Album Reviews: Brian Wilson and The Verve.
My job in the magazines department of a successful book, CD and DVD retailer does have its perks, amongst them the opportunity to hear new(ish) albums piped into the store via a multi-disc changer in the office. Recent albums I've been hearing a lot of lately include The Verve's Forth and Brian Wilson's That Lucky Old Sun.
Now, perhaps more dedicated and, let's be frank, better writers would make sure they take the time to hear an album properly, at least with the tracks sequenced in their intended order and not interspersed with entries for this years Mercury Prize and classics of Seventies soft rock. Mind you, perhaps more dedicated, better, writers have a bigger budget to buy CDs on spec. Me? I'm living beyond my means on a bookseller's wage and I think I've heard enough to start casting my judgements.
I was dubious about The Verve reunion the moment I heard about it. That doesn't make me especially insightful or perceptive. I'm sure I'm just one of thousands who were equally sceptical. After all, even at their best The Verve skirted dangerously close to being pompous, pretentious and plodding. Meanwhile, Richard Ashcroft's solo career has done little to reassure us he's still firing on all songwriting cylinders.
So, the whooping, rocking lead single Love Is Noise was something of a pleasant suprise. After all, even their most ardent supporters had little reason to suspect that The Verve were still capable of being so upbeat, so energised, so concise. If the whole album lived up to this one track we'd be looking at a bloody good record. But it doesn't. Sadly, Love Is Noise proves to be the exception rather than the rule. Everything else is slow, gloomy and outstays its welcome by about four minutes.
Now, with the The Verve cooly dismissed, lets get on to Brian Wilson. To many it's a suprise that Wilson's still capable of recording new music at all and we can all applaud the effort that has gone in these past few years, bringing Wilson's recording career back from the dead. However, that still leaves the rather awkward issue of whether or not the results are actually any good? Musically, That Lucky Old Sun is just what you would expect from Brian Wilson, lush, melodic and stuffed with harmonies. What's missing is the lighness, the euphoria and joy that those sixties Beach Boys records still evoke. Wilson's songs still sound like Beach Boys songs, there's even an exquisite little accapella moment that could be a long lost sibling to SMiLE's Our Prayer, but here they're mere rehashes, throwing the slightly stale ingredients together again and hoping for the best.
He doesn't do himself any favours with the lyrics. After all, Brian Wilson has lived an interesting enough life. He's endured drug abuse and family tragedy, been hailed as a genius, worshipped as a superstar and dismissed as a drug-addled husk. Surely he's got something interesting to say about it all? In fact a bit of regret tinged reminiscience would be just the job for Wilsons older, slightly craggy voice. But no, Wilson's still determined to reassure us that as long as the sun shines and there are cars and girls beneath it everythings alright with the world. We've heard it all before and in this new more cynical century we no longer quite believe it.
It's a comforting thought, the idea that our heroes might once again capture their former glories and create new, fresh music that excites us just as much as the stuff that captured our hearts in the first place. To believe it can be done reassures us, suggests that we too might might cheat time and avoid the diminishment of our powers that comes with age. Sadly however, the end product almost never meets up to our expectations and once again this has proven to be the case. Still, with loads of great new music around at the moment and people like Damon Albarn refusing to look back to former glories but instead twisting their music into new and exciting shapes it's no bad thing to ignore the Ashcrofts and Wilsons of this world and embrace the new. Or something.
Now, perhaps more dedicated and, let's be frank, better writers would make sure they take the time to hear an album properly, at least with the tracks sequenced in their intended order and not interspersed with entries for this years Mercury Prize and classics of Seventies soft rock. Mind you, perhaps more dedicated, better, writers have a bigger budget to buy CDs on spec. Me? I'm living beyond my means on a bookseller's wage and I think I've heard enough to start casting my judgements.
I was dubious about The Verve reunion the moment I heard about it. That doesn't make me especially insightful or perceptive. I'm sure I'm just one of thousands who were equally sceptical. After all, even at their best The Verve skirted dangerously close to being pompous, pretentious and plodding. Meanwhile, Richard Ashcroft's solo career has done little to reassure us he's still firing on all songwriting cylinders.
So, the whooping, rocking lead single Love Is Noise was something of a pleasant suprise. After all, even their most ardent supporters had little reason to suspect that The Verve were still capable of being so upbeat, so energised, so concise. If the whole album lived up to this one track we'd be looking at a bloody good record. But it doesn't. Sadly, Love Is Noise proves to be the exception rather than the rule. Everything else is slow, gloomy and outstays its welcome by about four minutes.
Now, with the The Verve cooly dismissed, lets get on to Brian Wilson. To many it's a suprise that Wilson's still capable of recording new music at all and we can all applaud the effort that has gone in these past few years, bringing Wilson's recording career back from the dead. However, that still leaves the rather awkward issue of whether or not the results are actually any good? Musically, That Lucky Old Sun is just what you would expect from Brian Wilson, lush, melodic and stuffed with harmonies. What's missing is the lighness, the euphoria and joy that those sixties Beach Boys records still evoke. Wilson's songs still sound like Beach Boys songs, there's even an exquisite little accapella moment that could be a long lost sibling to SMiLE's Our Prayer, but here they're mere rehashes, throwing the slightly stale ingredients together again and hoping for the best.
He doesn't do himself any favours with the lyrics. After all, Brian Wilson has lived an interesting enough life. He's endured drug abuse and family tragedy, been hailed as a genius, worshipped as a superstar and dismissed as a drug-addled husk. Surely he's got something interesting to say about it all? In fact a bit of regret tinged reminiscience would be just the job for Wilsons older, slightly craggy voice. But no, Wilson's still determined to reassure us that as long as the sun shines and there are cars and girls beneath it everythings alright with the world. We've heard it all before and in this new more cynical century we no longer quite believe it.
It's a comforting thought, the idea that our heroes might once again capture their former glories and create new, fresh music that excites us just as much as the stuff that captured our hearts in the first place. To believe it can be done reassures us, suggests that we too might might cheat time and avoid the diminishment of our powers that comes with age. Sadly however, the end product almost never meets up to our expectations and once again this has proven to be the case. Still, with loads of great new music around at the moment and people like Damon Albarn refusing to look back to former glories but instead twisting their music into new and exciting shapes it's no bad thing to ignore the Ashcrofts and Wilsons of this world and embrace the new. Or something.
Labels: Brian Wilson, Music review, The Verve
posted by Chris Chopping @ 5:33 AM
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