Saturday, March 29, 2014

#276: The Verve - Urban Hymns (1997)


Zack: Emily and I have a disagreement over whether or not The Verve are a one-hit wonder, a disagreement that may stem from the fact that she has worshipped at the gospel of Vh1 too long or because I severely overrate the quality of Love Is Noise. It went to No. 1…in Ireland. Okay, point taken. But the real point is that Bitter Sweet Symphony is a bitchin song and they went ahead and put that first, daring you to try and listen to the other 11 without doubling back and listen to those strings in the world’s most brass- and woodwind-less symphony. If you can get past that, it’s totally worth doing so. Not every song on this album is a winner, but there are plenty that can jump out at you during even a casual listen.

Favorite Tracks: Bitter Sweet Symphony; Weeping Willow; One Day

Emily: I was surprised to learn that The Verve, like many others on this list, have a whole album that's more than just the famous single over and over again. However, I think an album of Bitter Sweet Symphony played 12 times in a row would be preferably to the rest of Urban Hymns. It wasn't a bad album, just dull. Bitter Sweet Symphony starts it out on a high note with its iconic strings and hummable melody. From there, though, I just got bored. A few songs briefly picked up my interest, but they all seemed to blend together after a while. Maybe I wasn't in the right mood for an evening of Urban Hymns, but I think The Verve should've just stuck with their one-hit strategy.
Favorite Tracks: Bitter Sweet Symphony; Space and Time; Velvet Morning

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