Loading

  • 21 Aug, 2019

  • By, Wikipedia

The 2nd Law
The 2nd Law is the sixth studio album by English rock band Muse, first released on 28 September 2012 through Warner Bros. Records and the band's own Helium-3 imprint. Recording of the album took place in studios between London and Los Angeles County, beginning in October 2011 and ending in August 2012. The 2nd Law was Muse's second album to be solely self-produced, following The Resistance (2009), and features a plethora of additional musicians that performed brass, strings, and choir vocals.

The 2nd Law is a concept album about a deteriorating planet that its inhabitants can no longer live on. Major lyrical themes of the album include societal collapse, totalitarianism, and the second law of thermodynamics, which the album's title references. Musically, the band chose to experiment significantly and create a sound that was distinct from their previous records. The album's sound incorporates art rock, progressive rock, and electronic music with Muse's traditional alternative rock style. Acts such as Queen, David Bowie, and Skrillex also served as key influences on the album. The album's cover art features a map of the human brain's pathways, which was taken from the Human Connectome Project.

The singles "Survival", "Madness", "Follow Me", "Supremacy", and "Panic Station" were released in promotion. "Survival" had been chosen as the official song for the 2012 Summer Olympics, "Madness" became an international hit, most notably topping the Billboard Alternative Songs chart for a record-breaking 19 weeks, and "Supremacy" was performed live to begin the 2013 Brit Awards. The track The 2nd Law: Isolated System was included in the 2013 movie World War Z. The 2nd Law received positive reviews from critics and performed well commercially; it was a top ten-charting album in 31 countries and a number one album in 13 countries. For its sales figures, it was certified platinum in four countries, including the United Kingdom, and triple-platinum in France. At the 55th Annual Grammy Awards, the album was nominated for Best Rock Album and "Madness" was nominated for Best Rock Song. "Panic Station" was later nominated for Best Rock Song at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards the following year. As of 2018, The 2nd Law has sold over 2.3 million copies worldwide.

Background and recording

The 2nd Law was primarily recorded at AIR Studios in London, England and EastWest Studios in Los Angeles, California, with additional recording taking place at Shangri La Studios in Malibu, California and Capitol Studios in Hollywood. In an interview with Billboard on 18 October 2011, the band's manager Anthony Addis revealed that Muse had begun recording their sixth album in London and that he expected it to be released by October 2012. Muse bassist Chris Wolstenholme had stated in an interview with BBC Radio 1 that they had aimed to begin recording The 2nd Law in either September or October 2011. During the recording of the album, band frontman Matt Bellamy jokingly described the album as a "Christian gangsta rap jazz odyssey, with some ambient rebellious dubstep and face-melting metal flamenco cowboy psychedelia" on his Twitter account.

In an interview with Kerrang! on 14 December 2011, Wolstenholme stated that the next Muse album would be "something radically different" from their prior releases. He also said that it felt as if the band were "drawing a line under a certain period" of their career with their sixth album. In another interview Chris mentioned that the band had experimented with music and sounds in particular. It was revealed via Muse's publicist Tom Kirk on his Twitter account that composer David Campbell was helping the band compose the album. In an interview in the April 2012 issue of NME, Bellamy said that the band were set to include elements of electronic music, with influences coming from acts such as French house duo Justice and UK dance-punk group Does It Offend You, Yeah?.

Composition

"The 2nd Law: Unsustainable" (2012)
A 22-second sample from "The 2nd Law: Unsustainable" by Muse. The song was influenced by dubstep producer Skrillex.
Problems playing this file? See media help.

The 2nd Law has been described by The Arts Desk as a concept album with main themes of "chaos, control, societal collapse and totalitarianism". The iTunes review of the album similarly described it as a concept album telling the story of "a resource-strapped planet that can no longer support its inhabitants". The music of The 2nd Law has been described as art rock, alternative rock, progressive rock, and electronic music. The album's first track, "Supremacy", has been compared to James Bond theme songs. "Madness", according to NME, features influences which draw from Queen's "I Want to Break Free" and David Bowie's Scary Monsters album. Instead of using a bass guitar for the song, Wolstenholme opted to use a Misa Kitara, a digital MIDI controller, to create the song's main bass riff. "Panic Station", the third track, has been noted as a funk rock song and features collaborations from people who had worked on Stevie Wonder's "Superstition". It also includes explicit lyrics, making The 2nd Law Muse's first album to feature the Parental Advisory label.

