| The Verve Pipe - Underneath |
|
|
| Music Disc Reviews Audio CD | ||||||||||||||||||
| Written by Brian Kahn | ||||||||||||||||||
| Tuesday, 25 September 2001 | ||||||||||||||||||
The Verve Pipe’s latest album, Underneath, is extremely important to the success of this band after their slump. The Verve Pipe made their commercial breakthrough with "Freshmen," but not much commercial success has come to band since then. It seems that the band needs this album to do well to maintain a place in the crowded alternative/college music scene. They are the kind of band that has blended in with so many other soft alternative rockers that it’s hard to hear the opening chord of a Verve Pipe song and know exactly which band you’re hearing. The Spin Doctors may have been the cheesiest band of their time, but at least they had a sound of their own. The Verve Pipe hopes to define their sound a little more this time around with Underneath. The band has produced a much better album in Underneath than their last, self-titled release. The writing on Underneath is much tighter and all 11 tracks work well to demonstrate the band’s strength and their development since we were first introduced to them. Brian Vander Ark and Donny Brown of the band split the writing duties on this new release. Despite having two writers, the album remains well-integrated. The band sounds much more at ease, more comfortable this time around. They have improved their musical skills and have become more comfortable in their own skins and with their successes. The music on Underneath is reminiscent of ‘80’s rock and roll – matured and grown up, but with definite decades-old roots. Brian Vander Ark’s vocals start strong with the first track "Only Words" and remain strong throughout the album. Underneath retains the feel of going to hear a local favorite band in a small club throughout, from the up-beat, slickly produced "Only Words" to the melancholy "Medicate Myself". Underneath is a refreshing, well-produced, well-written album for those looking for good, simple honest rock ‘n’ roll. Like this article? Bookmark and share with any of the sites below.        |
||||||||||||||||||
