Album Review: The Verve—‘Forth’

The Verve is back with the release of their new album “Forth.”
Album Review: The Verve—‘Forth’
(Parlophone)
9/5/2008
Updated:
9/5/2008

<a href="https://www.theepochtimes.com/assets/uploads/2015/07/forth_medium.jpg"><img src="https://www.theepochtimes.com/assets/uploads/2015/07/forth_medium.jpg" alt=" (Parlophone)" title=" (Parlophone)" width="320" class="size-medium wp-image-73215"/></a>
 (Parlophone)
Highlighting a tumultuous career that includes three previous albums, two band break-ups, and losing a lawsuit that resulted in zero earnings from their break-through hit Bittersweet Symphony, The Verve is back with the release of their new album “Forth.”

There is a well-rounded catalogue of fresh songs on this effort that give long time fans something to hold on to with the ability to draw in new listeners. The Verve’s spacey vibe is still present on Forth along with some solid song writing.

Known to release exotic sounding British pop/rock albums, The Verve’s third album Urban Hymns put them at the forefront of the late 1990s music scene. The album featured their most popular single to date, Bitter Sweet Symphony, which  lived up to its name when the group was sued for sampling a portion of the Rolling Stones orchestral rendition of The Last Time. The publishing rights and royalties to the single were lost to the Rolling Stones, who went on to sell the song for several advertising campaigns.

<a href="https://www.theepochtimes.com/assets/uploads/2015/07/Verve_medium.jpg"><img src="https://www.theepochtimes.com/assets/uploads/2015/07/Verve_medium.jpg" alt="Richard Ashcroft of The Verve performs on the Pyramid stage during day three of the Glastonbury Festival at Worthy Farm, Pilton on June 29, in Glastonbury, Somerset, England. (Jim Dyson/Getty Images)" title="Richard Ashcroft of The Verve performs on the Pyramid stage during day three of the Glastonbury Festival at Worthy Farm, Pilton on June 29, in Glastonbury, Somerset, England. (Jim Dyson/Getty Images)" width="320" class="size-medium wp-image-73216"/></a>
Richard Ashcroft of The Verve performs on the Pyramid stage during day three of the Glastonbury Festival at Worthy Farm, Pilton on June 29, in Glastonbury, Somerset, England. (Jim Dyson/Getty Images)

The Verve had other troubles that lead to a long hiatus , with the band reuniting in 2007.
The Verve utilizes all four parts of their line up—Peter Salisbury on drums, Simon Jones on bass, Nick McCabe on lead guitar, and Richard Ashcroft vocals to evoke a well layered sound. The solid rhythm section lines up with the airy guitar lines and penetrating vocals.

Highlights on Forth include the opening track Sit and Wonder. Despite being another love song in the world of rock and roll, there are some unique sounds and production elements.

I See Houses also stands with a soothing and dreamy melody run by the piano and lead guitar. The peaceful lyrics feature the line “How many lives will I waste? How many tears must I taste, before my freedom?” The overall picture painted by the musical expression is one of looking at the world from a distance and calmly commenting on it.

Forth is a solid addition to The Verve’s discography that now spans fifteen years.

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