Bellamy 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. 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, thus marking the first time Wolstenholme sang lead vocals on a Muse song. 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.

Packaging

Album cover for the vinyl release of The 2nd Law, featuring similar Human Connectome Project imagery to the album's digital and compact disc releases.

The name "The 2nd Law" references the second law of thermodynamics, which is quoted in the track "Unsustainable" as follows:

All natural and technological processes proceed in such a way that the availability of the remaining energy decreases. In all energy exchanges, if no energy enters or leaves an isolated system, the entropy of that system increases. Energy continuously flows from being concentrated, to becoming dispersed, spread out, wasted, and useless. New energy cannot be created and high-grade energy are being destroyed. An economy based on endless growth is unsustainable.

The album's cover art, taken from the Human Connectome Project, represents the map of the human brain's pathways, "tracking the circuits in our heads and how we process information with bright, neon colors." The artwork was subsequently used by Muse in a social Connectome Project on 21 September 2012. As more fans joined the online project, the album art was built, representing the network of the neurons within the brain. As the album art branched and more fans joined the network, incremental segments of the album track "The 2nd Law: Isolated System" were released.

The album was released as a digital download, CD, CD+DVD (with The Making of The 2nd Law and bonus feature), and vinyl. A deluxe edition box set of The 2nd Law included a CD, DVD, double vinyl and three posters.

Promotion

On 6 June 2012, Muse released a trailer for The 2nd Law with a countdown on the band's website suggesting a 17 September release date. The trailer, which included dubstep elements, was met with mixed reactions from fans. "Survival" was released as the album's first single on 27 June 2012 and premiered on BBC Radio 1's Zane Lowe show, along with the song's counterpart intro, "Prelude". The song served as the official song of the London 2012 Olympic Games and peaked at number 22 on the UK Singles Chart.

It was revealed by the band in an interview with NME magazine that "Madness" would be released as the second single. Released on 20 August, it was announced that the song would make its world premiere on BBC Radio 1 at 19:30 BST, but the track was leaked online beforehand, due to an unintentional early release in South Korea. The official music video for the song was uploaded on 5 September to the band's YouTube channel. The song had significant chart performance by peaking in the top 40 in several countries. It has peaked at number 25 in the UK, as well as number 45 in the Billboard Hot 100, making "Madness" the band's second-highest-charting song in the US, behind "Uprising". The song was also notable for topping the Billboard Alternative Songs chart for a cumulative amount of nineteen weeks, making it the longest-running number-one song on the chart. The previous record was eighteen weeks, held by the Foo Fighters with their song "The Pretender". The song has been certified platinum by the FIMI in Italy and the MC in Canada. The song has also been certified double-platinum by the RIAA in the US for 2,000,000 copies of the song sold.

"Follow Me" was revealed as the third single when several promo CD's allegedly sent to radio stations appeared on eBay. The official lyric video was released on 1 November and the official music video was released on 11 December, both on the band's official YouTube channel. The song failed to chart in the UK, but it ended up charting in Belgium, France, Italy, and Japan. "Supremacy" was released as the fourth single from the album on 25 February 2013. The song gained popularity when it was performed at the beginning of the 2013 Brit Awards. Due to this performance, the song charted and peaked at number 58 on the UK singles chart. The band conducted a competition to produce a music video for "Animals". The winning video was created by Inês Freitas and Miguel Mendes (Oneness Team) from Portugal. The winning entry was released on 20 March 2013. "Panic Station" was released as the fifth single on 31 May 2013, accompanied by a music video shot during the Japanese dates of The 2nd Law Tour. The music video was released on 22 April 2013 at 10:00 AM PDT on the official Muse YouTube channel. An interactive lyric video for the song was released, as well. The band had previously performed this track, as well as "Madness", on the 6 October 2012 episode of Saturday Night Live. The song failed to chart in the UK, but it peaked at number two on the Billboard Alternative Songs chart. Furthermore, "Big Freeze" was released in April 2013, but only for French radios and without a commercial release.

Tour

Muse performing in Melbourne in December 2013 during the 2nd Law World Tour

On 7 June 2012, Muse announced a European Arena tour; the first leg of the 2nd Law World Tour. The leg included dates in France, Italy, Ireland, Spain, Finland and the United Kingdom as well as other countries. They had also added North American dates to the tour.

