Customer Reviews

Underneath

5 star:		(32)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

With seeing the helpful, yet woefully brief reviews of this CD and this band, I will try to make this as comprehensive and clear as possible. So The Verve Pipe release yet another album. Distraught first by the band's last release and its failure to sell a fraction of "Villians," Brad Vander Ark walked and is currently recording with another band in New York. Big Brother Brian and the band decide to move on, without the help of a permanent bassist and with their backs to the wall. The mission? To increase their fading fan-base and to get them back on the radio and their music back into willing listeners' lives. Did they succeed? Obviously only time can tell the answers to questions like those. But how does the music stack up when compared to their past releases? The answer is less simple than it seems.

First, even before the release of "Underneath," Brian V. Ark admitted that "This will be the band's most commercial release," a natural turn-off for me personally. Yet, I still intended to give the album a try. After all, they ARE one of the most talented bands in the world currently. But inorder to gain the commercial success they were striving for, they forfitted the artsy aspect of their albums that made them in my mind, the forerunners of the fading alternative genre. Blood and guts honesty in the lyrics is painfully dampened, replaced with a more "personable" and acceptable message, mostly about love. The guitars are less cut, sometimes unnoticable altogether, with the pop tunes of Doug's keyboard shine through. Fortunately Vander Ark still has the voice, but only half of the songs on the album are by him, while a less artsy, and more pop driven drummer Donny Brown takes the helms.

Don't get me wrong; the band remains the same, and the talent and potential are still there, but not full-blown a la "Pop Smear" and "Villians." That said about the album as a whole, the songs individually are actually pretty good. Of course TVP ALWAYS puts the rest of the pop world to shame, but this much more achieved and focused on becoming (hopefully) the top of the pop-rock charts. Here's a review of each:

1. "Only Words" - 9/10; Ahhh, it's defenitely good to hear B. Vander Ark's guitar and his trademark album openers once again. This is one of the better tunes. 2. "Never Let You Down" - 8/10; An all-too-obvious pick by the band to be the first single from Underneath, filled with pop-hooks and a classic message of love. TVP is DEFINITELY trying to get back on the radio. But like I said, not a bad song, just not my Cup of Tea (get it?) 3. "I Want All of You" - 8/10; Probably more of a 9/10 song, but Donny's words just don't cause the magic that Vander Ark's do. Pretty darn good, anyway. 4. "Miles Away" - 10/10; Easily one of the best on the album and one of the best by the band overall. THIS is what I wanted to hear more of the first time around. Beauty of a song by B.V.A. 5. "Happiness Is" - 10/10; I guess pop's not ALL bad, eh? One of the best songs Donny's written. 6. "Medicate Myself" - 9/10; More classic Brian. I wish they had done more like this. Less commercial. 7. "Gotta Move On" - Another break-up song by TVP, but even Brian's lyrics seem to be struggling here. Less artsy than the band in past albums. 8. "Local Boys" - 7/10; Don't know why, but this one just doesn't do much for me. Worst on album, but still pretty good. 9. "Colorful" - 9/10; Congrats to Brian on his big screen debut. This song is also in "Rock Star" and it's a good pick to put in a big movie. 10. "Wonderful Waste" - 9/10; I guess Brian still has it in him to play the poet. Great song. 11. "Underneath" - 9/10; And finally, a good, quiet album closer. OVERALL - 8/10.

I wish best of luck to the band and the individuals within to find what they're looking for. OF course I would like to hear something more artistic in the future, and hopefully a lot heavier. Nothing does for me emotionally what a raging electric guitar with introspective lyrics do. Solid 4 Star effort. Nice to have you back, boys.

I found The Verve Pipe when tracking down some favorite songs from movies I'd recorded. Two songs (from "Rock Star" and "Joe Somebody") came from this one band, and I bought this CD as well as Villains and Pop Smear. I can understand the less than complimentary reviews some long-time fans have logged. Some of the pieces on Underneath are a bit over-produced, with too many acoustic gizmos. (Case in point: "Happiness Is".) But I think the more polished presentation also allows TVP's talent to come through on this CD clearer than the others, showcasing catchy and innovative themes, multiple layers, tight harmonic vocals, and lyrics that are worth listening to. (A rare thing these days.) I think this is a good CD for listeners to start with, there are several excellent cuts here I find myself listening to over and over.

