It worked in my opinon

So Strength In Numbers charted at number 19 Monday, a respectable position for band that hasn't released an album in nearly four years and never really seemed to gain much attention even when they were around. However, both previous albums charted within the top ten so this is a step down and I wonder if this will spell the end for a band that narrowly avoided splitting up many times. The single, despite receiving extraordinary amounts of radio play charted at just number 38 and clearly demonstrates the dying singles market. But that's another kettle of fish.

As most of you know, The Music played a very important part in my musical development. My first experience of The Music was spring 2003 in the form of stunning debut, The Music.

Released back in 2002, the band were instantly identified as hot prospects within the alternative world which was still relatively "underground" (Number one on the week of release was Blazin' Squad with the epic Crossroads).

With their balls out rock with psychedelic and dance influences, the band created songs of journey and discovery as demonstrated in tracks such as Too High and Disco. These tracks take an idea and develop it until it transforms with swirls of energy into dance rock; long before the Bloc Party's and Klaxons of this world were tearing up the indie dancefloors. And that was the job of lead single, "Take The Long Road and Walk It". From the beginning swirls of distortion and wah effects, to the slide guitar and Rob Harvey's energetic scatting, the song is a powerhouse of everything the music stood for - technically proficient dance guitar music. The band toured incessantly and soon began writing songs for follow-up album, Welcome To The North.

Produced by Brendon O'Brien (previous artists include RATM, Soundgarden, Offspring and Pearl Jam), 2004's Welcome To The North was a heavily produced and developed sound for the band. Now driven by loud guitars and thumping drums, the songs seemed to be motivated by production alone and lacked the urgency and consideration put into The Music. For me, this was evident in tracks such as Guide and Breakin' , good songs but not quite what I'd bought into upon hearing the bands debut. I'm an advocate for growth and development but not into something I don't really like. Don't get me wrong, the album had its moments, Freedom Fighters was a powerful rock song, I loved the offbeat guitars of Welcome To The North and it is in Cessation and Bleed from Within that the band are finally unleashed and the production is a compliment as opposed to a hindrance. However, as the band continued to tour and promote and tour and promote, the rigours of being a band began to take its toll. Due to WTTN's lack of commercial success, the band were subsequently dropped and the end was in sight.

"The addiction began to sit into its groove. At first it was a joy then later became a habit and a way of escaping." This drug and alcohol addiction was destructing both Rob Harvey and the band and lead to a course of medication and proffessional help. Unlike most bands, The Music had frank discussions with each other and chose to carry on with what little was left. After a few small scale gigs in 2006, the band returned to the studio with a fresh take on old ideas and through working with producers Flood and Paul Hartnoll (U2, Killers, Orbital), the band triumphantly emerged to perform live again.

And so we come to Strength In Numbers, The Music's latest offering. The album tells the familiar tale of drugs and moving on and up. The new refined sound suits the band well with electronic touches compounding disco beats to produce an album that guides us through Rob's darker times whilst showcasing the incredible production that seems to benefit The Music now as opposed to dominate them. Tracks such as Fire are driven forwards with solid bass lines and heavily distorted guitar lines. Rob's vocals sit perfectly in the mix and we are even treated to a new instrumental which the band thrived upon with The Walls Get Smaller and then failed to really replicate. The album is uplifting and powerful and will hopefully be the begin of something new for a band that are still in their infancy.

Recommended listening :-

The Music - The Music (2002)
Karma (You Might As Well Try To Fuck Me EP)
The Walls Get Smaller (Take The Long Road And Walk It EP)
Let Love Be The Healer (The People EP)
The Music - Welcome To The North
The Music - Strength In Numbers