Furthermore, the tour has an official live release on CD/DVD/Blu-ray: Live at Rome Olympic Stadium, which was filmed on 6 July 2013 at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, in front of a crowd of 60,963 people. A show in Tokyo described by drummer Dom as 'the funniest ever' was also filmed. However, a release date for this recording has yet to be confirmed, with only one song from the concert being released as a Muse website members 'Christmas present.' At the conclusion of 2013, the tour was placed on Pollstar's annual "Year End Top 20 Worldwide Tours", and appeared 13th worldwide, earning over $103 million with 79 shows in 2013.

Reception

Critical

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?6.4/10
Metacritic70/100
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic
The A.V. ClubC−
The Daily Telegraph
Entertainment WeeklyC+
The Guardian
Los Angeles Times
NME8/10
Pitchfork5.5/10
Rolling Stone
Spin4/10

The 2nd Law received generally positive reviews upon release. On Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 70 based on 30 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews". BBC music critic Ian Winwood also gave the album a positive review, highlighting "Supremacy", "Liquid State" and "The 2nd Law: Isolated System", saying that Muse "present themselves in any guise they please". The Telegraph's Helen Brown rated the album four out of five stars, noting the album's eclectic influences and reserving praise for "Madness" in particular. The Observer's Kitty Empire also alluded to Muse's bombastic tendencies, saying "Bellamy is not blind to the contradictions of his band's attempts continually to ramp the ludicrousness up to 11; endless growth is, of course, unsustainable. But for now they remain pretty comfortable with the idea of obscene over-inflation. So should we."

AllMusic rated the album three out of five stars, noting "their excursions into dubstep and dance music on tracks like "Madness" and "Follow Me" feel more like remixes than original songs. Songs like these definitely have the spine of Muse tracks, but the production that's built up around them feels almost alien." Kyle Anderson of Entertainment Weekly gave the album a grade of C+, claiming that "the band goes overboard with Queen-isms" and expressing disappointment at the lack of electronic music elements compared to the band's expectations that the album would be a departure from previous releases. The Guardian's Alexis Petridis rated the album four out of five stars, complimenting the band's ambition but finding fault with the album's bombastic tendencies which were also present on their previous albums, stating "no one goes to see a blockbuster for its profundity and deep characterisation. They go for the stunts and the special effects, both of which The 2nd Law delivers."

Accolades

The album was a nominee for Best Rock Album at the 2013 Grammy Awards. The song "Madness" was also nominated for Best Rock Song. The album listed at number 46 on Rolling Stone's list of the top 50 albums of 2012, saying "In an era of diminished expectations, Muse make stadium-crushing songs that mix the legacies of Queen, King Crimson, Led Zeppelin and Radiohead while making almost every other current band seem tiny."

Commercial

The 2nd Law had a very positive commercial performance, selling around 475,000 copies worldwide on its release. It debuted at number 2 on the Billboard 200 with 102,000 copies sold in its first week, giving Muse the highest charting debut of their career in the US, although it sold fewer copies than the debut of their previous album The Resistance, which debuted at number three with 128,000 copies. It has sold 485,000 copies in the US as of May 2015. It also debuted at number 2 in Australia, Germany, Ireland, Korea and Spain. The album gave Muse their fourth number 1 debut in the UK with first week sales of 108,536 copies, while also debuting at number 1 in 13 other countries. It has sold 255,000 copies in the UK in 2012 alone.

Track listing

All tracks are written by Matt Bellamy, except "Save Me" and "Liquid State" written by Chris Wolstenholme.

The 2nd Law – Standard edition
No.TitleLength
1."Supremacy"4:55
2."Madness"4:39
3."Panic Station"3:03
4."Prelude"0:57
5."Survival"4:17
6."Follow Me"3:51
7."Animals"4:23
8."Explorers"5:48
9."Big Freeze"4:41
10."Save Me"5:09
11."Liquid State"3:03
12."The 2nd Law: Unsustainable"3:47
13."The 2nd Law: Isolated System"4:59
Total length:53:49
The 2nd Law – Deluxe edition (DVD)
No.TitleLength
1."The Making of The 2nd Law"32:27
2."Bonus Feature"7:52
Total length:40:19

Personnel

Personnel adapted from album liner notes.

