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With their early-90s sound and all-female lineup, it might be tempting to brand Bay Area combo Vervein as "the Go-Go's of shoegaze," or "the Bananarama of dream-pop," but that would just be silly. On the other hand, their press materials use the term "Girl-Swirl," so maybe silly tags aren't off-limits. One member of the band describes this sophomore disc of theirs as "our The Empire Strikes Back," and Star Wars references usually sit well with me. Songwriting duties seem to be split fairly evenly among Vervein's members; given that, they maintain a commendably consistent sound and quality of songcraft. There's nothing really unexpected to Vervein's sonic formula: guitar lines spiral, and dymamics shift between delicate and heavy à la Smashing Pumpkins. Vocal harmonies hearken back to the work you may remember from Berenyi and Anderson in Lush. "Rite of Way" has the atmosphere and subdued rhythmic insistence of a Red House Painters song, which is welcome. There's some nice cello work on some tracks that takes the band into Sea Ray territory a bit, but Vervein unfortunately lacks the directness and intimacy of Sea Ray, opting instead for a more polished sound that robs the songs of a degree of vitality and immediacy. It's a pleasant glaze of nostalgia for those who are wistful for the early 90s, and it's a solid album, but those looking for something fresher might be left slightly dry. (mike.03.06)
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