The Verve return with nerve

By John O'Riordan
Collegian Editor
August 28, 2008

Fewer bands in rock history have seen the highs and lows of stardom in quicker fashion than The Verve. After two moderately successful albums in the earlier 90s, The Verve exploded onto the music radar with their smash 1997 release Urban Hymns

Riding their power singles “Bittersweet Symphony” and “The Drugs Don’t Work,” Urban Hymns became universally recognized as one of the best rock albums of 90s and cemented The Verve’s reputation as rock 'n' roll paradise.

As quickly as they rose into the spotlight, however, they fell into obscurity. When it was determined that their sampling of The Rolling Stones’ “The Last Time” was too specific, The Verve lost all song writing rights to “Bittersweet Symphony” and promptly crumbled internally.

After 11 years without recording a record, The Verve returned to the studio with something to prove. The result: Their fourth (and most anticipated) studio album cleverly titled Forth.

The opening track, “Sit and Wonder,” feels like an act of bravado. Being gone so long, The Verve feels the need to prove that they can still play their instruments and write a good tune. Point taken. Though the song runs a bit long, it’s still a very good track.

“Love is Noise,” the album’s first single, follows the previous track nicely. Less driving and preachier than its predecessor, “Love is Noise” is driven by a catchy snare drum beat and nice synth effects.

Perhaps the coolest track on the album, “Rather Be,” sounds unlike anything else on the album. The song sounds like what time traveling probably feels like.

“Judas,” the album’s fourth track, is rather boring and unimpressive. Whether this is a filler track or not is up for debate, but it’s clear somebody in the band really wanted this one on the album, because it’s pretty weak.

The next two tracks, “Numbness” and “I See Houses” are both pretty good, but not much else.

Resting comfortably in the middle of the album, they work well as decent tunes to bridge the beginning and end of the album, but on their own, each is nothing really to write home about. Kudos, however, to the lyric writing in “I See Houses,” which is tops.

Depending on what you’re looking for in this album, the seventh track, “Noise Epic,” is either a home run or a strikeout. It’s aptly titled; a giant cornucopia of noise and sounds that soldiers on for around 10 minutes.

Though The Verve are known in the States for their catchy single “Bittersweet Symphony,” they’ve earned their reputation among the music community as one of the best alternative rock jam bands to ever pick up equipment. They certainly flex their jam muscles in this tune, though it sounds like nothing you’d expect from a stereotypical jam band. Many people may dislike it, but in my opinion, this is the best overall track on the album.

The last three songs on the album, “Valium Skies,” “Columbo” and “Appalachian Springs” are nothing short of stellar. “Valium Skies” possesses a hauntingly beautiful chorus, “She got all I need/Yeah, the air I breathe/and when it comes to my valium skies/She don’t mind if I cry.”

“Columbo” starts with ambient guitar noise, but quickly gains character in the form on an incredibly catchy bass line. The track is great all the way through, but it really takes flight during the bridge when the noise guitars take off and the bass drones away, all to a hypnotizing, cymbal-driven drumbeat. This song rules.

“Appalachian Springs” is a fitting end to the album. It’s equal parts trippy, thought-provoking and rocking.

Richard Ashcroft’s vocals really stand out in this song. His voice is truly beautiful. The simple but eerie guitar track lingers behind Ashcroft’s scratchy words, creating a tune that sounds almost Bowie-esque.

All in all, I was pleasantly surprised by this album. The Verve has never disappointed in the past, but it would have been foolish to walk into this one with high expectations considering the hiatus.

Be that as it may, they really treated us to an excellent album. Though its late release will probably hurt its chances, this album has a real shot at a Grammy nomination.

If there is any band that deserves a little redemption, The Verve is that band. After a good listen to Forth, it’s safe to say, redemption earned. Well done, boys.

oriordanj1@lasalle.edu