The Verve are back after a ten year break up and release what, will
probably not appease the masses, will bring back all the faithful from
before 'Urban Hymns'. They really rock through ten great songs. The
guitars of McCabe have all the sonic prowess and feeble quiet that
the Verve has their sound signed upon. They jam, they groove, and
they rock in this album. The jam songs such as Epic Noise and
Columbo showcase the synergy that the band can have when they
really come together. Epic Noise reminds me of some of the Doors
songs. The groove songs like Rather Be and I See Houses have
similar swagger to Bittersweet Symphony. On 'Fourth', the Verve
really rock on the opener Sit and Wonder as well as Love is Noise.
The bridge on Sit and Wonder is truly exceptional, they circle around
themselves and their shimmering sound, and then McCabe bursts
through the fog they've created with this killer riff, they go back into a
quieter fog then Ashcroft reins them back in with his lyrics. I always
seem to say that Ashcroft's voice gets better with each album he does
(even his solo work) and this is no exception. The energy and ability
for these guys to really come together is what was sorely missing from
Ashcroft's solo work. It's evident from the second you play this album
that there is magic in what these guys are doing. I hope they continue
to play and create that magic.
rating: 4 out of 5
key moment: 4:16 into Appalachian Springs Ashcroft let's you know
he's truly back by belting out a falsetto version of his battle cry 'C'mon!'
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