mick_DH:
I think Radiohead are the better band because they aren't afraid to change. I'm amazed that they have such a large audience that follow them even though they've made albums that are so polar in their sounds. That's a great band. No matter what they try it turns out good, because they've got great songs as their basis.

Great points. I agree with you about their fan base. Fans like me will literally and figuratively follow them through everything. And I agree with you that rocking harder = better band is quite frankly, laughable.

quote:

Originally posted by Mick_DH:
The idea the Muse rock more means they are better makes me laugh.

For all those clueless people out there, this thread is entitled Radiohead v Muse, not why Muse is better than Radiohead. The point that Muse rock more is not pointed out as the reason why they're better, only as a reason why they're different. The main objective is to compare and contrast the bands instead of just blindly sticking to one and dissing the other.
Opinion is a strong thing. Every person is allowed their own.

That told everyone.

This thread is largely pointless - it is possible to love both Oranges & Tangerines.

One of these is larger the other juicier. Some days you feel like a big old Orange and the next yhou might feel like a sweet juicy Tange.

They are similar, but different and both have aplace in the Music world.

Whats the next thread - I know lets compare Keane to Beyonce ?

quote:

Originally posted by Happytab:
This thread is largely pointless - it is possible to love both Oranges & Tangerines.

One of these is larger the other juicier. Some days you feel like a big old Orange and the next yhou might feel like a sweet juicy Tange.

How dare you call tangerines juicier! Everybody knows that a tangerine is just an orange wanna-be and that oranges are far superior! I'd take an orange over a tangerine any day.

Seriously, I read in a review for Black Holes and Revelations that Muse is the band that Radiohead would have become if Radiohead did not branch into electronica after the Bends. I think that comparisons between early Radiohead and early Muse are inevitable. But, both have developed in extremely different ways.

To go back to the orange/tangerine analysis Muse's sound has gotten bigger, and Radiohead's had gotten juicier. Either way, both are good.

quote:

Fakeplastic87
Slacker

Posted 02 September 2006 05:23 PM Hide Post
Alright heres the thing. a while ago there was this singer named jeff buckley who thom yorke (radioheads singer) and matt bellamy (muse) are both heavily influenced by vocally. so yeah shut up about matt copying thom cause yeah they both copied jeff buckley so shut up. second they are both very different sounding bands to the musically trained ear. its not that Radiohead is better than Muse or that Muse is better than Radiohead (there both two of my favorite bands... only second to Nirvana who are the best) but that there different you cant compare them because there not the same..

and besides there are very few good bands out there still making music anymore. savor the ones there are and dont argue whos better.. just enjoy the music.

i know i am late to this thread but these are two of my favorite bands. i couldn't agree more with this guy.

i think i once made the comparison after the first listen to muse but after that i could distinguish the sounds.

someone else said that muse just has a way to get to you unlike radiohead and i truley agree. i find myslef getting emotional more so on any muse cd that the radiohead releases.

if muse wanted to be like radiohead they'd add another member or two and have more synths. but they dont want to. they want to be themselves.

to me personally, i think they are doing a damn good job at the too.

one thing i forgot to add is that alot of people that arn't huge fans of muse don't know that they are a three peice set.

i remember the first time i found that out i didn't believe it.

haha.

quote:

Originally posted by thomyorkeisgod:
one thing i forgot to add is that alot of people that arn't huge fans of muse don't know that they are a three peice set.

i remember the first time i found that out i didn't believe it.

haha.

I didn't know that. How funny.

They're like Rush. They get so much sound out of a trio.

How bizarre - this thread is like those cult films where frankenstein takes on dracula and perhaps the wolfman as well - a little crowded and foolish but a lot of fun all the same.

I love both bands but for all the talk of vocals, rock, musicianship - this is seriously misguided. It's a question of MOOD/ATTITUDE. Both may be spaced out miserabilists (my ffffavorite) but if I want to pump/shake my fist at God or the clouds in general in a sort of sad/angry/amused hysteria - then it's Muse without question. If I want to plumb the depths of the sometimes oppressive/sometimes liberating mystery of things being beyond me - then it's Radiohead no question.

Extroverted/fighting mood - Muse, introverted/exploring mood - radiohead. They are two ends of a particular kind of artistic/emotional spectrum - not really a comparison issue at all.

I don't mean to close down discussion about the different qualities of these two great bands, just to express my frustration at a certain recurring deadend approach to these differences.

quote:

Originally posted by hudson:

Where are the metal and grunge riffs in Radiohead's music that are everywhere in Muse's music? Where's the heavy bass thumping in Radiohead that you hear with Muse? Where's the piano in Radiohead's music that often accompanies Matt Bellamy's vocals in Coldplay fashion?

Well said. Sorry, I havn't looked back throught this thread in a while(I started it 9months ago after all), but this is a great and valid point that I'm sure the Radiohead is god=Muse haters cannot possibly deny. Although Thom Yorke does use piano to great effect- pyramid song, sail to the moon- you'd be hard pushed to beat Matt Bellamy on the keys. Listen to Butterflies and Hurricanes and tell me you're not impressed by the bridge section.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MCSz1rWdOC0

This is from the live show in Dublin last November. I was there and it was incredible. Skip to the 3 minute mark or so if you just want to hear the piano solo.

quote:

Originally posted by TigerG:

Extroverted/fighting mood - Muse, introverted/exploring mood - radiohead. They are two ends of a particular kind of artistic/emotional spectrum - not really a comparison issue at all.

excellent point.

also, I'm surprised no one has mentioned this but the members of MUSE were all in their mid-teens when they formed the band only a year or two after Pablo Honey was released. Thom Yorke is 10 years older than Matthew Bellamy. It makes perfect sense that MUSE's first album, Showbiz, was not totally original. They were KIDS! Anyways, the maturation of the band that you can see from Showbiz to BHaR obviously coincides with the maturation of the members. With Thom Yorke reaching middle age and the members of MUSE not even in their 30s, we should be expecting a lot more from the latter than the former as the years progress.


by the way, I prefer MUSE. They not only rock harder, as has already been established, but I like their pretty and/or mellow songs better too. They're also better musicians.

Radiohead is the better band, if you ask me. They continue to put out challenging and interesting music while Muse seems to be sinking into a morass of wankdom.