| Studio Album by Muse | |
|---|---|
| Released | September 28, 2012 |
| Recorded | October 2011 — August 2012 |
| Studio | Various |
| Genre | Art rock • progressive rock |
| Length | 53:49 |
| Label | Warner Bros. Helium-3 |
| Producer | Muse • Nero |
The 2nd Law is the sixth studio album by English alternative rock band Muse. It was released on 1 October 2012 in the United Kingdom and elsewhere on 28 September, 2 October and 3 October under Warner Bros. Records and Helium-3. The title of the album refers to the second law of thermodynamics. The album was recorded in ten months at Capitol Studios and Eastwest Studios in Los Angeles, Shangri La Studios in Malibu, and AIR Studios in London. It was mainly self-produced by the band, with the exception of the song "Follow Me" which was co-produced by electronic music trio Nero.
Upon release, the album received generally favourable reviews from music
critics. It was a top ten-charting album in thirty-one countries and a number one album in thirteen countries. The album has been certified platinum by the BPI in England, the FIMI in Italy, the IFPI in Switzerland, and the MC in Canada. It has
also been certified triple-platinum by the SNEP in France. At the 55th Annual Grammy Awards, the album was nominated for Best Rock Album and the album's second track "Madness" was nominated for Best Rock Song. The album's third track "Panic Station" was also nominated for Best Rock Song at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards.
A total of five official singles have been released from the album. "Survival", released on 27 June as the first single, peaked at number 22 in the UK Singles Chart and was featured as the official song of the 2012 Summer Olympics. "Madness", released on 20 August, garnered the best commercial performance. The song peaked at number 25 in the UK Singles Chart and at number 45 in the Billboard Hot 100, making it the band's second-highest charting song in the Hot 100. The song has had significant chart performance in several other countries, as well. "Madness" was also notable for topping the Billboard Alternative Songs chart for a record nineteen weeks, beating out the previous record set by "The Pretender" by Foo Fighters. The song has been certified platinum in two countries as well as double-platinum by the RIAA in the US. "Follow Me", released on 7 December, failed to chart in the UK Singles Chart. "Supremacy", released on 20 February 2013, gained popularity due to a performance at the 2013 Brit Awards, causing the song to peak at number 58 on the UK Singles Chart. The final single, "Panic Station", released on 31 May, failed to chart in the UK, but it peaked at number two on the Billboard Alternative Songs chart.
The 2nd Law features styles of art rock and progressive rock. "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. 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". He also stated that the song "Follow Me" was written about his newborn son, Bingham Bellamy. The song was produced by electronic music trio Nero. "Panic Station", the third track, has been noted as a funk rock song. 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. 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". Bellamy revealed that during the recording of The 2nd Law he was reading the novel World War Z, which became a major influence on the album, especially the tracks "The 2nd Law: Isolated System" and "Survival." "The 2nd Law: Isolated System" was featured in the film adaptation of the novel.
"Survival"
"Madness"
"Follow Me"
"Supremacy"
"Panic Station"