This came out in 2004 – or at least that’s when I got it. Here’s what I said about it back then (with some minor editing):
Youth isn’t always wasted on the young.
Consider The Music — while still in their teens, these Leeds lads established themselves as one of the most exciting and promising new British bands with their daring debut disc. Now, as old men of 21, they have taken the next step toward realizing their potential with this equally grand yet more mature sophomore set.
Welcome To The North finds singer Robert Harvey and co. continuing to fuse U2’s chunky guitars, Led Zeppelin’s falsetto-rock swagger and Perry Farrell’s shamanic groovedelics into massive, majestic and musically transcendent anthems. But these dozen tracks aren’t just the leftover ideas and rehashes of many sophomore-slump outings. Most are leaner, meaner, heavier and darker than their predecessors, edging away from the dance-floor grooves and embracing their inner guitar heroes. Harvey is also more aggressive and sure-footed in his approach, evolving beyond the lovelorn lyrics of old for more worldly matters like war and politics.
Sure, he puts his foot in his mouth now and then with lyrics like “dance for the freedom fighters,” but hey, he’s still growing up. And Welcome To The North reaffirms your faith that he and The Music could very well grow into one of the world’s great bands.
