When the Music's self-titled debut album hit stores, they stirred up a frenzy with critics. It was not the actual album that caused the ruckus but rather just the name of the band. Pitchforkmedia.com asked, "What record label would let a band go out there with a name as fuck-you stupid as the Music?" Rolling Stone labeled it as "portentous." The Music's lead vocalist, Robert Harvey, giggles when he hears these criticisms, saying, "They've got it all wrong when they think that. We called ourselves the Music because we didn't want no nonsense. We didn't want no gimmick. We didn't want to create any mystery about why we are doing this. We are doing this because all we want to do is make music."
Regardless of your perspective on the band's name, no one can doubt the Music's extreme passion for rock n' roll surfacing throughout each track on their sophomore release, Welcome to the North. The billowing guitars, the echoes of Harvey's shrill voice and the sheer energy pulsate throughout each melody. One almost imagines a contemporary Bon Scott of AC/DC rocking out with his chest bare, shaking his unkempt curls. In his sweet and charming accent, Harvey insists to the contrary, "Actually, we are quite normal people. We are in this because the music makes us feel good."
The Music first got together when they were just students in high school as a way to keep off the streets of their hometown in northern England. The band eventually evolved into something more serious when they decided to quit school and sign with Fierce Panda. Since then, they have been labeled the "best unsigned band in Britain" by Radio 1's DJ Steve Lamacq and have been compared to rock greats like Oasis and the Coral. Despite the accolades and massive tours, the growing fame of the Music still has not quite sunk in with the band. "I'm still trying to convince myself that it is a career and not a hobby," Harvey explains. "It is kind of getting quite serious right now."
In spite of the success of his own band, Harvey has pessimistic thoughts on the music industry today.
"[The music industry is] like a really big dinosaur that's been wounded that's been walking for miles," he explains. "The world is changing and that dinosaur is not going to rest any longer. The only way it's going to get better is if it crashes."
Currently, the Music is in the midst of a giant tour through America. However, the band has mixed feelings about the country. "America is really difficult for us to tour because it is just really huge, very tiring," says Harvey. "I guess I met some amazing people there but... America is controlled heavily by the dollar... There's no way around it... I find it upsetting that they want to screw people for every penny they've got."
Even though the Music might not be the only music to listen to, they still want you to spend your pennies on their latest release and check out their tour.
