Muse video clips are awesome. The band formed in 1994 and released their debut EP in 1998. Since then they have pushed boundaries as musicians and as artists, always playing a heavy role in the production of the videos that accompany the songs.

With a brand new album from Muse fast approaching, Simulation Theory out on November 9, we wanted to take a trip down memory lane, as we want to do from time to time here, to rediscover something that Muse are great at. Their music videos. Now, of course the videos would be nothing with the tunes themselves, but music videos is an area in which Muse put a great deal of effort into. A great video can absolutely lift a song to new heights. Suddenly, a song can make sense, and sometimes it’ll leave you a bit baffled, either way, they’re memorable, powerful, and cool. 

What makes Muse film clips so good? We dig in to find out. 

I was going to start right at the beginning, with "Uno" off their debut studio album, but the video for "Muscle Museum" is where it really begins as far as super interesting Muse film clips go.

Why is everyone crying? 

I like this clip from their debut album Showbiz for the song "Unintended" because it suits it down to the ground. The laid-back vibe of the song, mixed with the visuals of trippy bent out of shape people moving in slow motion just works. These guys actually think about what they can do to best represent the music, and it shows. 

Their 2001 hit, "Plug In Baby", probably one of their best known early songs, and definitely one that started getting them noticed the world over, delivers the goods in the film clip. What starts out as a seemingly run of the mill performance rock video complete with gorgeous women in the bath, evolves into much more ‘at one with the song’ clip.  

Another great clip from the Origin Of Symmetry album was "Bliss". Adorned with flame red hair, we see our fearless hero completely committing to the aura of the song by falling endlessly from a craft and into the vastness of space in which he dissolves. Seriously, who thinks of these clips? Creative geniuses, that's who! I think this was one of the first clips of theirs to not show the band performing together in some capacity. 

Jumping forward to 2003, from their Absolution album, the killer tune "Stockholm Syndrome". I like it because it’s a heavy rocking tune, and they do it so well, and the film clip could have been something equally as heavy, alas, they decided to go with thermal camera imaging for the whole performance. Maybe this appeals to me because I love the movie Predator and the use of it within, whatever the case, I can never turn away when this is on. 

Staying put on the Absolution album, "Time Is Running Out" is not only a huge tune, but the film clip seems to be a nod to Dr Strangelove, which can only be a good thing. Sure I don’t remember a lot of people in the Cold War Room clicking their pens with such synchronicity or dancing for that matter, but as far as suiting the song, they nail it. AGAIN!

In 2005, Muse gave us Black Holes and Revelations. I remember seeing the film clip to "Supermassive Black Hole" and thinking, 'OK, these boys have lost it, this is weird'. But the sound of the song, matched to the visuals, again, making this an absolute ripper. Sadly, when I went to YouTube to grab this clip for you, on the official Muse channel, it’s displayed at a piddly 144p. Why would they do that? As one person has commented, “720p, 480p, 360p, 240p, 144p, minecraft, a potato, this video.”

Why you do this to us Muse? Why? Luckily, we found a fan site with a HD version, it’s trippy and cool. 

I’ve left their best clip from their back catalog till last. Also from the Black Holes and Revelations album but the film clip to this coming a year after the album release, "Knights Of Cydonia" is an absolute belter. Tongue firmly in cheek, this spaghetti western themed clip has everything, including a unicorn! (oh and people throwing horse dung at a bad guy in stocks) They mix future with past, and that’s exactly what the song does, proving once again, the thought that goes into making a cool Muse clip.  

Now, I know there are a tonne of newer clips that fit the realm of ‘excellent video clips from Muse’, but I wanted to go way back and highlight but just a few. It's also worth diving into "Uprising", "Madness" and "Hysteria" - all can be found on the bands official YouTube channel, here. 

For those of you that are keen to see how they've stepped it up massively recently, using cutting edge tech, check out some new stuff below...

Simulation Theory is out on November 9 and available to pre-order here. 

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