Charts

Certifications

Certifications for The 2nd Law
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Belgium (BEA) Gold 15,000
Canada (Music Canada) Platinum 80,000
Denmark (IFPI Danmark) Gold 10,000
Finland (Musiikkituottajat) Gold 16,427
France (SNEP) 3× Platinum 300,000
Germany (BVMI) Gold 100,000
Ireland (IRMA) Gold 7,500
Italy (FIMI) 2× Platinum 100,000
Mexico (AMPROFON) Gold 30,000
Netherlands (NVPI) Gold 25,000
New Zealand (RMNZ) Gold 7,500
Poland (ZPAV) Gold 10,000
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland) Platinum 30,000
United Kingdom (BPI) Platinum 300,000
United States (RIAA) Gold 500,000
Summaries
Europe (IFPI) Platinum 1,000,000
Worldwide (2012) — 1,600,000

Sales figures based on certification alone.
Shipments figures based on certification alone.
Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Release history and formats for The 2nd Law
Country Date Format Label
Australia 28 September 2012 Standard, deluxe, box set, 2 LP Warner Bros., Helium-3
Austria
Belgium
Finland
Germany
Ireland
Netherlands
Switzerland
Poland 1 October 2012 Standard, deluxe, 2 LP
United Kingdom Standard, deluxe, box set, 2 LP
Italy 2 October 2012
Canada Standard, deluxe, 2 LP
United States
Japan 3 October 2012 Standard, deluxe, box set
Sweden Standard, deluxe, box set, 2 LP

Notes and references

Notes

  1. ^ Additional recording at Shangri-La in Malibu, California, and Capitol in Los Angeles.

