Verve - Love is Noise

  by Anthony Strutt

published: 23 / 8 / 2008

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Review

The Verve return after a gap of ten years with their forthcoming fourth album, which is entitled ‘Forth’. The first single from it, and their first single since 98's 'Sonnet', is ‘Love is Noise’, is currently all over the air waves and has been the main track to be shown on TV during their recent festival appearances. ‘Love is Noise' is a decent track, very commercial in a big pop way. Depending on how you place the Verve, you will either love this track or it will grate on you, as the Verve sometimes can do. The harmonies do sound better on record than live. On first hearing, I thought it was a reasonable Richard Ashcroft solo number which the Verve have spread their magic all over, but, as you live with it and hear it more often, it does easily becomes one of the best numbers of the summer. The B-side of the CDS, ‘Chic Dub’, has a massive space rock sound. This is exactly why I fell in love with them back in 1992 and the sort of material they were doing before their first and best album, ‘A Storm in Heaven’. The vocal here is more of an afterthought, while the music is almost prog enough in feel for you to trip right out on. There are also two 7” inch vinyl versions, each with a different B side. On the clear vinyl 7 inch is a live reading of track called ‘A Man Called Sun’, which was originally the B side of their debut single, ‘All in the Mind. This version was recorded at the London Roundhouse last November during the first reunion tour of their second reunion and is Richard Ashcroft's favourite B side of all their singles as well as being mine. It is a chilled out space rock track, with a perfect groove, brilliant played and pure bliss. It is worth buying for this alone! On the B side is the heavyweight gatefold black vinyl version of ‘Let the Damage Begin’, another live version of a former B side, this time from the CD single, ‘This is Music’. It is grungy in sound, with chunky riffs and hard hitting drums. Richard's vocals are very gritty, while Nick McCabe’s guitar combines the blues of the White Stripes with the distortion of the Black Rebel Motorcycle Club. Great stuff ! Let’s hope the album is of the same high standard.

Track Listing:-

1 Love Is Noise
2 Chic Dub
3 Let The Damage Begin (Live 2007)
4 A Man Called Sun (Live 2007)
5 Love Is Noise (The Freelance Hellraiser Remix)

Band Links:-

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Verv
https://www.facebook.com/theverve/
https://twitter.com/genuineverve

Label Links:-

http://www.parlophone.co.uk/
https://www.facebook.com/parlophone
https://twitter.com/parlophone
http://parlophonerecords.tumblr.com/
https://www.youtube.com/user/Parlophon
https://instagram.com/parlophone/