I'm Bleedin From Within (Welcome To The North - The Music)

Member Name: Andy.mack

Product:	Welcome To The North - The Music
Date:	05/10/04 (221 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: A superb follow up, with a much more mature sound

Disadvantages: It ends.....

It’s been about 2 years since The Music burst into the mainstream with their self titled debut album. It was to be the start of a quick rise to prominence as the band introduced a fresh look at dance/rock crossovers. With the debut album and a superb live show they won a large number of cult fans and saw them plastered over NME et all, proclaimed to be the next big thing. They took an extended break after Reading Festival last year and now a year later have returned.

This album is the reason for their return and for the last year they have been trying to create something to rival the 2002 debut. At the time the album was fresh and the band were really pushing into a new territory. As I already mentioned they have a sort of Indie rock/dance hybrid style, which works well for them. A lot of other bands who tried it to the same extent as The Music seem to have failed, but somehow they’ve made it a success. The result has seen them headline both Dance and Rock festival stages, a feat most Indie bands could never manage.

They were just 18 when they released one of the best albums of 2002 and now 2 years later they seem to have done it again. “Welcome To The North” is more like a continuation of the bands debut album rather than a follow up. It still sounds as fresh as the debut, adding an air of maturity to their work but sounding just as good. It’s unusual for such a young band to make one album that makes so many people sit up and take notice, let alone 2 albums.

The band themselves didn’t do too much planning for this album and once in the studio spent just 7 weeks recording. To help them they enlisted the help of former Rage Against The Machine producer Brendan O’Brien and set about their work in Atlanta. The process wouldn’t be easy though as they were trying to follow up an album that went gold in 3 different countries. This was the result and the more mature sound of The Music seems to suit them well.

Even though they have had global success it hasn’t changed them much, the euphoric guitar riffs are still very much in evidence. They back every track with a solid drum beat that really leads the track in the right direction and also gives it a slight dance vibe to it. Each track has it’s own edge but still sounds un-mistakenly like The Music. The youthful enthusiasm is still their with a large number of tracks having a very fast pace that really makes the album a joy to listen to.

One misconception about the band is the link between them and their Indie roots. It’s obvious from every track that they draw heavily on Oasis and The Stone Roses as influences but they open up their songs to a wider audience. The introduction of an almost dance beat using cleverly constructed bass lines really gives them the chance to draw from a larger listening audience. They are certainly an eclectic band, drawing influences from all sorts of places but still staying true to their Indie roots. Everything is done using instruments rather than samples and electronic sounds and this gives the album a more complete and fulfilling sound.

The vocal talents of Rob Harvey are the real selling point of the album. His vocals suit the lyrics and musical style perfectly. Even when they slow things down he seems to have a wide range of vocal talents that can stretch to most styles. It’s from this point that it’s clear that The Music have another hit on their hands.

The single, “Freedom Fighter”, really sets the tone for the album but in fact it’s probably one of the weaker tracks on the album. That’s really more of a testament to the album as I though that “Freedom Fighter” was excellent when I heard it originally. I found though that the album had a number of gems on it such as “Bleed From Within” and “Into The Night” both of which are superb tracks. If you’ve heard and liked “Freedom Fighter” then this is certainly an album worth buying.

They’ve managed to live up to the reputation they set themselves with the first album and with the more mature sound The Music seem to be getting better. They have taken inspiration from their travels over the last 2 years and their new perspectives on live having been out there doing what they have for the last few years. This is certainly my album of the year so far and I think it’s going to be hard to tople it from that accolade. I suggest everyone attempts to hear something by The Music, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

Price: £8.99 - amazon.co.uk
Website: www.themusic.co.uk
Other album’s: The Music

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