Warning: the Verve???s wittily titled fourth album--the first since their reformation in 2007--is no Urban Hymns Part II. That much is clear from the album???s first single "Love Is Noise," a punchy-yet-addictive propulsive rocker, but it???s a fact underlined several times on the remainder of the album. Taking a determined stroll along the boulevard of experimentalism, the band mix up their slick strings and ringing guitars with dense drums and murky soundscapes for this comeback album. Opening cut ???Sit and Wonder??? sets the tone: a lurching, bluesy tune with a loose, jam-session feel that maintains its groove for almost seven minutes. The soaring (and shorter) ???Rather Be,??? the dreamy ???Judas??? and the plodding ???I See Houses??? bring us closer to the classic Verve sound, but the retreat into moody psychedelia continues anew with ???Numbness,??? the intense ???Noise Epic??? and the kaleidoscopic, Can-like ???Colombo???. Despite these darker moments being indulgently drawn-out at times they serve to raise the more euphonious moments--surprise anthems like ???Valium Skies??? included--to even more heavenly realms, and create a compelling chiaroscuro along the way. --Danny McKenna

the verves comeback after a decade away is an album that seems to have divided fans.i think its great to have them back,nick mccabe is a genius and ashcrofts voice is better than ever.love is noise is a great kick start to their comeback,and a surprising one too,the danciest record they have made.the soothing and mellow judas and valium skies,along with rather be is the verve at their most laid back and sounds a lot like their early pre urban hymns days.best track though is sit and wonder its amzing with mcabes explosive guitars working up a deep,dark groove,easily the best song of the year and if evidence the verve reforming was a good thing this is it.if you have a record player its worth buying the rather be singles backed up by new songs all night long and major force these would have made the album even better they are great.also doing the rounds on the net is an unreleased song 'blue pacific ocean' its as good as anything they have ever done,psychedelic and mellow lets hope it gets a release soon.after lots of hyped up bands who fail to deliver - kings of leon,snow patrol and keane its great to see the verve back lets hope we dont wait to long on album no 5.

I bought the box set for ??40 which includes Ma Ma Soul + Muhammad Ali...I have to say if you like the verve when they are playing together as a band rather than Ashcroft's wave your lighters in the air stadium rockers - then you will enjoy these tracks..Muhammad Ali especialy is a strog verve jam like song...Ma Ma Soul is also good its just they all sound a bit lethargic. I would also say to listen to the b sides from the singles which are much better than the album tracks (you can hear McCabe)..honest!

It is great to hear new material by the Verve. I do not agree that this sounds like a Richard Ashcroft solo record, it is far superior to that.... It contains outstanding songs including Sit and Wonder and Judas. Not sure why this has had negative reviews as the material is pure quality.

Obviously Love is Noise is a great track, certainly the most obvious choice for a single, their stunning live performance of it at Glastonbury was certainly a testament to its energetic, crowd pleasing potential. However, if I had to take a pick of the bunch, I would go for Appalachian Springs and Sit & Wonder as being my favourites, closely followed by Valium Skies and Judas - each one equally as detailed and soulful as the next.

So that's 5 tracks that instantly grabbed my attention upon first listen!!! - and you know what? - that's FIVE more tracks than any other album I've heard this year, or for the last 5 years in fact, so for that reason alone, 5 stars is well deserved.

Overall the detail in each composition is excellent, the guitar work superb, and the lyrics are delivered in a powerful, emotional way - exactly how they should be, and in terms of track running order, it flows nicely too.

I think it's one of those albums that will certainly grow on people more and more with each listen, and I would say the environment and mood you are in whilst listening to it will make a whole lot of difference too - this is especially true for the additional tracks I've not yet mentioned - they are all growers. The vibe is deep and detailed, and requires a bit more than just a passing flick through the CD to find out what's going on. If all you want is a collection of lame 3 minute pop songs, then look elsewhere.

Chill out, and listen to it properly from start to end several times, just relax and be prepared to be taken on a journey, and I'm sure you'll come back appreciating it more and more each time.

With Forth I think The Verve done a stellar job, it might not have so many obvious 'stadium anthems' as Urban Hymns, but it's certainly very deep and detailed with plenty of soul, which for me, is what music should be all about - here's to hoping they can hold it together long enough to pull off another one, and with any luck do a few more gigs too!

I bought this album last week and forcefully misplaced it. It's not a happy do, this. I listened to it twice just to be sure i was once again medically depressed. We are now in an age where happiness is of paramount importance. This should be the soundtrack to Emmerdale or Eastenders. That would just about finish off the nation! How much more self pity and auditory gruel can we take? How have they got away with a forth? Go spank your stereo, spit it out! spit it out! dirty! Now slip in a bit of Corrosion of Conformity and whack out the good vibes dude and CHEER UP! COC know how to complain in a positive, happy fashion. See! "positive happy fashion" now that's a name for an album. Forth? not on my watch buzzo.