Search - Neve :: Neve

Possibly the Best Pop/Rock Album From the Past 10 Years

Kristina Frazier | Fishers, IN USA | 07/08/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Kristina's Brief Emotional Statement

I'm speechless. I want to say so much, but there just doesn't seem to be any words to accurately describe what I'm feeling.



I've had this cd for a week and I'm more attached to it then I am to a lot of other things in life.



There aren't a whole lot of artists that get underneath my skin and pull out every emotion I've ever experienced or in some cases, create new emotions I never knew I had.



Sure, for a track or two, there are some that can draw me in and make me think. I can count on my hands the number of artists that tunnel into my soul.



Thank you Neve. You've just been added to that very small list of artists.



The brilliant songwriting combined with the symphonic, melodic hooks knock the wind out of you. By the time you remember to breath, the cd has completed track 12.



From zero to ten and back again. Neve has put out a cd that takes the listener on a roller coaster of pleasure and pain.



And Now We Return You To Our Regular Programming

There are few things in life that excite me as much as music. It's double excitement when I feel like I've "discovered" someone new. There's no media bias, there's no top 40 Rick Dees to distort the music, it's mine and mine alone. But therein lies the problem either a) they're soooo good that they catch on very quickly (see Sarah McLachlan) or they're sooooo good that they fall out of existence before they become too commercial (see Sneaker).



So, I'm tired of what I've been listening to and one night, I venture over to cdnow.com. I remember some song that I heard in the movie, Here on Earth and I happen to find the soundtrack for it. Of course! The song I liked was by Sixpence None The Richer! For some reason though, my mouse traveled too far south and I clicked on Neve's song from the soundtrack.



WOW!!!



I was pleasantly blown away. The kind of blown away where you get goosebumps on your arms and you feel your scalp tingle. Mr. Poet Who Rocked My World - Angie Aparo - had a similar effect on me. You know, things happen for a reason.



All excited, I went and listened to the snippets of their cd. Ten minutes later, I was out the door and off to buy the cd.



And that ladies and gentlemen, is just how passionate Kristina is about music!



Who is Neve?

Just so this stops bugging you, Neve rhymes with Steve - like in an ex-boyfriend . They took the name from Neve recording console, which was used in the recording of their album.



Neve is a Los Angeles based band made up of four individuals: John Stephens, lead vocals (23), Michael Raphael, backing vocals, lead guitarist (28), Tommy Gruber, bassist (20), Brian Burwell, drummer (25). At the suggestion of their mutual manager, they all got together in 1997 and formed Neve. Luck, fate, call it what you will, it didn't take them long to get signed to music giant, Columbia.



What's interesting is that the two main guys - John and Mike are as opposite as they come. John grew up loving music from The Cure (hey, he has that Robert Smith look going on), Echo and The Bunnyman, Erasure, New Order, and The Pet Shop Boys. Mike's tastes are totally opposite - he's an AC/DC, Aerosmith, KISS kind of guy.



Neve writes all of their music. If these guys ever wanted to call it quits as performers, they have long careers ahead of them as songwriters.



So, How Do You Classify Neve?

I read somewhere in an interview that one of the members said, (We're) All creamy in the middle and crunchy around the edges. Really, I couldn't have said it better. If you're wondering are they just another boy band - the answer is absolutely not. I put them in the same category as another brilliant, songwriting band - the Goo Goo Dolls. Other reviewers have thought of them as "alternative pop". Okay, I can live with that label.



The album, interestingly enough, was produced by John Gilmore. He's known for his work with Eve 6.



Something else I find highly interesting is that the man, Matt Serletic produced one of the songs, It's Over Now. I'm starting to see a pattern to things....first Matt has his hands in producing Angie Aparo, and now Neve. Hmmmm....



The bottom line here is that if you're craving some new music, you would be doing yourself a great disservice if you didn't run out and pick this cd up. Believe me, it's one of those life-changing experiences!



Tracks



Digital On

This doesn't come off as something that will be launched as a single. It has all of the elements of a good pop song, but the sound has some cognitive dissonance to it that's difficult for the listener to resolve easily. On the plus side, it's a great tune to turn the volume up to when you want to scream and take your frustrations out on the world. I will do what I like. And you cannot say what's right. And you won't change my mind.

Grade: B



Six Feet Under

Pain. Regret. Relationship. Says it all, right? This song screams Goo Goo Dolls. Underneath the wallowing. Was a tiny hint of chemistry. I'd be a liar. If I wouldn't admit. All of your hell gave me a higher lift. The harmonizing during the chorus between John and Michael is just gorgeous. It has a potential to be a single.

Grade: A



It's Over Now

The single that made the band famous! Yes, the story here is that the single was on the soundtrack for the movie, The Faculty. It was never released as an official single at that time. Famous radio station KROQ started playing it and vroooom, it took off. I can see why. It's one of those out-of-this-world songs that you can listen to a gazillion times (hey, that's a technical term) and you just don't get sick of it. I think I'm on listen #200 J. There's a simplicity to it. The song starts out with simple strumming of the electric guitar. John's voice jumps in, singing very medium level type stuff. And I wait here another time. Like a thousand times before. I'm dropping out and faded. But I keeping on wanting more. The music picks up in intensity and his voice becomes stronger, actually, a tad bit more aggressive than the music playing in the background.

