Brian Vander Ark: ‘Vander Ark Moves on After Verve Pipe’
Brian Vander Ark
Vander Ark Moves on After Verve Pipe
Rating: 4/5
Tracks to download: “And Then We Fell,” “Lily White Way,” “Evangeline”
Brian Vander Ark, singer/co-songwriter for The Verve Pipe (remember that song “The Freshman”?-it’s on literally all of the ’90s compilations they sell on television; yeah, that was The Verve Pipe), has seen fame and all the positives and negatives that come with it. It’s what made his appearance as Ricki Bell in the movie “Rock Star,” a movie about the positives and negatives of stardom, all the more hysterical. On The Verve Pipe’s self-titled follow-up to the smash hit “Villains,” Vander Ark explained his frustration with “The F Word: Freshmen.” Since that album, he’s seemingly moved on from the hit at a relatively quick pace (quite a testament when one notes how Duncan Sheik was still so not over it that he could not even play the entirety of “Barely Breathing” at Spring 2006 W.I.L.D.).
The new self-titled album is Vander Ark’s third solo effort. All of his solo work has focused primarily on working/middle-class suburban life, with emphasis on family, friends, love, loss and issues that divide the country. The songs on the new album are often significantly more sweetly optimistic than those on “Villains,” which have depressing themes of death and, of course, villainy.
The one major thing that has remained constant since his 1996 fame is Vander Ark’s sugary-sweet pop vocals. Whether they hearken to a more exciting life than the one he’s found in his home state of Michigan-as he does in “Lily White Way” (“I need inspiration/ I’m so disconnected./ I look to the street/ but they’re so disinfected./ I wish I came from an edgier place/ with taxis and transients up in my face.”)-or reassuring his young daughter that his and his wife’s love for her is undying in “Evangeline” (“Used to be’s mean nothing/ and gonna be’s are fine/ but you always were and always will be our Evangeline”), Vander Ark’s voice serves as a furnace for the heart. It can’t help but make you feel better inside.
The one thing Vander Ark lacks in his solo career is interesting instrumentals. It appears that he intends his vocals to carry his songs, and here he is extremely successful. However, if the music behind his vocals saw improvement it would add much depth to his sound. On this album, he’s made strides, in particular in “Love So Deep” which features some excellent blues guitar riffs, but he has plenty of room to improve.
Nonetheless, Brian Vander Ark’s new self-titled effort is one he should be proud of, featuring some of the best songs he’s ever written. Wash. U. students will have the opportunity to see him live in concert at the Gargoyle on March 31 for free. Tickets are available now at Edison Box Office. Look for him to play a mixture of his solo tracks and The Verve Pipe favorites such as “The Freshmen.”
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