References

  1. ^ The 2nd Law (album liner notes). Warner Bros. Records / Helium-3. 2012.
  2. ^ Smirke, Richard (17 October 2011). "Exclusive: Muse Manager Anthony Addis Talks New Album, Touring and the Challenges of Conquering America". Billboard. Archived from the original on 24 June 2012. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  3. ^ Gregory, Jason (10 August 2011). "Muse To Begin Recording New Album in September". Gigwise. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  4. ^ Petridis, Alexis (27 September 2012). "Muse: The 2nd Law – review". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  5. ^ Perry, Kevin EG (6 June 2012). "Muse's 'The 2nd Law' Trailer Decoded". NME. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  6. ^ Wilkins, Henry (14 December 2011). "Muse: 'It feels like it's time to do something radically different on our next album'". NME. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  7. ^ "We spent a lot of time experimenting with a lot of things, with the music and sounds in particular, and I think that's why this album has this kind of freshness to it".
  8. ^ ""Matt discusses his score with David Campbell." // Photo by nowherethomas". 2012. Retrieved 9 July 2015 – via Instagram. nowherethomas's account.
  9. ^ Reid, Poppy (7 June 2012). "New Muse album set for September". The Music Network. Archived from the original on 19 July 2012. Retrieved 9 July 2015 – via Internet Archive.
  10. ^ Swickey, Zachary (25 July 2012). "Muse Reveals Skrillex As Major Influence on New Album 'The 2nd Law'". MTV. Archived from the original on 10 October 2012. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  11. ^ Muggs, Joe (29 September 2012). "CD: Muse - The 2nd Law". The Arts Desk. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
  12. ^ "The 2nd Law by Muse". Apple Music. 2012. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
  13. ^ Farrar, Justin F (11 December 2014). "Muse, 'The 2nd Law' (Warner Bros.)". Spin. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  14. ^ Fynes, Conor (9 October 2012). "Muse - The 2nd Law". Prog Sphere. Archived from the original on 26 September 2019. Retrieved 12 June 2019.
  15. ^ Dolan, Jon (2 October 2012). "The 2nd Law". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  16. ^ Docherty, Dylan (19 October 2012). "Muse: The 2nd Law". Monmouth College Courier. Archived from the original on 8 December 2015. Retrieved 14 October 2015.
  17. ^ ""Supremacy" leaked from upcoming album". 24 September 2012. Retrieved 22 January 2013.
  18. ^ "The 2nd Law – Album Summary – News – Muselive". Muselive.com. 25 July 2015. Archived from the original on 29 June 2015. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  19. ^ Muse (28 September 2012). The Making of The 2nd Law (Documentary). Helium-3.
  20. ^ Young, Alex (7 October 2012). "Video: Muse on Saturday Night Live". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  21. ^ Sutherland, Mark (1 October 2012). "Muse Fill London Show With Songs From 'The 2nd Law'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  22. ^ Sperounes, Sandra (1 October 2012). "Album review: Muse, The 2nd Law". Edmonton Journal. Postmedia Network. Archived from the original on 12 September 2015. Retrieved 8 November 2015.
  23. ^ "Muse's Chris Wolstenholme on alcohol battle: 'I had to stop or die'". NME. 26 July 2012. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  24. ^ "Matt Bellamy from Muse talks about World War Z at premiere". YouTube. 2 June 2013. Archived from the original on 14 November 2021. Retrieved 9 June 2015.
  25. ^ "Brad Pitt Bigs-Up Muse's Work on 'World War Z' Soundtrack". Billboard. 4 June 2013. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  26. ^ Fricke, David (28 February 2013). "The Madness of Muse". Rolling Stone. No. 1177. pp. 30–31. ISSN 0035-791X.
  27. ^ "Muse – The 2nd Law: Unsustainable Lyrics". MetroLyrics. Archived from the original on 2 April 2019. Retrieved 26 December 2015.
  28. ^ "Muse Map out the Brain on 'The 2nd Law' Album Art". Rolling Stone. 30 July 2012. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  29. ^ "Muse Launch Social Connectome | Altsounds.com News". Hangout.altsounds.com. 21 September 2012. Archived from the original on 23 September 2012. Retrieved 2 October 2012.
  30. ^ "The 2nd Law Deluxe CD + DVD". muse.mu. 2012. Archived from the original on 10 July 2015. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  31. ^ "The 2nd Law Box Set". muse.mu. 2012. Archived from the original on 10 July 2015. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  32. ^ Aghababyan, Gayane (6 June 2012). "Muse publish trailer for their new album". Rekwired. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  33. ^ Wilkins, Henry (6 June 2012). "Fans react to Muse's brostep-tinged trailer for new album 'The 2nd Law'". NME. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  34. ^ Montgomery, James (6 June 2012). "Muse Move Toward Dubstep in Apocalyptic The 2nd Law Trailer". MTV. Archived from the original on 29 June 2012. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  35. ^ Aghababyan, Gayane (27 June 2012). "New Muse song Survival is the main Olympics song, to premiere today". Rekwired. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  36. ^ "Muse unveil official Olympic song". BBC. 28 June 2012. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  37. ^ "Muse – full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  38. ^ "NME Magazine Interview, July 2012". NME. July 2012. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  39. ^ "Madness Monday – Update: Leaked". Muselive.com. 20 August 2012. Archived from the original on 24 December 2013. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  40. ^ "1st Single Announced // New Album Release Date". muse.mu. 6 August 2012. Archived from the original on 7 August 2012. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  41. ^ "Muse – Madness". YouTube. 5 September 2012. Archived from the original on 14 November 2021. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  42. ^ "Muse Hot 100 Chart history". Billboard. Retrieved 15 September 2022.
