The Verve - Rather Be
[Parlophone]

Without a doubt, 2008 truly belonged to The Verve in terms of anthemic indie music; from their sell-out concerts to a number one album, and not forgetting a headline slot at Glastonbury Festival - it hasn't been a bad year for a band that haven't even spoken for the last decade.

'Rather Be' is the second single from 'Forth' and has hit written all over it. Somewhere between the epic ballad-esque pop of Ashcroft's solo material and the textured guitars of the group's 1995 classic 'Northern Soul', this is The Verve doing what they know best - writing grand-scale sing-a-longs that would fill even the largest of stadiums.

The lengthy time apart has not weakened their sound. Richard's deep vocals have aged well, with a roughness that compliments the sweeping orchestra beautifully, and together they're writing their most structured, polished and mature-sounding material yet. You get the feeling had they not split-up in 1999, they would have eclipsed Oasis as Britain's biggest band a long time ago.