If you are going to give yourself a self-mythologising name like The Music, you really do need something special to back it up with. And while this young indie quartet from Leeds clearly have a heightened sense of ambition that can only be applauded, this debut album doesn't do nearly enough to convince you that their current prominence isn't a serious case of hype over substance. The Music's swirling guitar sound is epic, murky and largely without focus, while Robert Harvey's wailing vocals are virtually incomprehensible and impossible to engage with on any emotional level. Plenty of bands have got off to worse starts than this of course, and there's an unmistakable air of conviction here that suggests they may yet blossom into something worthwhile. But in comparison to the other indie talents to make the headlines this year (The Coral, Hundred Reasons, The Electric Soft Parade), The Music fall sadly and badly short.
