Growing up, the radio used to be my best friend. DJs used to turn us on to great new music from an seemingly endless stream of new artists. I never thought days would come where I would hate the radio. But now music is merely sandwiched in-between a zillion commercials and asinine conversation from the most unfunny dolts you've ever heard. The 5 or 6 songs we do manage to hear are usually lackluster beyond words, and repeated every day for weeks as if these are the only musicians on the planet.
I have yet another reason today to hate radio...radio failed to introduce me to Verbow. How can such a great band with a unique but assessable sound go so unnoticed? I found the 2000 Verbow CD "White Out" on the Island of Misfit CDs ($1 bin at used CD store) - a true diamond in the rough. My incentive for taking a risk on this CD was that for some reason I remembered that Bob Mould had a connection with this group. I recently refreshed my memory and discovered that Bob recorded their previous record, "Chronicles" in 1997.
The first 7 tracks of "White Out" just pick you up and don't let you. A fantastic vibe and momentum carries these tracks along and sweeps you away in their melodic current. I enjoy the vocals a lot more than I do Bob Mould, but Verbow certainly shares a talent for writing great heartfelt rock songs like Bob. I love the well placed cello throughout the songs - one might expect this on the slower numbers, but they can make it rock too! Nearly every track boasts beautiful harmonies, thought-provoking lyrics, jamming riffs, and catchy choruses.
While nearly every song is great, "New History" is a track that should have been huge at radio. This one was produced by AOR and rock genius Chris Lord-Alge. "Ambulance" is another fine slice of mid-tempo pop rock. It is tragic the industry did them in with only 2 albums to show for it. One of the guys (Jason Narducy) has a new band called Rockets Over Sweden, but I have yet to check them out.
iPOD-worthy: 1-7, 11
Jason Narducy at MySpace.
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