The Music [Enhanced]

As someone who's not too much into dance music, or much towards electronica either, I was quite pleasantly surprised by this album, for its sheer experimentalism, into combining fine rock with good riffs and hooks, with dance music with terrific beats and making the word 'dance' be acceptable in the same sentence as 'music'. This is indeed a much coveted and widely failed genre, if you will, to try to actually penetrate, as the only bands who have done it fairly successfully are Primal Scream, and Jane's Addiction, who you have to say The Music do have more than a passing resemblance to, particularly in the vocal department; a cross between Led Zeppelin's charismatic Robert Plant, and more so Jane's Addiction's even more charismatic front man Perry Farrell, who is also a big fan of the band. Indeed I am sure that many Jane's Addiction fans would actually like The Music's debut, particularly tracks such as 'Take The Long Road And Walk It', the terrific, 'Human', the rousing single, 'The Truth Is No Words', the chanting 'The People' and a mass assortment of others. But this album really does that most coveted of all music, by combining dance with rock, and making it work and work well.

You could even call The Music progressive, the genre is that wide open on them. Despite this bouncy attitude throughout, they know when to stop for a minute or two on the final track, 'Too High' which is a fine slower piece, proving that behind those layered dance beats, synthesisers and God knows what else, there really is a fine band, that at times is unfortunately covered up. If you listen hard enough, you can hear some absolute gems of riffery, which is then ironically contradicted, when what in my opinion is the best track on the album, 'Getaway' kicks in, with absolutely massive beats, electronica, huge guitars, soaring vocals and is simply irresistible, whether you like rock or dance, it's certainly a floor-filler.

They certainly don't scrimp on quality at all either, you can tell that these are certainly talented musicians, and have taken their time. As you weave through, catchy melodies, high pitched vocals, textured beats and layered guitars, you'll see why, particularly on the singles released from this, still the bands debut.

And for a debut, this is quite simply astounding and contains top quality music made by top quality musicians who have actually cared to put out a good record. I'd much prefer this over a rehash any day, because at least The Music add their own sense of originality to the mix, and that's something that a lot of bands seem to distinctly miss. They wouldn't call themselves 'The Music' if they weren't different or didn't deserve such a moniker now, would they?

4 Stars.

I was not disappointed. The Music have got a perfect blend of instruments in their tracks. 'Take the Long Road and Walk It' is a very 'funky' song, which exudes their potential and overall 'coolness' as a band. 'Turn Out the Light' is at the other extreme, providing a more introspective look at the band and what they want to say.

Many have said that the lyrics are sometimes confused and not clear. However, with instrumental skill as good as this, this simply adds to The Music's charm. Harvey's voice is as if it is another instrument, and moulds into the overall sound of the tracks.

My one disappointment was that some tracks like 'Let Love be the Healer' and 'Alone' for example have been left off the album, it just seems a waste not to include such great songs onto their debut album.

Despite this, The Music's debut album is a triumphant success. Those who like Led Zeppelin and the Stone Roses should try this band out, they have equal potential in my opinion, and similar sound, which makes it great for fans of the bands mentioned.

Befor I go on, I should stress I have a bit of a soft spot for anything with a psychedlic twist and a dancey beat. Not that this should put you off. I at first thought The Music were a bunch of pretenders - enthusiastic, earnest, but lacking the touch of class necessary to do the business.

How wrong I was. This album starts well and just gets better. Take the Long Road and Walk It, The Truth is no Words and Too High are all fantastic tracks, but even the slow ones such as Human and Turn Out the Lights show a real sophistication in the song structure, and ultimately, a sense of melody far in excess of anything else being done at the minute. The way Disco moves from big bluesy riffs to a funky house just makes you grin from ear to ear.

If you want comfy three minute pop songs about how the world doesn't understand you, go buy a Coldplay album. You probably don't have the attention span to appreciate this album.

Otherwise, let us rock.