When I had first heard the song, "Never Let You Down," on the radio, the verve pipe was a new group to me, I had never heard the name. But that one song was so amazing with the catchy chorus and strong instrumentals, that I forced myself to buy th cd. I certainly don't regret the $17 purchase. Underneath by The Verve Pipe is perhaps the best Cd I have ever listened to. No two songs sound alike, and the style and harmonies are fanatastic. Bryan Vander Ark must have one of the greatest voices I have ever heard come out of a rock band, and I just can't get enough of it. I have now added Villains to my collection, which is a little harder style and equally amazing. I talk about the music with my friends all the time.
Underneath starts out with Only Words, a great first song with good lyrics and awesome harmonies. It then kicks into Never let you down, followed by the less lyrically involved yet still good, I want all of you. Miles Away is one of my favorites on the album, starting slow, but then rolling into a phenomenal chorus that Vander Ark delivers perfectly. The violins that find their way into the third chorus make it even better and more intricate. Happiness Is is one of my absolute favorite songs out there. It hooks you at the very beginning, with clever lyrics and awesome guitar solos. ("Have you ever felt so out of place that the smile on your face was to keep from crying?") Medicate Myself goes back to their older style a bit and sounds great when you turn it up. Gotta move On could be seen as slightly sappy by some, but its got a smooth style and souns real good. Then, you know you're gonna have a good song when it's called "Local Boys" and the words aren't even mentioned in the song. It just describes your typical local boys, with a good deal of great guitar solos. Colorful is in my eyes the best song on the album, starting slow, and getting louder with each verse as more instruments add on. By the time the finale comes along with the violins, guitars and the whole ansemble, it's enough to give you chill bumps no matter how many times you hear it. bryan vander Ark created a phenomenal syphony in that song. Wonderful Waste and Underneath are two good song with more instrumentals and clever lyrics.
I have absolutely nothing bad to say about this CD. It's hard to find a better one out there. The guys of The verve Pipe have come out with another Jewel. Spread the word, these guys are masters of their craft. With astounding lyrics in all of their work from every cd, fantastic instrumentals, and as great a voice as you can find anywhere, there's nothing but great music. A must have! This is one fo the most underrated CD's out there, spread the word, the Verve Pipe is back!

The Verve Pipe return with their latest release, Underneath, and I think that it's a commendable effort by the newly four-man band. From the first track to the last, the album definitely is an easy listen, and is truly better with each listen (and trust me, you will be listening to it nonstop). The band brings back the melodies and harmonies that made them so attractive. In no particular order:

"Only Words" kicks off the bunch as a great jumpstarter to the rest of the songs. "Never Let You Down" is a good single choice because anyone and everyone will be singing along to it on the radio. "Miles Away" and "Gotta Move On" are beautiful tunes, both a testament to the power writing of Brian and Donny. "Happiness Is" and "Wonderful Waste" are wonderfully catchy and will make your feet tap and your head bob. "I Want All of You" is a sexy little number that is better because of its simple lyrics and throbbing beat. "Local Boys" gave me the feeling of their earlier work, which was refreshing, and lyrically entertaining. "Colorful" is amazing in its words and music, made up of heart and emotion, and is simply a tearjerker ballad that rocks. The ear-catching rocker, "Medicate Myself" is a delightful piece of Verve Pipe material that is fantastic, due to its heavy guitars and even heavier topic. "Underneath" sees Brian pulling falsetto and managing to sound pretty damn good.

This album may be billed as simplier than the Verve Pipe's past offerings, but it will definitely manage to get inside your cd player (and your head) and stay there.

Personal favorites: "Miles Away", "Gotta Move On", "Medicate Myself"

In April 1996, my freshman year of college, Verve Pipe performed live. They'd just released their major label debut, Villains, the previous month and the song Photograph was starting to get some serious airplay (at least in their native Michigan, where I was attending college). I purchased Villains and later their Indie label debut EP , I've Suffered A Head Injury and their 2nd release, Pop Smear. Other than a few tracks I really didn't get what all the fuss was about.

For the next few years I was content to ignore them. Their next eponymous release wasn't even a blip on my radar in 1999. Then in 2002, I stumbled upon one of the songs from Underneath and I had to hear more.

