Harvey described the process of working with O’Brien as “intense, but not forced. The work environment was relaxed, yet focused.” Harvey was struck by the confidence that O’Brien instilled in the band and in himself. “I went into the studio not thinking of myself as a singer,” he said, “but I came out thinking of myself as a professional.” The disc, he said, “is really about the progression of a young band. We want to be able to reach as many people as possible, but we still want to express ourselves in a true way.” It is for that reason that the band made a concerted effort to “make the second record more accessible.”

The tracks on the disc borrow the big sounds of bands like Queen, Led Zeppelin, and U2. (The opening drum tracks of “Bleed From Within” seem to borrow from U2’s classic “Sunday Bloody Sunday,” though Harvey claimed not to have heard the similarity when questioned about it.)

It becomes clear after one spin of the disc that O’Brien’s tutelage has paid off. The Music’s latest is bold and brash; the confidence about which Harvey spoke is in evidence throughout the disc. The album is focused, but it never feels tight. The band seems not to have succumbed to the sophomore pressures that most bands face. “The biggest pressures I feel come from myself,” Harvey said.