The Music - Singles andEPS 2001 - 2005

Wed 2nd Mar, 2011 in Music Reviews

Technically, although it was never officially announced, The Music are on hiatus following their third record, 2008’s Strength In Numbers. To tide fans over, or possibly replenish the bank accounts, this two disc set includes singles, live tracks, b-sides and remixes, all exhibiting the band’s strongest points.

Kicking off with one of the most successful singles Take The Long Road And Walk It, the group’s unique mix of rock riffs and dance beats is something that has yet to be replicated to the same standard by any other group since. Some of the B-Sides make it quite obvious why they were left off of the records as they are not as strong as the album cuts. Tracks such as Jag Tune are a bit of a drag and the heavy You Might As Well Try To Fuck Me sounds like a completely different band altogether. Fire and Drugs are the only songs to make the playlist from the group’s most recent release as the majority of the time is spent on the first, and arguably the best, record. After all, that album spawned the group’s finest moment, The People, which created a well deserved buzz when it was first released, springing the band into the spotlight.

The second disc is full of remixes which are hit and miss, however the fact that the group’s music translates so well into the dance genre spares the new versions from seeming too forced. The two new adaptations of Freedom Fighters, are particular standouts that rival the original, and the live version of Turn Out The Light shows that the band are more than capable of translating the haunting ambience of the song into a live setting extremely well.

Although it steers clear of using the words in its title, ‘Singles and EPS’ is essentially a ‘Best Of’ The Music, with a greater number of rare gems that fans may not have heard before. The fact that it lists dates in its title also suggests that we may not have heard all that this band has to offer and that if we are lucky, the Leeds quartet will one day ride again.