The Verve Pipe: The Verve Pipe : Music Reviews : Rolling Stone

Album Reviews

Two years after going platinum with Villains, the Verve Pipe still sound like Michigan grungelings who teethed on the Psychedelic Furs. Guided by the sure hand of producer Michael Beinhorn (Marilyn Manson, Hole), however, that's not necessarily a bad aesthetic. On songs such as the catchy anti-stardom rant "Supergig," Brian Vander Ark's hoarse, fake-British-accented vocals swell to arena proportions and go head-to-head with guitarist A.J. Dunning's fuzz-flecked power chords. Elsewhere, Dunning's heavier dirges are softened by acoustic interludes and lilting, synth-rock hooks from Doug Corella's keyboards. Unfortunately, lush production can't disguise The Verve Pipe's lack of heart. Vander Ark may feign self-revelation on the slick "Hero" ("I'm just a jerk / But a hero's what I wanna be / Yeah oh yeah"), but his words, like their derivative midtempo accompaniment, are too unoriginal to be convincing. They form a tidy, disposable sentiment that basks in its trendy content; beneath its moody sheepskin, The Verve Pipe is a decent, disposable album that does the same. (RS 820)

NEVA CHONIN