I'm still not sure what I make of The Verve's reformation.
True, 'A Northern Soul' remains one of my favourite ever albums.
But with the lacklustre, plod-rock, MOR efforts of Richard Ashcroft's solo career, it doesn't exactly fill me with confidence. It almost feels like a safety move. Running back with his tale between his legs to the comfort and familiarity of a big brand.
At least that's what I was thinking until about 10:30 this morning when the NME posted a free download of new material from the band. And now I'm confused. Listening to it was like stepping into a time portal and being whisked back to the days before that Stones sample. Before they tacked the 'The' onto their name. The days when Richard Ashcroft was more than the arrogant rock star iconicly swaggering down a street ploughing through whoever crossed his path. 'The Thaw Sessions' is a seemingly improvised 14 minute track that harks back to the band's psychedelic, shoe-gazey incarnation. Depending on your viewpoint, it's either a loose experimental jam held together by a tight rhythm section, as Nick McCabe's swirling, echoey guitars float and swoosh around the mantra of Aschroft's visionary messiah. Or, it's 14 minutes of noodling, effects laden guitars amid meandering psycho babble and quasi-philosophy that's mistaken greeting card prose for insight into the human condition.
In truth, it's probably a bit of both. As for me? Well I'm dabbling in the former camp and hoping that it bodes well for the future. Hopefully, if Ashcroft's ego stays in check and the whole band continue their input, The Verve could be one of the more successful reunions of recent years and not just an indulgent exercise in nostalgia.
Here for comparison, is the new track along with an old favourite from The Verve EP recorded 15 years ago and Richard Ashcroft doing an acoustic version of 'Bittersweet Symphony'.
The Verve - the thaw session
The Verve - endless life
Richard Ashcroft - bittersweet symphony (live acoustic version)
mp3 / music / the verve
Monday, October 22, 2007
Don't you let me go
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6 comments:
god I hate richard ashcroft. He talks absolute drivel. Sonnet remains amazing though.
why cant you post an mp3 like a normal blogger? i cant open this friggin zip file crap.
i agree that RA stuff has been medicore at best, and pretty forgettable. Im excited about the new album though- and hope that VERVE as a band can really make something happen...
The whole point of the band is McCabe. Without his genius the verve would be just as plod rock as Ashcrofts woeful solo crap.
To download you have save as... then remove all the excess crap at the end... and make sure its not saving as a winzip. I bit tricky, but certainly not too much of a pain for free tunes.
I'm loving the gratefulness of anonymous above. ;-)
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