At a small out of the way music store in an out of the way strip mall in Elyria, Ohio I picked up a used copy of Underneath-- and the money was very well spent. Unlike their other albums which were lukewarm at best, Underneath was a prize. One of those rare CDs with not a bad track on it, a solid effort from start to finish.

Now when I put this CD on, I'm transported back to cool spring and summer nights of solitude as I was trying to find my way back to me after getting lost somewhere along the way a few months before. Along with Dream Theater's Awake album this CD was my emotional road map that led me back to the person I'd somehow forgotten I was.

This CD is a dissapointing follow up to The Verve Pipe's best album ever. Honestly,their self titled disk was so good it didn't leave my CD player for months. With brilliant lyrics and guitar work in songs like "She Love's Everybody" and "La La", to soaring ballads like "She Has Faces" and the dark love story that is "Kiss Me Idle", I was expecting this next album to blow me away. No such luck.
when I opened the lyrics book, (I always LOVE TVP's lyrics) I was treated to the decent, but not very inspiring
"Only Words". The next two songs were a big step down. "I Will Never Let You Down", and "I Want All of You", are mediocre at best, and so sickeningly sweet that the're dangerous to the health of diabetics.
It gets MUCH better after that, but it still wasn't up to TVP's usual standards. I enjoyed "Colorful" very much, but other than that, the only thing that kept me listening was the catchy tunes, not the lyrics.
The best song on the CD, (and a welcome return to the old compexity I was used to) was the great "Underneath". haunting, beautiful and melodic, this is a great song on an other wise uninspiring album.
This is not to say it does not have it's good moments. Just not as many as I would like.

I hadn't heard much from this group, but when I heard Colorful at the end of the movie Rock Star I had to order this CD. Little did I know that this CD would be so filled with great songs. BUY THIS CD!

Kevin

This is a great CD with not one bad song on it. The mix is
incredible and is a absolutely awesome headphone CD. The lyrics
are great as usual and Brian Vander Ark's vocals are better than
ever. As good as 'Villians'.

In the egosystem of rock'n'roll, it's a fight for first, survival of the fittest, where the strong come out on top and the weak are left dangling at the bottom of the Rock Foodchain - innocent prey to be swallowed up into nothingness at any given time. Survival in this world depends solely on musical instincts, and they don't come any keener than those of The Verve Pipe, a formidable alliance of Michigan boys who, since the early 1990s, have thrived by making music their way ... or the highway. Music critics have had trouble understanding and categorizing The Verve Pipe's music, but that's due to the fact that the band itself refuses to be "categorized." "Great tunes, played from the heart" - that's the Verve Pipe philosophy.
That philosophy holds true on UNDERNEATH, the band's newest RCA album and definitely their most upbeat compared to previous albums.
Released September 25, UNDERNEATH is thought by many to be a milestone in Verve Pipe music history. Arguably, it marks what can be considered the band's largest step in its musical evolution. The songs alternate between atmospherically dark and sunny, death and life, love and rejection, making the album TVP's most pleasing and accessible to date.
The album kicks off with "Only Words," a bitter diatribe laced with subtle soul and a dazzling chorus. "Happiness Is" provides a glimpse at the band's "metal" side, with rocking lyrics and a choral demonstration that is undeniably Beatlesque. "Never Let You Down," an upbeat lyrical masterpiece, is definitely one of the album's most endearing tracks, telling of a newfound love and the unwillingness to disappoint the find.
With the September 11 tragedy, the guys have found it hard to refocus their energies on promoting their new music to fans and non-TVP fans, and providing the nation with an extensive tour. They've done what they could, however, to stay alive during this nationally depressing time, performing a couple Red Cross charity concerts, with unflinching support from both an online and offline Verve Pipe Street Team. According to the latest statistics, UNDERNEATH has sold about 10,000+ copies nationwide as of yet. Unfortunately, until the national attention is focused on more than the recent attacks, the Verve Pipe has reluctantly decided to cancel all UNDERNEATH tours dated after October.
The album is, to say the least, one of the most in-depth and well thought out on the market today. Surely, with its intelligent lyrics, exceptional depth, and unique character, UNDERNEATH will have Pipers, both new and old, begging for more.

Right off from track one I was blown away. This is hands down the best work for BVA. It is sad to see a band of this caliber split up, but none the less, "miles away" and "medicate" are two the most lyricly interesting songs on the cd. I think that it will be a long time till we see another album of this magnitude