Taken from this week's Sunday Times.

It is no doubt a sign of the times that the music industry is reaching a crossroads. Some would even call it a crisis. With the trend of illegal downloading still massively on the increase and the financial crisis hitting heavily the number of concert ticket sales, these are uncertain times for the business. Yet amongst all the chaos we still hold onto one timeless constant: Whitby. And the time has come again for another of their irrepressible albums.

Strong as an Ox almost seems like a battle cry; a defiant declaration that whatever the strikes and the gutters of the surrounding situation, Whitby are as strong as they have ever been, consistently raising the bar just that bit further than is expected. Unusually for them, they’d taken a long period of absence from the public’s unblinking eye, whether appearing in different forms or disappearing completely.

Tom Brown (now prophetically known simply as Teebs) has been experimenting in another breakaway band, Linen House, who exploded onto the music scene several months ago and then almost as abruptly vanished – Brown cites commitment issues of the other band members as contributing to their disbanding. Drummer Alan Wilson spent time touring with one of the band’s good friends, Jack’s Mannequin, whilst guitarist James Harmer took time out to explore various far flung corners of the world, from Iceland to Tibet. Richard Cooper has spent most of his time shying away from the media attention and spending time with his new girlfriend, none other than conductor of the London Philharmonic Orchestra Sara L. Latto. Josh Ingold is more ambiguous about how he spent his time, but an imminent paternity lawsuit may reveal more than he would have liked.

Thankfully, their time apart eventually came to an end and they regrouped, refreshed and rebooted, and are ready to storm the musical world once again. Principle work on the album was undergone in the band’s studio in London, but in order to escape the frenzy that surrounded them, the band’s two figureheads Teebs and Cooper retreated to a private villa in the south of France to put the finishing touches to their work. Accompanying them was Felicity Pyatt, one-time member of the short-lived but fondly remembered Looks like Rain, who was more than happy to tag along. “To have the opportunity to work with probably the two most prominent figures in 21^st century music was a no brainer,” she tells me in a phone interview after her return. “How could I say no? I felt honoured to be asked and all in all was happy with my contribution to the album.”

Perhaps her most notable contribution is on the track Aromatherapy Boobies, in which she features along with Dizzie Rascal. It’s one of the stand-out tracks in terms of sheer catchiness and once heard it won’t leave your head for the duration of the day. “People today are so intent on making ‘serious’ music that they forget that it can be fun and catchy,” claims Cooper, in a homely interview that he was kind enough to conduct in his gorgeous front room. “If it stays in your head after you’ve heard it then as far as I’m concerned it’s a good piece of music.”

One of the great contradictions of Whitby is the seeming juxtaposition of Cooper and Teebs in pivotal roles. Whilst Cooper is clearly more concerned with the melodies of the songs, Teebs is becoming more and more of a counter-cultural figurehead in our society. Increasingly political, everything he says seems to be layered and nuanced with duality and something potent lurking underneath the surface. He is also expanding his creative credentials, with a hotly anticipated novel in the works that is, according to his publicist I might add, “the most important work of literature of the last decade.”

Whilst this remains to be seen, Teebs is certainly focussed on making an impact whatever the forum. I managed to speak with him briefly after he made a rousing speech at the London Leftish Rally; he was exhilarated but as articulate as we’ve come to expect. “I’m very excited about this album. I think it reflects our present zeitgeist and foresees which way the world is turning. The important thing is to remember it’s never too late: sadness is transient but belief can take us places other people would fear to tread.”

If Strong as an Ox is a sign of the times to come, we can surely all feel reassured; it is quite simply a monumental piece of work. I have nowhere near enough column space to mention every track I would like to, but I reserve special praise for The Seminal Crystal, a cutting parody of Katie Price’s first novel in which Cooper screeches out in a sickly pseudo American voice “how subtle was that?” to Ingold’s throbbing bass lines; and title track Ox Nihat (And the Prisoner of E. Leclerc), which begins as a seemingly innocent and anecdotal piano ballad but progresses into an apocalyptic crescendo of lyrical magnificence and a full orchestra. It has to be heard to be believed.

At times it remains a mystery how the music interweaves so well with itself. Audacious barely comes close to describing Wilson’s Paradox, a song that features only Alan Wilson’s impressive repertoire on drums and Teebs’ frightening expertise on the harmonica. It just shouldn’t work, but it’s a miraculous song that has become a fan’s favourite during the latest dates of Whitby tours. “We just understand each other,” Wilson reveals in the programme notes for their stadium tour. “It’s most fun when we get to improvise with each other; we once did a ten minute version of Windy Woof just because it felt right. It’s incredible to be a part of something like that.”

Their debut album, Keatsian Whisp’rings seems almost a lifetime ago, yet against all the odds, Whitby maintain the ability to surprise and inspire. Their official tribute act, Shitby, even managed a number one hit, such is their popularity. Like all things, however, one day it must end, but until it does we should all thank whoever it is we may believe in that we are lucky enough to share our time on earth with quite simply the greatest band ever to have existed.

Track listing:

1. BILLIONS OF YEARS AGO...
2. Windy Woof
3. Aromatherapy Boobies (feat. Felicity Pyatt and Dizzee Rascal)
4. And He Was The 2^nd Lieutenant
5. The Guatemalan Five
6. That’s Not Gary Barlow, It’s Gorbachov
7. Obscenities Included
8. Ox Nihat (And the Prisoner of E. Leclerc)
9. The Seminal Crystal
10. Slowly Losing Consciousness on the Couches
11. (Many Many) Donkey Engines
12. Wilson’s Paradox
...
52. Umpire Signals Wet Ball (Dubsy Onesies)