  43. ^ Trust, Gary (11 February 2013). "Muse's 'Madness' Rewrites Record For Longest-Reigning Alternative Songs No. 1". Billboard. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  44. ^ "Italian single certifications – Muse" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 9 July 2015. Select "Tutti gli anni" in the "Anno" drop-down menu. Type "Muse" in the "Filtra" field. Select "Singoli" under "Sezione".
  45. ^ "Canadian certifications – Muse". Music Canada. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  46. ^ "American certifications – Muse". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  47. ^ "Next Muse Single Confirmed as Follow Me". Muselive.com. 30 October 2012. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  48. ^ "Muse – Follow Me (Lyric Video)". YouTube. November 2012. Archived from the original on 14 November 2021. Retrieved 9 November 2012.
  49. ^ "Muse – Follow Me". YouTube. 11 December 2012. Archived from the original on 14 November 2021. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  50. ^ "ultratop.be – Muse – Follow Me". Ultratop. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  51. ^ "ultratop.be – Muse – Follow Me". Ultratop. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  52. ^ "lescharts.com – Muse – Follow Me". Les classement single. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  53. ^ "FIMI – Classifiche – Top Digital – Classifica settimanale WK 6 del 2013". Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  54. ^ "Muse – Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  55. ^ "Muse – 'Supremacy' video". NME. 6 February 2013. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  56. ^ "Muse 'Supremacy' : BRITs 2013 : OFFICIAL HD". YouTube (video available in Great Britain only). 21 February 2015. Archived from the original on 24 February 2013. Retrieved 7 December 2015.
  57. ^ Hogan, Marc (21 March 2013). "Muse's Crowd-Sourced 'Animals' Video Occupies Greed-Ensnarled Dystopia". Spin. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  58. ^ Lowe, Zane (17 April 2013). "Hottest Record – Muse – Panic Station (Madeon Remix)". BBC. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  59. ^ "Muse – Panic Station (Official Video)". YouTube. 22 April 2013. Archived from the original on 14 November 2021. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  60. ^ Lanxon, Nate (9 May 2013). "Muse's interactive Panic Station video exclusively premieres on Wired.co.uk". Wired. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  61. ^ "Muse – Alternative Songs Chart history". Billboard. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  62. ^ "Muse choisit 'Big Freeze', son nouveau single français" (in French). Yahoo!. 10 April 2013. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  63. ^ "UK & European Tour Announced". Muse. 7 June 2012. Retrieved 7 June 2012.
  64. ^ "2013 YearEnd: Top 20 Worldwide Tours" (PDF). Pollstar's. 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 1 January 2014.
  65. ^ "The 2nd Law by Muse reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved 31 December 2019.
  66. ^ "Reviews for The 2nd Law by Muse". Metacritic. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  67. ^ Heaney, Gregory. "The 2nd Law – Muse". AllMusic. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  68. ^ Mapes, Jillian (9 October 2012). "Muse: The 2nd Law". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  69. ^ Brown, Helen (28 September 2012). "Muse, The 2nd Law, CD review". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  70. ^ Anderson, Kyle (1 October 2012). "The 2nd Law". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  71. ^ Wood, Mikael (1 October 2012). "Review: Muse's 'The 2nd Law'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  72. ^ Martin, Dan (28 September 2012). "NME Reviews – Muse – 'The 2nd Law'". NME. Archived from the original on 9 May 2013. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  73. ^ Cohen, Ian (2 October 2012). "Muse: The 2nd Law". Pitchfork. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  74. ^ Farrar, Justin F. (11 December 2012). "Muse, 'The 2nd Law' (Warner Bros.)". Spin. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  75. ^ Winwood, Ian (28 September 2012). "Review of Muse – The 2nd Law". BBC. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  76. ^ Empire, Kitty (29 September 2012). "Muse: The 2nd Law – review". The Observer. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  77. ^ Nessif, Bruna (5 December 2012). "55th Annual Grammy Awards: Complete List of Nominees". E!. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  78. ^ "Muse, 'The 2nd Law' – 50 Best Albums of 2012". Rolling Stone. 5 December 2012. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  79. ^ Caulfield, Keith (23 September 2009). "Jay-Z Still Reigns on Billboard 200, Muse And Kid Cudi Bow High". Billboard. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  80. ^ "Upcoming Releases". Hits Daily Double. Archived from the original on 15 May 2015.
  81. ^ "End of Year Album Chart Top 100 – 2012". Official Charts. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  82. ^ "Australiancharts.com – Muse – The 2nd Law". Hung Medien. Retrieved 21 October 2017.
