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Review of The Verve's 'Urban Hymns'

© Nick Bendel

Urban Hymns by The Verve is one of those unfortunate albums you want to like, but, despite all the effort, just can't. The reason for all this aural exertion is that the band show they are capable of writing excellent songs; the reason for the disappointment is that they prove themselves to be equally adept at producing poor material.

Simply put, Urban Hymns can be divided into three categories. Firstly there are the quality tracks which truly live up to the album's (pretentious? ironic?) title. These include Sonnet, The Drugs Don't Work, Lucky Man, One Day and Velvet Morning. They are catchy and thoughtful songs with the key being that the vocals are their main element. Most importantly, though, there are enough of them to suggest that the Verve are not a group of talentless hopefuls.

Secondly, there are the lesser numbers which sound like they missed the cut from a U2 album. A harsh appraisal perhaps, but after listening to The Rolling People, Catching The Butterfly and Neon Wilderness it is very hard to come to a different conclusion. The problem with these songs are that the guitar dominates. While that isn't necessarily bad by any means, the unfortunate reality is that the guitar sounds like those annoying bits invariably placed at the end of Oasis tunes - monotonous and draining. The lyrics are often difficult to hear and even when they can be discerned it's hard not to wish that the cacophony surrounding them would just disappear into the background.

Thirdly and finally, there are the average songs which fit in between. These are basically a collection of uninspiring songs with some heavy guitar here and there, dreary melodies and only occasional moments of inspiration. Bitter Sweet Symphony is typical - an instantly likeable introduction with the hint of a good tune which ultimately gets bogged down and loses direction. Space and Time, Weeping Willow, This Time and Come On are also guilty of these charges.

So it can be appreciated why Urban Hymns is one of those frustratingly disappointing albums. Sure, there are quite a few redeeming moments as have already mentioned. Unfortunately (and inaccurately), however, the lasting impression one gets is that these are a band of nobodies who got lucky with some good songs and commercial success. While many fans of The Verve would argue that their infusive guitar is what makes them so good all that actually happens is that it unfairly tarnishes the really good songs in which it is absent.

RATING: 5/10

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