Hailed by NME as “potentially the most important group since Oasis,” the Music is incontrovertibly among today’s preeminent new rock ‘n’ roll outfits. With the eagerly anticipated “ WELCOME TO THE NORTH,” the UK-based quartet more than fulfills the stunning promise of their self-titled 2003 debut. The album sees the Music teaming up with legendary producer Brendan O’Brien, renowned for his work alongside such artists as Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, Rage Against The Machine, Bruce Springsteen, and countless others.
Recorded in March and April 2004 at O’Brien’s Southern Tracks Studio in Atlanta, the album marks an astonishing leap forward, reflecting the young band’s amazing journey from a high school music room in Leeds to the world stage. Songs such as the pyrotechnic title track and the shimmering “Guide” find the Music refining their distinctive meld of deep dance-inspired grooves and propulsive psych-rock riffing, integrating a new concentration on traditional songcraft and potent lyricism.
“We were a little more focused on this record,” singer Robert Harvey says. “It’s good, we get to show people that we can actually write songs. I think the main criticism of our first album was that we didn’t have enough ‘songs.’ They were more groove-based things. But people forget, we were just 18 or 19 years old, we just liked grooving and getting fucked up. Now we’re a couple of years older and we’ve got other things in mind.”
Celebrated by the Los Angeles Times for “a grand sound that mixes Zeppelin, Queen and U2 into an electronics-spiked sonic storm,” the Music first took flight in late 1999, when the teenaged Harvey, guitarist Adam Nutter, bassist Stuart Coleman, and drummer Phil Jordan came together with a goal of blending rock, soul, funk, dub, and electro to create something both uplifting and original. Over the next years, the Music developed a reputation as a truly innovative combo, known for their awe-inspiring, unpredictable live performances. In 2001, their first single, “Take This Long Road And Walk It,” was released by the influential Fierce Panda label to unanimous acclaim, followed the next year by an equally praised eponymous debut album.
Fuelled by a wave of coast-to-coast airplay and a bounty of rave reviews, “THE MUSIC” burst onto the American charts upon its February 2003 release, coming in at #4 on Billboard’s “Heatseekers” ranking of new and developing artists. The foursome headlined a number of sold-out North American dates, along with special guest performances supporting Coldplay and the Vines. Rightly acclaimed for their explosive live shows, the Music appeared on such network TV programs as CBS’ Late Show With David Letterman and NBC’s Later With Carson Daly.
Upon their return to their native Leeds, the Music took a brief respite from rock ‘n’ roll, then quickly got together to begin woodshedding material for their sophomore record. Kicking off with a series of riffs and grooves created while on tour, the band soon had a fistful of strong musical ideas to bring into the studio. The next step was deciding upon a producer to assist them in their quest.
“We were thinking about working with a more dance-oriented producer,” Harvey says, “but when Brendan O’Brien’s name came up, we were all like, ‘Well, yeah!’ We’re not necessarily fans of the bands he’s worked with, but the sheer power of the records he’s done is just unbelievable. We wanted that kind of power on our record.”
O’Brien trekked to the UK to see the Music in their natural environment – kicking out the jams onstage. Enthused by what he’d heard, the producer invited the band to team up with him in his Atlanta homebase, Southern Tracks Studio.
“We had our hearts set on making the record in England,” Harvey says, “but Brendan explained that he did his best work in his own studio. We wanted the best possible results we could get, so if it meant going to Atlanta, we were cool with it.”
While stationed in Atlanta, the Music devoted themselves to their project, spending the majority of their time hard at work crafting and concocting the material that would make up “WELCOME TO THE NORTH.”
“We’re constantly jamming out,” Harvey says. “While Brendan and the rest of the team were busy doing something else, we’d all get in a room and play, getting ideas together. Then we’d say, ‘This is too good to waste, let’s get it down now.’ As a result, this is a true representation of what we are as a band.”
From the opening statement of ‘Welcome To The North” to the album-closing “Open Your Mind,” “WELCOME TO THE NORTH” has all the twists and turns of a journey down a long road, not unlike the remarkable ride taken by the Music over the past two years. Intricate and increasingly mature in their vision, songs such as the blistering “Cessation” and the turbulent “Freedom Fighters” represent a band whose artistic worldview has grown by incredible leaps and bounds.
“You grow up in a sheltered world,” Harvey says, “then all of a sudden, you become 20 or 21, and it’s like someone taking the roof off and you’re exposed to the harsh realities of the world. There’s a lot of coming to terms with that on the album. ’Welcome To The North’ sounds like kind of a small-minded statement in and of itself, but it’s really about breaking free. That’s basically what the whole album is about – it’s about becoming universal.”
Driven by that humanitarian ideal, the Music have created a second record that dares to dream, a brave and beautiful work that yearns to move and motivate all who come into its path. “WELCOME TO THE NORTH” amply demonstrates the Music’s transcendent power to shake up the world.
“Music nowadays, it’s grown a bit stale,” Harvey says. “We wanted to do something that made people feel good. We want to reach a lot of people. We don’t want to be just something underground. We want to touch a lot of different people with this record.”

The Music are nothing if not confounding. Their second album, Welcome to the North would, based on its title alone, suggest that this quartet wear their Northern England roots on their sleeve. But rather than producing yet another tired Oasis or Stone Roses pastiche, the Music decamped to the distinctly un-Northern town of Atlanta, Georgia to work with renowned rock producer Brendan O'Brien (best known for working with Pearl Jam and Soundgarden). The results are thrilling--an over-the-top, bombastic album that often manages to combine the rock power of Led Zeppelin with the epic psychedelia of Jane's Addiction (helped by frontman Robert Harvey's vocal similarities to Perry Farrell and drummer Phil Jordan's breakneck drumming, reminiscent of Stephen Perkins). And though the lyrics occasionally venture into pretension (really, who says "mine eyes" anymore?), they're made forgivable by the power of tracks like "Freedom Fighters" and "Bleed from Within" (which even boasts a drum solo). In fact, the only outright homage to their Northern indie heritage is "I Need Love", with a danceable, New Order-esque bassline that drives the whole thing along. But generally, they stick to their guns instead of their roots, making Welcome to the North a great rock album. Robert Burrow [ read more ] >>

As you might guess from the name they chose, this British crew don't have any compunction about making grand statements -- and that's exactly what they do on this big, brash sophomore outing. Frontman Robert Harvey's insistent, echo-laden vocals have a decidedly Perry Farrell–esque feel, particularly on the pulsing "Bleed from Within," which explodes into a veritable rhythmic maelstrom at its climax. Welcome to the North is rife with sharp-yet-smooth gear shifts; swaggering rockers like "Cessation" give way to opalescent ballads like "Fight the Feeling," a softly pirouetting number that has a whit of Dead Can Dance ambience fluttering about its edges. There are moments of unabashed pop -- "Breakin' " scoots along on a purposefully goofy new wave–ish keyboard riff -- but there are darker forces at work through most of this disc, which are amplified by the sympathetically shadowy production of Brendan O'Brien. That mordant tonal quality never gives way to utter gloom -- more often, as on the strident "One Way In, No Way Out," it's almost triumphant -- but it does help give Welcome to the North enough heft to stand up to listen after late-night listen. David Sprague [ read more ] >>