  83. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Muse – The 2nd Law" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 21 October 2017.
  84. ^ "Ultratop.be – Muse – The 2nd Law" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 21 October 2017.
  85. ^ "Ultratop.be – Muse – The 2nd Law" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 21 October 2017.
  86. ^ "Muse Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 21 October 2017.
  87. ^ "Top Kombiniranih – Tjedan 41, 2012" (in Croatian). Hrvatska Diskografska Udruga. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  88. ^ "ČNS IFPI (Select "Albums – Top 100" then "2012 40")". Ifpicr.cz. Archived from the original on 18 December 2008. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  89. ^ "Danishcharts.dk – Muse – The 2nd Law". Hung Medien. Retrieved 21 October 2017.
  90. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Muse – The 2nd Law" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 21 October 2017.
  91. ^ "Muse: The 2nd Law" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 21 October 2017.
  92. ^ "Lescharts.com – Muse – The 2nd Law". Hung Medien. Retrieved 21 October 2017.
  93. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Muse – The 2nd Law" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 21 October 2017.
  94. ^ "Album Top 40 slágerlista – 2012. 41. hét" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved 9 Jul 2015.
  95. ^ "GFK Chart-Track Albums: Week 40, 2012". Chart-Track. IRMA. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  96. ^ "Italiancharts.com – Muse – The 2nd Law". Hung Medien. Retrieved 21 October 2017.
  97. ^ "Weekly Ranking CD album of 07 October 2012 to 01 October 2012" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  98. ^ "Charts.nz – Muse – The 2nd Law". Hung Medien. Retrieved 21 October 2017.
  99. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Muse – The 2nd Law". Hung Medien. Retrieved 21 October 2017.
  100. ^ "Oficjalna lista sprzedaży :: OLiS - Official Retail Sales Chart". OLiS. Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 21 October 2017.
  101. ^ "Portuguesecharts.com – Muse – The 2nd Law". Hung Medien. Retrieved 21 October 2017.
  102. ^ "Lenta.ru: Культура: Триумф нестыдной попсы" (in Russian). Lenta.ru. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  103. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 21 October 2017.
  104. ^ "Slo Top 30: Med peterico Motörhead in Muse" (in Slovenian). Radiotelevizija Slovenija. 12 October 2012. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  105. ^ "South Korea Circle Album Chart". On the page, select "2012.30.09-2012.10.06" to obtain the corresponding chart. Circle Chart Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  106. ^ "Spanishcharts.com – Muse – The 2nd Law". Hung Medien. Retrieved 21 October 2017.
  107. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Muse – The 2nd Law". Hung Medien. Retrieved 21 October 2017.
  108. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Muse – The 2nd Law". Hung Medien. Retrieved 21 October 2017.
  109. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 7 June 2017.
  110. ^ "Official Rock & Metal Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 16 November 2017.
  111. ^ "Muse Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 7 June 2017.
  112. ^ "Muse Chart History (Digital Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 7 June 2017.
  113. ^ "Muse Chart History (Top Alternative Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 7 June 2017.
  114. ^ "Muse Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 7 June 2017.
  115. ^ "CAPIF" (in Spanish). Argentine Chamber of Phonograms and Videograms Producers. Archived from the original on 6 August 2013. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  116. ^ "ARIA Top 100 Albums 2012". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  117. ^ "Jahreshitparade Alben 2012" (in German). austriancharts.at. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  118. ^ "Jaaroverzichten 2012" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  119. ^ "Rapports Annuels 2012" (in French). Ultratop. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  120. ^ "Album Top-100 – År 2012". Hitlisten.NU (in Danish). Archived from the original on 14 September 2013. Retrieved 28 September 2021.
  121. ^ "Jaaroverzichten – Album 2012" (in Dutch). dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  122. ^ The first list is the list of best-selling domestic albums of 2012 in Finland and the second is that of the best-selling foreign albums:
  123. ^ "Top de l'année Top Albums 2012" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  124. ^ "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts – 2012" (in German). Offizielle Deutsche Charts. Retrieved 14 December 2023.
  125. ^ "Összesített album- és válogatáslemez-lista – eladási darabszám alapján – 2012" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  126. ^ "Classifica annuale 2012 (dal 02.01.2012 al 30.12.2012) – Album & Compilation" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  127. ^ "Los Más Vendidos 2012" (PDF) (in Spanish). Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 January 2013. Retrieved 4 February 2021.
  128. ^ "Top 100 – annual chart – 2012" (in Polish). Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Archived from the original on 27 September 2013. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
  129. ^ "Триумф нестыдной попсы" (in Russian). lenta.ru. 28 December 2012. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  130. ^ "2012년 Album Chart" (in Korean). Gaon Music Chart. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
