- Critic score
- Publication
- By date
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Alternative PressA marked improvement over their eponymous debut, North sounds like Muse and the Stone Roses on steroids. [Jan 2005, p.113]
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Fans of The Music will love 'Welcome To The North' but it is unlikely that detractors will be converted.
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BlenderAs hipsters, the Yorkshire quartet are still total non-starters, but [North] sees producer Brendan O'Brien honing their gonzo essence to more sizeable effect. [Nov 2004, p.138]
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Would be much better if it came with an option to turn the vocals off.
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MojoDoes little to extended their reputation beyond that of a band big on amp buckling bluster and low on pop harmonies. [Oct 2004, p.104]
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The baggy beats and techno touches that occasionally made their eponymous debut seem slightly forced and naïve are stripped away, O’Brien’s production giving the band a more expensive, professional sound, just as massive and frenetic as the wilful teenage strafing they used to create, but with infinitely more control.
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Entertainment WeeklyThe mix of loopy, Jane's Addiction-style psychedelia and old-fashioned stadium rock is galvanizing at first... but by midpoint, it's merely exhausting. [22 Oct 2004, p.96]
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It may not be clever, but it's big, and unexpectedly poignant.
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Too much of Welcome to the North sounds like emo on Ecstasy -- all hot and bothered without much to say.
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They have general technical proficiency and a knack for a good riff, but listening to them is nevertheless a chore-- and a boring, repetitive one at that.
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This is the sound of a band in transition.
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It’s not that "Welcome To The North" is a bad listen, but when you get to track six and you still seem to be stuck on track one, you get the feeling there must be more to ‘the music’ than this.
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Q MagazineThe Music generate their songs like a smoke machine--vaguely atmospheric but ultimately lacking in substance. [Oct 2004, p.124]
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This is a cloying record that doesn't so much recall Zeppelin at their height, as The Alarm at their most irritating.
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FilterWhen Welcome To The North is at its biggest, it's also at its best. Unfortunately, that means that the record's better half comprises the last two tribal minutes of each track and a couple of exceptional highlights. [#13, p.100]
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SpinAll that stands between this young English foursome and Perry Farrell-ian Valhalla is a lack of a truly rippin' axman. [Dec 2004, p.124]
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At their best they sound like a female Black Sabbath tribute band, at their worst they sound like slutty old goth rockers. Frankly, neither is all that appealing.
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Under The RadarSurely, it's not hard to appreciate the intelligent yet visceral guitar work and the unshakable groove... The problem is that it's nearly forgotten once the music ends. [#8, p.116]
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Paste MagazineThe Music has cranked propulsive garage psychedelia to stadium-rock decibels. [#14, p.127]
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Welcome to the North finds the Music's ambitious blend of post-grunge and space rock much hungrier and angrier than its predecessor.
Awards & Rankings
User score distribution:
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Positive: 26 out of 31
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Mixed: 2 out of 31
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Negative: 3 out of 31
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JefferyJFeb 11, 2007It's a rather underrated effort by The Music. It's not amazing, but it is solid.
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arnoldFeb 4, 2007One of my favorites albums. A marked improvement on their debut, which was still pretty good.
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adolfocFeb 10, 2006this album rocks