Grade: A+



Motor

A great song describing a codependent relationship. Broken pieces on the ground. Fading in and fading out. Masochistic happiness. In the middle of the song, there is a great bridge part between the keyboard and the electric guitar, making the song darker.

Grade: B



Same Old Story

What stands out about this song is the chorus. I don't want to be. The same old story. Something you can't see. There's nothing for me. Michael and John have dueling vocals that compliment each other very well. One voice sings very straight, and monotone, while the other follows with the brighter, harmonies.

Grade: B+



Absent

Instant goosebumps. This has hit single written all over it. John's voice, combined with the melodic sounds just put me over the top. This is one of those songs on here that takes my emotions all the way from zero to ten and back again. Letting out what I'm always holding in. Gone away but I'm coming back again. Only you can get me through this. When it's over, I don't want it to be over. I want to hear it again and again and again. The string arrangement is amazing. It's depressing that the lead singer is one day younger than my baby brother Jason. Any man that has a voice like this, no matter what he looks like, is one that I could be around 24/7. JC is this young too. Was I just born way too early??? (Chills, moves on to review the next track.)

Grade: A+



FreeForm

A heavier, metal sounding song - almost a flavor of Metallica. This is a high energy tune that has hard hitting percussion beats and frequent guitar riffs. What I get out of this song? It screams escape to me. Freeform stop the clock. Jump in and unwind. Airborne ride the wave. And lose your sense of time.

Grade: B



SkyFall

This is the song that started it for me - it was on the soundtrack to Here on Earth and was how I even found out about Neve. Ah! One simple slip of the mouse! This song reminds me a lot of obscure, pleasant dreams that I have where lots of symbolism is present. Flashback dropping in a state of bliss. Hooked up wishing but it doesn't really exist.

Grade: A-



Trip and Glide

First thing that came to mind? This song sounds like a Creed or Pearl Jamsong. John's voice part is similar and the harmonies sound like Creed and Pearl Jam's formula. The harmonies do a great job of complimenting the lyrics. The listener can actually feel the voices descending with the words of Going up and coming down for you. Doesn't seem as perfect as it's supposed to be. It's a perfect song to describe a long-term relationship.

Grade: B+



3 Years

Here's a painful song about wasted time. John does a great job of conveying his pain as he screams Go. I know. Come home. Don't waste the last three years. After listening to this song a couple of times, I felt it had the flavor of a Tears for Fears song.

Grade: A-



Anything

A song that takes a stand. You drink away til it you can't feel. Well now's the time, now's when it's for real. You're out of phase. It's like telling someone that they're not getting a free ride off of you anymore.

Grade: B



Step Up

Lyrically, a song that I can closely identify with. I've got to step up. Can't you see I'm hanging by a thread. As I creep up I'll float out. I have to find some peace of mind in my head. Musically, it has a punchy beat that moves quickly through the words.

Grade: B



Drift

It never fails. Every time this song starts out, the hairs on my arms stand up and tears well up in my eyes. What's up with that? And as we float through space. Not knowing what's ahead. Or what will fall into place. I dream of the black hole. That pulls us in. The argument of life. That I cannot win. The combination of the dreamy, drifty, spacey keyboards and string arrangements with the ever routine sound of the snare drum, just a great trio up against lyrics that get underneath your skin.

Grade: A

"

Perfect Music

J. Niemi | Mt. Morris, MI | 10/10/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This album is perfect. If you like a big pop/rock sound, if you like perfectly written hooks and melodies, beautiful playing, and clean fully produced music...this album is for you!



It's too bad this didn't make it in the radio world. I used to spike "It's Over Now" and "Absent" on a radio station I used to work for, "It's Over Now" only had light rotation for a very short period of time. Something about this album makes me feel like flying...for example "Drift" sounds like what you might here on the PA System in Heaven.



Favorite tracks on here are:



1. "It's Over Now" (perfect song, big sound, great melody)



2. "Absent (There She Goes)" (a flawless masterpiece, absolutely beautiful, it's on my top ten favorite songs ever, up there with U2's With or Without You)



3. "Drift" (it's so soothing and awesome with the orchestra backing it up)



4. "3 Years" (so catchy, and beautiful, big infectious sound)



5. "Motor" (just another really good song)



The rest of the album is pretty solid too, but the above-mentioned are my favorites. Get this CD; you will listen to it for years to come, and you'll wonder why mainstream radio wouldn't embrace this band, and why they broke up. Just another example of how the entertainment industry is "all about money" and not about talent.



And by the way...take it from an industry insider: Payola still exists, in a barter form (this is where record labels trade things with radio stations in exchange for the radio station playing a certain artist). We as the fans, the public, the listeners... we don't have much choice of what gets played (or in the case of Neve and many other bands: what DOESN'T get played). Someday, someone should change this!"