Rather Be The Verve Reviewed By : Michael Simon

The Verve are back! And they've got an album! And a single! But not like the Spice Girls or Take That. Oh, no. The Verve are more back for gloom than good.

And, you know, fair enough: people liked The Verve being maudlin. They were very good at it. Sure, Leonard Cohen, Johnny Cash at his best, were glum – The Cure and Morrissey were grumpy. But The Verve… now The Verve were really depressing; passionately, enthusiastically miserable. The Verve was a band made for Feeling Gloomy. And they only got two years touring out of Urban Hymns. No wonder they were pissed.

Rather Be, the second release from Forth, feels so self-consciously intended as A Verve Single that it's hard to imagine it really was written prior to their reunion. 'There's no need for introductions,' it begins, placing itself firmly in the Verve comfort zone, comfortingly familiar Ashcroft dirge overlaying Hymnsy guitars as beautifully as it ever did. It only takes until 1:06 Ashcroft for the first 'pain' (twinned with ‘fame’, of course. It’s a hard life).

“But I’d rather be here than be anywhere”?  The Verve have tricked us! This song isn't sad at all. There might be references to, oh – misery, grief and the world tearing you in half –  but “is there anywhere better”? Apparently not. Is this about Richard Ashcroft's love life? Probably. Does it read like a cypher for the state of the band? Absolutely.

Previous single Love is Noise may be more obviously innovative and rocky, but then it also has those annoying Little Britain, 'Eh-eh-ohhhhhh,' backing vocals. Rather Be, in contrast, is resplendent, understated. marinaded by 10 years of Ashcroft's own material.It might not be better than the classics, but it is more than adequate as a reintroduction to our favourite family gloom.

6/10

 

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