# Radiohead or Muse? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 12, 2007, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radiohead-or-muse/391836 "2007-02-12T12:31:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Orville\_mogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/aeb1de/32.png) [@Orville\_mogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orville_mogul)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2007, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radiohead-or-muse/391836/1 "2007-02-12T12:31:30Z")
I think this is shaping up to be one of the great debates of our time. In the past it was Rebublican of Democrat, Coke or Pepsi, Pro Life or Pro Choice. But now it seems everyone I talk to who is into current rock music has a really strong opinion on whether Radiohead or Muse is the better band. Personally, although I can see some similarities (heavy guitars and melancholy vocals) I don’t thinks they are that close. So I don’t know why people often call Muse a Radiohead clone. I think both bands are among the best this decade has to offer, but both are clearly influenced (or even derivative) from earlier bands. Radiohead seems to be heavily Beatlesque, while Muse is strongly influenced by Queen (and on the latest album I hear references to Depeche Mode, Kinks, and Cure). Me, I prefer Muse because I like their epic pieces and dramatic mood changes. Basically I see them as a 2000’s progressive band. Radiohead is more of a modern-day classic rock group (with a few prog tendencies). And because I really love 70s prog (especially YES), I give the nod to Muse. Which do you prefer? (although I called this a great debate, I chose to post it to Cafe Society. Or course as a poll it could be IMHO too. Mod’s choice!) ---
**Author:** ![Monkey\_Chews](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/65b543/32.png) [@Monkey\_Chews](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monkey_Chews)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2007, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radiohead-or-muse/391836/2 "2007-02-12T12:54:03Z")
I love both bands, but I don’t see how this can even be a contest. It’s **Radiohead** , all the way. They are like unto gods! “The Bends”, “OK Computer” and “Kid A” are the stuff of legend, three near-perfect albums that are constantly winding up near the top of all sorts of “Best Albums” lists. Seems like asking “The Beatles or Oasis”. I’m a huge Oasis fan, and probably play their records more often, but there’s no way I’d ever rank them ahead of The Beatles. ---
**Author:** ![Scoundrel\_Swanswater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dfb087/32.png) [@Scoundrel\_Swanswater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scoundrel_Swanswater)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2007, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radiohead-or-muse/391836/3 "2007-02-12T13:37:25Z")
Definitely Radiohead. I think Muse is a bit repetitive, which you absolutely can’t say of Radiohead. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2007, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radiohead-or-muse/391836/4 "2007-02-12T14:00:11Z")
Matthew Bellamy’s vocal stylings are a [strikethru]direct rip-off[/strikethru] homage to Thom Yorke. Muse’s songs are less complex and layered. IMHO Radiohead is verging on genius, while Muse is a fairly talented indie band. ---
**Author:** ![Kid\_A\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Kid\_A\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kid_A_1)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2007, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radiohead-or-muse/391836/5 "2007-02-12T15:52:23Z")
No contest. Muse is cool and all but Radiohead is Radiohead. Absolution would be a top 100 album for me while The Bends, OK Computer and Kid A would all be top 10. Even Amnesiac and Hail to the Thief would be ranked ahead of it. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2007, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radiohead-or-muse/391836/6 "2007-02-12T18:15:33Z")
**Kid\_A** , I can’t put my finger on why, but I get the impression that there’s some prior interest in the subject you need to tell us about here. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2007, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radiohead-or-muse/391836/7 "2007-02-12T18:20:50Z")
By the way, **jjimm** , it’s {del} not {strikethru}. (With for {} of course.) And while I’m here, Radiohead, for the reasons already mentioned. ---
**Author:** ![Heckxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/f1d935/32.png) [@Heckxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heckxx)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2007, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radiohead-or-muse/391836/8 "2007-02-12T18:29:28Z")
I also say Radiohead. OK Computer alone is pretty much legendary. Muse has yet to strike a really big one in the states. Both are really great bands though. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2007, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radiohead-or-muse/391836/9 "2007-02-12T18:31:25Z")
Thanks, **Larry**. In the absence of the actual knowledge, I was aiming for an impression, but the real thing would have been better. ---
**Author:** ![Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2007, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radiohead-or-muse/391836/10 "2007-02-12T18:45:29Z")
As has already been mentioned, there is no real comparison to Radiohead. They’re a 4-dimensional rock band in a 3-dimensional world. While I like Muse, I agree that they’re not a Radiohead clone. The bands that I think are trying to be like Radiohead are Coldplay, Snow Patrol and Travis. They’re all good bands, but I’d call them Radiohead-lite. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2007, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radiohead-or-muse/391836/11 "2007-02-12T19:10:31Z")
[QUOTE=jjimm] Matthew Bellamy’s vocal stylings are a [strikethru]direct rip-off[/strikethru] homage to Thom Yorke. [/QUOTE] I’ll stay out of this because I don’t know Muse’s work, but as a big Radiohead fan I have to say Thom Yorke owes a debt to Jeff Buckley the same way. And now to go crawl back into a corner and wait for the next album. ---
