
THE VERLAINES : Corporate Moronic
By Simon Sweetman
It’s nice to have The Verlaines back releasing strong material because they ran the risk of being a name so often mentioned as a back-in-the-day influence that the threat of how good they were could have ended up being alienating for potential young listeners. But with ‘Corporate Moronic’ The Verlaines offer a gift to older fans who know exactly what to expect and open the door to those with ears who appreciate fresh ideas. The other reason it’s good to have The Verlaines back releasing material (particularly this superb new album) is because Dr Graeme Downes is a fantastic songwriter. One of our best. And here he thumbs through the pages of his mind, providing thoughts on politics, offering story songs that are dressed in near-cabaret attire. The guitars may come from Dunedin but there are evocations of jazz for Europe, of strings and things found afar, all charmingly combined to create a clever and crucial new pop album.
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