Muskoka - a small town, 600 miles north of Ontario, Canada where life runs at a much simpler pace, the residents lost in the beauty of their surroundings, and detached from the everyday goings on of the outside world

This idyllic backdrop is more than apt for Muskoka, a unique sounding four piece who've become one of the most highly rated acts on the south coast, drawing comparisons to the likes of Bent, Kinobe and the Down-Tempo / Leftfield community. Combining their unique blissed out sound-scapes and traditional band set-up, Muskoka have managed to remain true to their musical roots, by combining acoustic folk sounds, haunting harmonies and simple hooks with dynamic walls of noise and rhythmic guitar laden textures.

Launching their own label, MOKI Records, in 1998, Muskoka successfully released two EP's "The Bigger Pill" [1998] and "Me" [1999], the latter boasting two outstanding tracks, namely "Angel Face" and "Japanese Boy", before original bassist Graeme Hall left for Boston. With the recent line-up change in mind the band regrouped welcomed on board new bassist Mike Brown and began to reappraise the way in which they worked. The outcome was to see the band concentrating on a more honest and real sound and successfully releasing the four track EP "You're Famous To Me" [2000].

The group swiftly turned their attentions to the live arena, and set about an extensive touring schedule that saw them supporting the likes of Billy Bragg, Gay Dad and The Unbelievable Truth, culminating in their ground mark appearance at the 2001 Rox Festival, where Muskoka were approached by the promoters to perform a special live set on the Dance Day alongside Krafty Kuts and the Lo-Fidelity Allstars [Skint].

Fuelled by the group's interest in dynamic sound-scapes and rhythmic textures, a twenty minute set was written specifically for this performance, which not only gained them 5000 new fans but also marked the beginning of a new direction. Fresh from the success of this performance, and with the awarding of a national lottery grant to their label, the band immediately set about writing the songs that would eventually become "Isn't It Beautiful Out There".

Booking into the Levellers Brighton based Metway Studio's the group took advantage of not having to watch the clock and set about refining the way they work. Gone was the desire to produce anything unconcerned with their musical interests or writing singles to top the charts. Unafraid to experiment musically the group used all the means available to their collective talent to compliment their beautifully crafted tunes and the result is a stripped bare and very personal record.