And so we find ourselves in the brave new world of 2008, where Katy Perry is kissing girls and liking it, Jane McDonald is in the top ten album chart and where it’s been 11 whole years since The Verve’s seminal album “Urban Hymns”. A lot of mucky water’s passed under the bridge since then - not least with band in-squabbles causing the Wigan ensemble to call it a day in 1999. Lead singer Richard Ashcroft has churned out a couple of solo albums since, but obviously the cash has run a little high and dry because they’re reformed and reacquainted for their fourth studio album, entitled “Forth”. So have you missed them? Has there been a Verve-shaped hole in your life for the past nine years?
If the answer’s a resounding “Yes godammit!”, then you’re in for a royal treat. Back are Ashcroft’s signature vocals; back are their black outfits; back are the swirling guitars and clever-clever arrangements; back are the epic signature tunes; and finally, back is the vagueness that has encapsulated many Verve tracks on albums passed. If you like your rock misty, long and a tad aimless, then have they got a record for you.
That’s not to say that we hate this. No. For a start, lead single “Love Is Noise” is a grower with its strange duck-song twittering in the background and earnest lyrics to the fore. Opener “Sit And Wonder” could easily sit on Coldplay’s latest; “Rather Be” starts with the swagger of Jagger before segueing into a more gentle but familiar Verve territory; and “Judas” is a fine orchestral, soothing number.
As for the rest - well, the rest just slides a bit too much into ‘noise’ for our liking. If you’re a die-hard fan, of course you’ll love it. But there are just too many twanging guitars strung throughout every tune which made RealMusic Blog yank off our headphones in a bid to grab some breathing space. Yes, there are some strong tunes here, but you feel like you’re in a Verve decompression chamber struggling for air. And as Jordin Sparks rightly asks, how you gonna breathe with no air? You’re not.
On “Forth”, it feels like The Verve have decided to just pick up where they left off in 1999 - and judging by their lack of interviews, probably with the same old internal frailties. What elevated them up from the rest of the indie pack back then was the oft epicness of their tunes and lyrics along with Richard Ashcroft’s immense vocals. And while anybody who’s seen them at any of the myriad festivals they’ve graced this summer will tell you they still pack a punch live, “Forth” just falls into nothingness after a while. RealMusic Blog wanted to like this, we really did, but in the end this album offers up no surprises at all. Primal Scream’s recent offering “Beautiful Future” proved that they have one; The Verve probably still have the fanbase, but colour us unconvinced…
Decide for yourself be playing this Verve album sampler by clicking here…
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Play Verve Radio on RealMusic
“Forth” is out on August 25th.
(Clare Lydon)
