Bay
Area space/dream pop band Vervein, who recently toured
the West Coast with American Analog Set, appear poised on the brink
of much-deserved broader notoriety with their excellent second LP, The
Weather Inside. The hallmarks are all there: ever-present reverb,
soft/loud section swaps, dual female vocals and dynamics as far as the
eye can see. Yet the precision and excitement with which Vervein uses
these beloved tools makes them a loyal favorite of the lucky few who
happen upon their albums and live set. Opener "Code Orange"
starts with a confident boom and spacey, vintage 4AD
Records-esque guitar before singer/guitarist Jess Congdon's vocals leads
the song on a journey through distorted bombast, past subtle cello and
quickly out to the other side. The muscular, yet soothing bass of "Walkie
Talkie" gives way to the sparse guitar and surprisingly acrobatic
drumming of "Overlook". "Bully" is somber and heartsick,
while "Pelican" opens with an explosion of distortion congealing
to reveal a taut interplay of bass and drums. "Rite of Way",
like much of The Weather Inside, sounds like it belongs on
the soundtrack to a great little movie that, while commercially underwhelming,
would become a sentimental favorite of discriminating teenagers the
world over. Not there’s anything pandering or maudlin about Vervein’s
music – at no point do they hint at the stylized heartbreak of
Hot Topic emo. A band whose music is this nuanced and moving
should be held tightly by people for whom music is about more than jaded
hipster cred and commuting relief. Had Vervein been around in the early
90’s and I been somehow aware of them, my need for multiple Tori
Amos albums would surely have been curbed.
While
MANY bands have figured out the ideal shoegaze guitar pedal layout,
making what was once sacred and novel fairly commonplace, very few of
those bands look past the lullaby shimmer of their feedback long enough
to write any actual songs. Vervein, on the other hand, is all about
the song craft and vocal performance, using the stomp boxes and electric
atmosphere as a tasteful palate rather than a pastiche crutch. Both
The Weather Inside and 2003's Vast
Low Cities are rich, rewarding records whose pop may be too
mature and noise too tolerable for the indie hype machines but could
be just right for you and your cool teenage cousin.
Bay
Area space/dream pop band Vervein, who recently toured
the West Coast with American Analog Set, appear poised on the brink
of much-deserved broader notoriety with their excellent second LP, The
Weather Inside. The hallmarks are all there: ever-present reverb,
soft/loud section swaps, dual female vocals and dynamics as far as the
eye can see. Yet the precision and excitement with which Vervein uses
these beloved tools makes them a loyal favorite of the lucky few who
happen upon their albums and live set. Opener "Code Orange"
starts with a confident boom and spacey, vintage 4AD
Records-esque guitar before singer/guitarist Jess Congdon's vocals leads
the song on a journey through distorted bombast, past subtle cello and
quickly out to the other side. The muscular, yet soothing bass of "Walkie
Talkie" gives way to the sparse guitar and surprisingly acrobatic
drumming of "Overlook". "Bully" is somber and heartsick,
while "Pelican" opens with an explosion of distortion congealing
to reveal a taut interplay of bass and drums. "Rite of Way",
like much of The Weather Inside, sounds like it belongs on
the soundtrack to a great little movie that, while commercially underwhelming,
would become a sentimental favorite of discriminating teenagers the
world over. Not there’s anything pandering or maudlin about Vervein’s
music – at no point do they hint at the stylized heartbreak of
Hot Topic emo. A band whose music is this nuanced and moving
should be held tightly by people for whom music is about more than jaded
hipster cred and commuting relief. Had Vervein been around in the early
90’s and I been somehow aware of them, my need for multiple Tori
Amos albums would surely have been curbed. 