  131. ^ "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 2012". Schweizer Hitparade. Archived from the original on 21 September 2013. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  132. ^ "Billboard 200 Albums : Page 1". Billboard. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  133. ^ "Global Top 50 Albums of 2012". Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  134. ^ "CAPIF" (in Spanish). Argentine Chamber of Phonograms and Videograms Producers. Archived from the original on 2 February 2014. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  135. ^ "Jaaroverzichten 2013" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  136. ^ "Rapports Annuels 2013" (in French). Ultratop. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  137. ^ "Jaaroverzichten – Album 2013" (in Dutch). dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  138. ^ "Top de l'année Top Albums 2013" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved 14 December 2023.
  139. ^ "Classifica annuale 2013 (dal 31.12.2012 al 29.12.2013) – Album & Compilation" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 14 December 2023.
  140. ^ "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 2013". Schweizer Hitparade. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  141. ^ "Billboard 200 Albums : Page 1". Billboard. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  142. ^ "Ultratop − Goud en Platina – albums 2012". Ultratop. Hung Medien.
  143. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Muse – The 2nd Law". Music Canada.
  144. ^ "Danish album certifications – Muse – The 2nd Law". IFPI Danmark.
  145. ^ "Muse" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland.
  146. ^ "French album certifications – Muse – The 2nd Law" (in French). InfoDisc. Retrieved 18 November 2021. Select MUSE and click OK. 
  147. ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Muse; 'The 2nd Law')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
  148. ^ "The Irish Charts - 2012 Certification Awards - Gold". Irish Recorded Music Association.
  149. ^ "Italian album certifications – Muse – The 2nd Law" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 29 November 2021.
  150. ^ "Certificaciones" (in Spanish). Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas. Retrieved 19 December 2019. Type Muse in the box under the ARTISTA column heading and The 2nd Law in the box under the TÍTULO column heading.
  151. ^ "Dutch album certifications – Muse – The 2nd Law" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Enter The 2nd Law in the "Artiest of titel" box. Select 2012 in the drop-down menu saying "Alle jaargangen".
  152. ^ "New Zealand album certifications – Muse – The 2nd Law". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
  153. ^ "Wyróżnienia – Złote płyty CD - Archiwum - Przyznane w 2012 roku" (in Polish). Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. 7 November 2012. Retrieved 20 April 2021.
  154. ^ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards ('The 2nd Law')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien.
  155. ^ "British album certifications – Muse – The 2nd Law". British Phonographic Industry.
  156. ^ "American album certifications – Muse – The 2nd Law". Recording Industry Association of America.
  157. ^ "IFPI Platinum Europe Awards – 2013". International Federation of the Phonographic Industry.
  158. ^ "Recording Industry in Numbers" (PDF). International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. 2013. p. 11. Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 April 2013. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
  159. ^ "2nd Law, The (Limited Edition Deluxe Box Set)". JB Hi-Fi, via Internet Archive. Archived from the original on 28 September 2012. Retrieved 9 June 2015.
  160. ^ "The 2nd Law (Special Edition, CD+DVD+2LP) von Muse". Weltbild (Austria). Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  161. ^ "The 2nd Law (Limited Boxset, 2LP+CD+DVD) / Muse / 0825646568765". Freerecordshop.be, via Internet Archive. Archived from the original on 26 March 2013. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  162. ^ "Muse : The 2nd Law". Levykauppa Äx. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  163. ^ "The 2nd Law (Deluxe Edition): Amazon.de: Musik". Amazon Germany. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  164. ^ "2nd Law (Box Set) by Muse". WOW HD. Archived from the original on 2 January 2014. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  165. ^ "The 2nd Law (Limited Boxset, 2LP+Cd+Dvd), Muse". Bol (Netherlands). Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  166. ^ "2nd Law, The – Muse – CD – Musik". exlibris.ch. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  167. ^ "Warner Music Poland :: Muse :: The 2nd Law" (in Polish). Warner Music Poland (via Internet Archive). Archived from the original on 9 July 2015. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  168. ^ "The 2nd Law (Box Set): Amazon.co.uk: Music". Amazon UK. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  169. ^ "The 2nd Law: Muse: Amazon.it: Musica". Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  170. ^ "2nd Law/LP by Muse". HMV Group (Canada). Archived from the original on 10 July 2015. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  171. ^ "Amazon.com: 2nd Law (Limited Edition CD/DVD): Muse: Music". Amazon. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  172. ^ "The 2nd Law Special Edition (w/ DVD, Limited Edition)". CD Japan. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  173. ^ "The 2nd Law (Box Set) (CD+DVD+2LP) – Muse – Musik". CDON Group (Sweden). Retrieved 9 July 2015.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_2nd_Law&oldid=1260972815"