[Mute Print]

47. Muse
Muse are an alternative rock band, formed in 1994, and hail from Devon, UK. The three members of Muse are; Matt Bellamy (vocals, guitar, piano), Chris Wolstenholme (bass) and Dom Howard (Drums / Percussion). The band were originally called the "Rocket Baby Dolls" and solely formed to enter a Battle Of The Bands competition, where they were the worst musicians there, but still won the competition, due to their stage presence (smashing all of the equipment the brought with them). After this gig, they changed the name of the band to Muse. In 1998, Muse recorded their first EP, Muse, this lead to them being signed by Madonna's record label, Maverick, and another EP to be released. Eventually, the group's first Full Length was released, entitled Showbiz. This album was heavily compared to the likes of Radiohead, and the album spawned singles such as Muscle Museum and Sunburn. Three years later, Muse were in the studio again, recording Origin Of Symmetry. This album is widely renowned as Muse's greatest album to date, and the band enjoyed heavy success from it. After numerous tours, and a live DVD/B-Sides compilation named Hullabaloo, the band recorded Absolution in 2004. This was the most commercially successful of their albums, and is the most recognizable one to the general listener. This album also came along with a worldwide tour, which notably included headlining the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury. Muse are also set for a new album this year with a May 3rd release date scheduled, although the album has no title yet, a number of tracks have already been recorded.
-Jamie

48. Foo Fighters
The best thing about Nirvana? Probably the Foo Fighters coming from them. While still drumming for Nirvana, creative force Dave Ghrol was writing and recording songs himself, more as a hobby than anything else. These would become the foundation of the Foo Fighters. After the death of Kurt Cobain and subsequent break up of Nirvana, Dave withdrew into his own little world, recording extensively to keep his mind from the loss of his band mate and friend. This led to the release of the first Foo Fighters album in demo form, with Ghrol recording all of the instruments himself. Dave decided to form a band, rather than leading a solo project, and so he met up with the Sunny Day Real Estate bass player Nate Mendel, and Drummer William Goldsmith. Dave was also joined by Ex-Germs and Nirvana guitarist Pat Smear. The band took their name from the World War II term for UFO's, and released their first self titled album in 1995. The album was a hit, and the fun pop-rock anthems and downtuned heavy rock songs made heavy radio play. It wasn’t until 1997 when the band recorded their follow up album The Colour and the Shape, with new ex-Alanis Morrisette Drummer Taylor Hawkins. Almost immediately after the release of The Colour and the Shape, Guitarist Pat Smear also left the band. Despite this, the albums single "Monkey Wrench" launched the band into massive mainstream success. They recruited guitarist Franz Stahl for the recording of 1999's There is Nothing Left to Lose. However, Stahl left shortly after the release of the album, and the band were once again forced to find another new guitarist. The final lineup was finally brought together when guitarist Chris Shiflett (formally of No Use For a Name) joined. The band recorded their most polished recorded to date, One by One in 2002, followed by the double album In Your Honour in 2005. In their time, the Foo Fighters emotional, sometimes melodic, sometimes heavy rock anthems have secured them a place as one of the most famous bands of all time.
-Oz

49. Coldplay
Coldplay is a post-Britpop/alternative rock band from London, United Kingdom known for their rock melodies and introspective lyrics. The band currently consists of: Chris Martin: lead vocals, piano/keyboard, guitar, Jon Buckland: guitar, harmonica, backing vocals, Guy Berryman: bass guitar, synthesizer, harmonica, backing vocals, and Will Champion: drums/percussion, piano, backing vocals. Coldplay's early material was reminiscent of artists such as Radiohead, Oasis, Jeff Buckley, Travis and Kate Bush. Martin has stated that he has been hugely influenced by U2. Other influences include Pink Floyd, The Beatles, a-ha, R.E.M, Echo and the Bunnymen, Bob Dylan, The Flaming Lips and, more recently, Johnny Cash. The members of the band met in the halls of residence at the University College London in September 1996. Martin and Buckland were the first members of the band, having met one another during freshers' week. They spent the rest of the year planning a band; at one point Martin had considered forming an *NSYNC inspired boy band called Pectoralz. Eventually, Berryman joined the ranks, without consideration of what musical direction the band was taking. On 8 January 1998, the band's line-up was complete when Champion joined the band to take up percussion duties. On May 18, 1998 the band released 500 copies of the EP Safety. Most of the discs were given to record companies and friends; only 50 copies remained for sale to the public. In December, Coldplay was signed by indie label Fierce Panda, after founder Simon Williams had attended the band's gig that evening. The result was the three track EP Brothers And Sisters which was quickly recorded over four days in February 1999. The disc was released in April, only 2,500 copies were pressed in a very limited release. Interest in the band was slowly growing across the UK, helped by regular airplay from BBC Radio 1 DJ Steve Lamacq and BMG Music Publishing, which had signed the band to a development deal. After completing their final examinations, Coldplay was signed to Parlophone for a five-album contract in the spring of 1999. After making their first appearance at Glastonbury, the band went into studio to record a third EP titled The Blue Room. The disc was released in October, and 5,000 copies were made available to the public. The recording sessions for The Blue Room were tumultuous. Martin kicked Champion out of the band but later pleaded with him to return and due to his guilt; Martin (a self-proclaimed non-drinker and non-smoker) went on a drinking binge. Eventually, the band worked out their differences and put in place a new set of rules to keep the group intact. Coldplay released their first full-length album, Parachutes, in July 2000, which debuted at #1 on the UK Albums Chart. With much anticipation, Coldplay released their second album, A Rush of Blood to the Head in August 2002. Coldplay's third album, X&Y, was released on 6 June 2005 in the UK, and was soon to become one of the best selling album for 2005 (with 8.4 million copies sold worldwide), along with Mariah Carey and 50 Cent.
-Matt

50. Death Cab For Cutie
Death Cab for Cutie is an American rock band formed in Bellingham, Washington in 1997. The band takes its name from a satirical song performed by the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band. Death Cab for Cutie began as a solo project of Ben Gibbard while he was the guitar player for the band Pinwheel. As Death Cab for Cutie, Gibbard released a cassette, titled You Can Play These Songs with Chords in 1997. The release was surprisingly successful, and Gibbard decided to expand the band into a complete project. After recruiting a few more band members, Something About Airplanes was released in 1998. The album got favorable reviews from the independent music scene, and in 2000, the follow-up was released: We Have the Facts and We're Voting Yes. Nathan Good, the drummer, left the band at some point during the recording of the album. His playing on "The Employment Pages" and "Company Calls Epilogue" were kept, but Gibbard played drums on all other songs. New drummer Michael Schorr would first appear on The Forbidden Love E.P., released in fall of 2000. In 2001, another LP was released, entitled The Photo Album. In 2003, there was another change of drummer, with Jason McGerr of Eureka Farm replacing Schorr. McGerr would play drums on the next release, Transatlanticism, which came out in October of 2003. In 2005 Death Cab for Cutie released their most recent album Plans.
-Matt