**Author:** ![nashiitashii](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7c8e57/32.png) [@nashiitashii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nashiitashii)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2007, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radiohead-or-muse/391836/12 "2007-02-12T19:36:03Z")
I really liked Radiohead back before Amnesiac came out, and haven’t really warmed up to their newer stuff. OK Computer was good, but sometimes they go off into [del]weirdland[/del] experimental stuff that doesn’t appeal to me. So far, though, I haven’t heard a lot from Muse, other than that one song with the weirdo space cowboys thing going on in the music video and the “no one’s going to take me alive” chorus. It’s fun to rock out to, as I am a HUGE fan of Queen and things that successfully aspire to pay homage to Queen, but I don’t see a distinct connection between Muse and Radiohead. ---
**Author:** ![TLDRIDKJKLOLFTW](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/51bf81/32.png) [@TLDRIDKJKLOLFTW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TLDRIDKJKLOLFTW)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2007, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radiohead-or-muse/391836/13 "2007-02-12T19:49:59Z")
I dislike both bands, but even I have to acknowledge that Radiohead are head and shoulders above Muse, who have only ever been a completely contrived, intentional and cynical Radiohead imitation. Again, I’m not a Radiohead fan - probably because I’m a bit more discerning and have far broader listening habits than most music fans - but I do acknowledge that they’ve made a few great records and written a few _timeless_ songs. ---
**Author:** ![Dead\_Badger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/848f3c/32.png) [@Dead\_Badger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dead_Badger)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2007, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radiohead-or-muse/391836/14 "2007-02-12T20:08:40Z")
I can’t even begin to imagine how Muse can be put in the same metaphorical room as Radiohead. I mean, much as I appreciate subjectivity and everything, even Muse’s _videos_ are all functionally identical, as far as I can see. Quiet bit, quiet bit, SCREAMY BIT WITH CAMERA SHAKE, quiet bit, etc. Don’t get me wrong; they’re all right, as far as they go - well ahead of your Snow Patrols and suchlike - but it’s all far too much oriented around Bellamy’s-voice-as-novelty-item. Hell, one of the complaints frequently levelled at Radiohead (most often by people who wish they’d just keep releasing versions of The Bends) is that they increasingly and perversely eschew resorting to Thom Yorke’s voice as a focus. And maybe they do go too far in that direction, but I’d much rather a band err on the side of excessive experimentation than on the side of conservatism. > [@VCO3](#): > > Again, I’m not a Radiohead fan - probably because I’m a bit more discerning and have far broader listening habits than most music fans Dude. Just … dude. _Listen_ to yourself. ---
**Author:** ![Kid\_A\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Kid\_A\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kid_A_1)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2007, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radiohead-or-muse/391836/15 "2007-02-12T20:27:18Z")
[QUOTE=jjimm] **Kid\_A** , I can’t put my finger on why, but I get the impression that there’s some prior interest in the subject you need to tell us about here. 😉 [/QUOTE] There may be a slight bias in my words. Though I’m not going to divulge which way it leans. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Seven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Seven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seven)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2007, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radiohead-or-muse/391836/16 "2007-02-12T20:43:00Z")
[QUOTE=Heckxx] OK Computer alone is pretty much legendary. [/QUOTE] I have a copy of that album. I was not impressed. ---
**Author:** ![TLDRIDKJKLOLFTW](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/51bf81/32.png) [@TLDRIDKJKLOLFTW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TLDRIDKJKLOLFTW)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2007, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radiohead-or-muse/391836/17 "2007-02-12T20:49:01Z")
[QUOTE=Dead Badger] Dude. Just … dude. _Listen_ to yourself. [/QUOTE] I was just being silly. ---
**Author:** ![Orville\_mogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/aeb1de/32.png) [@Orville\_mogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orville_mogul)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2007, 11:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radiohead-or-muse/391836/18 "2007-02-15T11:44:10Z")
hmmm. I appear to be in a slight minority here… Well, depite the consensus, I **still** like Muse better than Radiohead. Radiohead’s compositional and lyrical skills are beyond question, but c’mon: City of Delusion, Butterflies and Hurricanes, Darkshine! When has Radiohead ever produced anything like those? That said, I only have two of Radiohead’s albums (OK Comp and their greatest hits), so maybe I need to do a bit more studying… ---
**Author:** ![Kid\_A\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Kid\_A\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kid_A_1)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2007, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radiohead-or-muse/391836/19 "2007-02-15T16:05:44Z")
[QUOTE=Endemic] That said, I only have two of Radiohead’s albums (OK Comp and their greatest hits), so maybe I need to do a bit more studying… [/QUOTE] Uh…Radiohead has a greatest hits? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2007, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radiohead-or-muse/391836/20 "2007-02-15T18:59:12Z")
[QUOTE=Kid\_A] Uh…Radiohead has a greatest hits? 😕 [/QUOTE] I’m sure somebody has put one out. There are more Radiohead tribute albums out there than actual Radiohead albums. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radiohead-or-muse/391836.md?page=2)