BIG of hair, tender of years, Leeds lads The Music are not even out of their teens, but have already gone through the full NME hype routine, and, to back it up, have been out on tour with the likes of Oasis and New Order.

Live, they certainly turn heads, with their driving dance rhythms and wall of psychedelic guitar noise, topped by Rob Harvey's anguished howls. But sadly, on record, a lack of songs undermines the band's striking sound and hypnotic, electric energy.

Singles Take The Long Road And Walk It and The People stand out, but elsewhere there's too much formless jamming going on, with Adam Nutter working through every effects gadget in the prog rock department of the guitar shop.

Despite the obvious comparisons - early Verve and an awful lot of Led Zeppelin - they do certainly have a sound all of their own, with a sharp, modern edge. Maybe a tougher producer could have dragged a classic debut album out of this intriguing and talented bunch, but when Turn Out The Light starts sounding like a bad Def Leppard 80s 'rawk' ballad, your heart sinks.

A bit of a let-down of a debut album, but if their songs ever do match up to the palpable sense of ambition and passion, world domination could yet await The Music.

Updated: 09:55 Thursday, September 12, 2002