Review
Medicine
To The Happy Few

Imagine being in a band that broke up seventeen years earlier meeting together to divide up copies of re-issues of what are arguably said band’s finest recorded moments, and in those moments being so overcome by the excitement of the moment that you and your compatriots immediately begin writing the first song for the follow-up record to your final album together right then and there; sounds like a pretty awesome moment to me, and one that would certainly capture some electricity. Well, that is pretty much the story going around regarding the core trio of Medicine and their initial reunion or the impetus of this album, To The Happy Few; the fourth album that involves the core trio (Brad Laner resurrected the moniker for an album in the early oughts that did not have the impact of the “classic” lineup records),To The Happy Few is a surprising and welcome return from a band that never truly received their due the first time around the circuit. 

I will fully admit that I had no idea what to expect from Medicine after such a long layoff but remained incredibly hopeful that the band would not disappoint as I first pressed play on my stereo, and my faith was completely rewarded right away as the initial guitar feedback of “Long As The Sun” gave way to an awesome explosive intro before settling into a bouncing groove that almost could be considered dance-y (I could completely see a dance remix of this song… no joke); the most impressive aspect of the song was the underlying melodic elements and how great the vocals worked with the song, and with all of this, I definitely felt that Medicine was back. 

The dance-able flavor of To The Happy Few is all over the album as songs like “Burn It”, “Holy Crimes” (with what maybe a nice nod to Soft Cell in its vocal melody), “Butterfly’s Out Tonight”, etc all have elements that might make those prone to tapping their toes get on the floor to shuffle their feet; but just like the best Medicine albums, To The Happy Few expertly hides catchy melodies and pop beauty under the layers of music (check out the lush and beautiful “The End Of The Line” and “All You Need To Know” which seems the most classic Medicine on the album). 

To The Happy Few is impressive for a whole host of reasons not the least of which is that after more than a decade and a half, the core trio of Medicine get back together simply for the love and sheer joy of writing music together and simply crank out what is not just an excellent album, but quite possibly one of the best of their existence; the album is just a fun outing that in some ways seems more light-hearted than anything else that the band has previously produced, and anyone that does not at least explore this album is diminished for just missing out on a release made for the sheer love of creating.