The Music - The Music

...long ago, well in fact the Thursday before Reading festival 2002, so not that long ago. Faced with the prospect of the prodigy on the main stage on the Sunday night I suddenly noticed that The Music were on the Carling stage. Well to say the tent was packed was an understatement so we missed them. Well fast forward a year to Sunday night at the same time at the same festival and The Music are on the Radio Stage and we're at the front. A year is along ...
...you in this op. Before the album I’d only heard one track, but that one track was enough to make this album a must for 2002, and as soon as the festival had finished it was pre-ordered from amazon.co.uk. So what is it about this Leeds based band that makes them so good, well imagine if the Stone Roses or Happy Mondays were still around now, well now imagine taking the best qualities of both those bands and putting them into one, well there you have ... more

Imagine if you will a time long, long ago, well in fact the Thursday before Reading festival 2002, so not that long ago. Faced with the prospect of the prodigy on the main stage on the Sunday night I suddenly noticed that The Music were on the Carling stage. Well to say the tent was packed was an understatement so we missed them. Well fast forward a year to Sunday night at the same time at the same festival and The Music are on the Radio Stage and we're at the front. A year is along time for a band but in that year they released their self titled debut album.

So that debut album, was it any good well that's hopefully what I aim to tell you in this op. Before the album I’d only heard one track, but that one track was enough to make this album a must for 2002, and as soon as the festival had finished it was pre-ordered from amazon.co.uk. So what is it about this Leeds based band that makes them so good, well imagine if the Stone Roses or Happy Mondays were still around now, well now imagine taking the best qualities of both those bands and putting them into one, well there you have The Music. But who are they:

Robert Harvey: Vocals
Adam Nutter: Guitar
Stuart Coleman: Bass
Phil Jordan: Drums

The album kicks off with “The Dance”. The album opens on a quiet note with the guitar bringing it to live, with quiet vocals and drums over the top, carrying on for a short while before the track cranks up a notch and starts to build up a little. The vocals are repeating the same small sections over and over getting louder while the drums and guitars really keep the song going at a decent pace. The drums keep the pace well for a track that could easily have been a dance track, suggested by the name. This track however doesn’t really give you the full feeling of just how good Harvey’s voice actually is and why the band as a whole are so good, although it is a good track.

The next track was the first I heard by the band and is probably still my favourite at the moment, “Take The Long Road And Walk It”. This one starts with a sample, leading into the actual song with the guitars getting gradually louder as it goes, before the intro of the drums and then the vocals. This is probably the best track that highlights Harvey’s vocal and lyrical talent. A good solid beat accompanies his vocals as he hits some very high notes during the song. The chorus is well done quieting down for a short time before picking back up again. Also a track that highlights the similarities with the stone Roses.

We then move onto “Human”. This time an echo from the Bass and the guitar bring the song to life, with the drums and vocals joining slowly at the same time. The slow build up is has a bit of suspense added by a bit of distortion to the vocals, which actually sounds really good. But you almost sense that something is about to happen and just over a minute in the pace picks up a little with the repetitive intro now changed into a different sort of chorus, but the vocals have also gone. Then after about the same time again like this the vocals come back in, with Harvey’s Unique style. And then it happens, almost 3 and a half minutes into the song, the pace lifts again and really finishes the song off well.

There’s a bit of a break between tracks, before we get to another of my favourites on the album, “The Truth Is No Words”. This is a much quicker, upbeat song than Human right from the start, kicking off after a silence at the end of the previous track. It opens with a quick drumbeat and the guitars kicking in almost instantly to form a solid tune up until the intro of the vocals. A very upbeat sound that really has something different, that isn’t heard in a lot of Indie records. Again Harvey’s vocals reach some unbelievable levels, and some of the effects he can get on his voice without using any technology is very good.

Then we come to “Float” another quicker, faster, more upbeat track that really makes you want to get up and dance. It opens with the guitar and drum combo again leading into the vocals, but it’s the beat to the song that really makes it what it is. The drums keep the pace moving along nicely, with occasional bursts of vocals and some excellent Guitar riffs. The vocals aren’t the clearest but cam be made out, which actually adds to the tracks appeal. And at half way through the album you can already see why The Music have built up a large fan base.

We then come to a much mellower track in “Turn Out The Light”. It starts with the bass playing a chord on it’s own, repeated a few times, before the drums quietly join in building up to a similar level. Then Harvey comes in with his vocals loud and clear. No distortion or anything like that, the vocals are very clear and make a big impact on the track. The drums again keep the beat well, slowly moving the song along, aided well by the guitars. Although the song is a lot mellower than a lot of the stuff, it still seems to hint towards a more upbeat track, but one thing is for sure it’s easy to listen to. The most impressive thing about this track thought is that towards the end the way it goes from so mellow into an upbeat track after the vocals end for a short time, before chilling out again.

Next up is probably the bands best known track on this album “The People”. This opens a bit differently and from the start you know it’s going to be an upbeat track. It starts with a guitar on its own again playing a note before a slow quiet drum beat and the vocals come in. It has an easy going verse while Harvey takes the song over the continuing intro before it all really gets going. Again musically throughout the track it is flawless with the drums and guitars complimenting each other perfectly, but the song is really made by the vocals and to a lesser extent the lyrics. Another one that would be good to play in a club to get people up and dancing.

And all of a sudden there are only three tracks left to go as we come to “Getaway”. A short silence followed by everything but the vocals coming in from the start. The drums keep the beat going while the guitars play the vocals into the track. The song continues like this for the verse before changing beat and pace for the chorus, until at the end of the chorus where it really starts to let go a bit, letting the drums and guitars lead it on a little before the vocals come back in again to repeat the pattern for the second verse but at a quicker and louder pace, which really does sound good.

Another good track is “Disco”, although I say another but there aren’t actually any bad tracks on the album. Now the name doesn’t gives away the type of track to expect. It opens with the guitars repeating the same note over and over before the drums eventually come in with a very mellow slow beat and the guitars adjust accordingly. The vocals then come in sounding almost as depressed as the instruments, although I wouldn’t exactly call it depressed more mellow and chilled out. but then after a short while its almost as if they haven’t been totally honest in the way the track started as it quickly picks up and becomes the type of track you would have been expecting from the name.

And finally we come to the end of the album and “Too High”. This opens calmly, with a chilled out guitar riff and the vocals and bass joining at the same time at a similar pace to the opening guitar riffs. Then the drums come in counting the beat on the symbols before they actually take more of an active role in the track. The vocals are calm and relaxed, as the pace and beat of the track start to build up a little and the guitars really take over as the driving force behind the track. The relaxed start to the song is just what’s needed and that’s where the real success for the music comes, they make a good mix of upbeat tracks but mix the mellower stuff in around it. Staying pretty much the same throughout, finishing the album here is a good decision, making you feel you’ve had enough but leaving you still wanting more.

So all in all an excellent album and although there are only 10 tracks it takes up some 55 minutes, which really shows you get your moneys worth with the music. Of course speaking of moneys worth where can you get it well I recommend using amazon.co.uk or Fopp records (if there is one near you) as both do this fantastic album for just £10.

Cheers
Andy 

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