Verona Grove - 'The Verona Grove EP'

[NOTE: Here's another one from the archives, hence the dated intro.]

I recently attended The Early November’s farewell show at The Trocadero. As per usual, the TENors tore it up with succulent emo ditties like the romper-stomper “Every Night’s Another Story” and the tearful farewell “Never Coming Back,” and on top of that, frontman Ace Enders’ pops, the venerable Mr. Enders, crowd surfed, which is the only time I have condoned the act (thus far), so that was cool. But what struck me most were openers Melee and The Rocket Summer. Here were two bands that, while not sounding too similar, still managed to rip off the same band: Something Corporate.

Before going on hiatus in 2004, Something Corporate was arguably one of the best pop rock groups on the touring circuit, delivering fun musician- and showmanship every night, everywhere. Hearing the group’s lengthy, emotional “Konstantine” live was (and hopefully will continue to be?) a revelation. But just three years later, it’s dishearteningly easy to hear main SoCo songwriter Andrew McMahon’s style ripped off by adolescent pop bands. For further derivative evidence, pop in Verona Grove’s new self-titled EP.

Released as a preview for the group’s upcoming full-length, The Story Thought Over, the Verona Grove EP is another in a mercilessly painful line of SoClones. Three fourths of the disc blend Sugarcult-esque touches with McMahon-isms to form bland, overly spit shined songs about girls and failing and whatever. Track one, “Everything You Dreamed,” is an amicable opener, which is to say it’s nice and okay and not particularly anything worth talking about.

“No Words to Say” and “Revolution” drop the Sugarcult sound a bit for full on SoCo power ballad-dom, and it is incredibly hokey. With a hook slightly reminiscent of SoCo’s far superior “She Paints Me Blue,” “No Words to Say” is banal and mildly annoying. “Revolution” is just plain stupid. Sample lyric: “You think it’s okay to hide behind stars/Or run from moving cars.”

In truth, Verona Grove doesn’t pique interest until the closing song, “Goodbye Surrender.” It’s the only song that doesn’t cop a feel from the influences mentioned earlier. In the vein of All-American Rejects without being imitative of them, “Goodbye Surrender” is infectious, embarrassingly so considering who’s singing the song, but infectious nonetheless. Opening with more of a techno-esque dance feel, the song segues back into standard rock rhythms once the vocals start up, but wait for the hook. While still overproduced, it’s powerfully infectious. When the bass and guitar get out of the way of the drums and vocals for four measures before one final hoozah of a chorus at the 2:17 mark, it’s the greatest sound to be found on this EP.

Verona Grove still sucks, though.