Like a cat in a bag waiting to drown (Urban Hymns - The Verve)

Member Name: mo79

Product:	Urban Hymns - The Verve
Date:	08/05/01 (125 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: The singles, and a couple of other 'alright' songs

Disadvantages: Pretty much most of the rest of the album

In British music 1997 was the year of The Verve, atleast in terms of popularity (Radiohead's far better 'OK Computer' was overshadowed) that made dents in the year due to mainly two classic singles, a interest from the press who previously didn't care before, and a history that was finally coming to and end - permanently.
Apart one split before, The Verve reformed plus one new member and delivered the Chris Potter and Youth (Killing Joke) produced 'Urban Hymns'. You must've been in a coma in '97, if you hadn't heard of anything about this album. This is the last Verve album, probably ever now.

The thing that first attracted me to The Verve was the album's debut single 'Bitter Sweet Symphony'. I thought it was a great song, and the video was brilliant too. I don't know about anybody else, but I remember '97 being a bad year, not a horrible year but if I was asked to define my '97 personally I couldn't say I enjoyed it (but I'm not gonna bore you with that Thom Yorke style misery!). I wonder if anyone did as '97 was quite a sullen or dark year for music. It was in the air. Anyway, this song seemed a good commercial soundtrack for the year, for many.

Anyway, with interest in their number 2 single, I was then again impressed by 'The Drugs Don't Work' which reached number 1. I decided on splashing out on the album, but was somewhat miffed as the strong b-sides on the singles hinted that they must have a vast variety of good material, but I was wrong as the singles were better than the album which borders on being average.
Needless to say the singles are good, 'Bitter Sweet...' sweeping strings and 'The Drugs...' slide guitar, but the lyrically uplifting 'Lucky Man' and the cheesy 'Sonnet' weren't as good.

Things don't get better with the averagely satisfying piece of indie in 'The Rolling People'. It's
kind of like Primal Scream, but not as good, and 'Catching The Butterfly' is just cod chill-out Dad rock indie. I didn't expect The Verve to be just another average indie band particularly after the great singles, and investing in their other albums which were great, though it seemed The Verve declined as they began to progress.

'Neon Wilderness' is the album's arty moment, but it's not even that interesting, but funnily enough it's also probably one of the non-singles most interesting moments.

Following this is more yawn on the chilled out old man guitar-isms of 'Space And Time', and then there's 'Weeping Willow' a song torn straight out the pages of a song book by Noel Gallagher - it has that familiar indie drum beat and swagger.

And 'One Day' is more slow yawn. It's not a bad soundtrack to how you feel when you wake up, in a perfect mood (a rarity though as most of us are head-bombed in the morning). Yes, love is a great old thing but not when it's being applied to OAP's holding hands at Blackpool Pier.

'This Time' though isn't bad, another alright song with it's smooth rolly bass, shifty percussion, and textured guitar bits.

'Velvet Morning' is more acoustic folk vinyl-crackled-liked fodder. It's one of those kind of sullen moments that go a bit over the top that it's almost a joke. It's Radiohead's 'Exit Music (For A Film)' without the evident joke.

Last song 'Come On' is not bad too (which means excluding the singles there's only 2/3 songs that are pleasing enough, barely) with it's authorative drum and bass foundations, Ashcroft's emotional rantings and passable guitar swagger - and ooh Ashcroft swears near the end of the song - "this is a big f*** you!"
And to cap things off there's a pointless hidden sound segment of a baby crying over hymn music to
an urban soundscape - 'Urban Hymns' geedit?
Maybe it was wise for The Verve to curtail themselves at this commercial peak to avoid tarnishment of their past.
I admit I quite enjoyed this album for a bit, but looking back all I really did was play the singles, and so this is quite a poor album when it has to rely on it's singles. The best thing about 1997 Verve was their singles, the album isn't really worth the purchase of other 2/3 good enough songs. If you want to try the Verve at their best try the preceeding 'A Northern Soul' which was their at-the-time indie at their best, but their personal timeless best is their '93 debut 'A Storm In Heaven' (and Verve EP before this) which saw them as an almost completely different band.
Good singles, a few good songs - it's not totally crap, but it's not even bordering near good. It borders below average - 2/5.

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