The Music

With a name as ho-hum as The Music, its only fitting that the band enlivens the spirit of distinguished bands that range from Rush, The Cult, Led Zeppelin and Janes Addiction. On their second release, Welcome To The North, the UK-based quartet enlisted producer Brendan O’Brien (Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Rage Against The Machine) to set the band apart from their jam/groove based 2003 self-titled debut. In quick retrospective, The Music is an immediate flash back to the dawn of the grunge era when progressive rock met sludgy musicianship inspiring a new rise of metal. Lead singer Robert Harvey’s high pulse holler, is a little Geddy Lee and Perry Farrell and a whole lotta Red Bull, but in this day of post punk acts, this ghoulish sound is all together fresh.

On the opener, Welcome To The North, Harvey’s voice tucks you in for a barnstormer welcome. “Freedom Fighters” revisits Janes Addiction Nothing Shocking-era hysteria, complete with dance inspired grooves atop a white noise ruckus. The Music incorporates syncopated groove and flash effects with “Cesssation,” and hits a Cheap Trick FM arena rock tone in “Guide. “ However, it’s the hypnotic “ I Need Love” that becomes the highlight of the album, as the band teases jam tendencie and clever dance beats, while Harvey’s voice echoes over itself effortlessly.

The Music hits a low point the slower tunes like the nervous “Fight The Feeling,” as O’Brien didn't have the holy wail of Chris Cornell to spark the ballad vibe this time around. Still, The Music clearly nails their series of riffs and grooves in Welcome To The North, as the glory days of metal are revisited, without all the Aqua Net and Sunset Strip fashion.