04 PLUG IN BABY ORIGIN OF SYMMETRY (2001)

As Bellamy himself admits in this month’s interview, he might never have written Plug In Baby without his trusty Manson Delorean. What a shame that would have been, given how quickly it became the group’s biggest anthem. Although often incorrectly tabbed in the open position, the main theme which starts the song is played around the 7th fret – sequencing passages from the B harmonic minor scale before adding in a Dorian major 6th flavour played on the 9th fret of the B string, which then gets bent up half a step into a minor 7th and released. For the verses, Bellamy leaves most of the heavy lifting to the bass, save for a few pitch-shifted triads which ring out before the full-chorded strums of the chorus. Each section involves its own unique approach, which is precisely what makes it such an effortlessly dynamic track. A masterpiece!