[01.30.06] Unless you're located in the greater D.C. area, you probably haven't heard of Verbal. In the interests of full disclosure, I happen to have a personal connection to the band and was relayed their 2004 disc The Name We Sell Now (Trust Me Corporation) many moons ago. Now that the mighty Spork has been resuscitated, I can finally give Verbal their due.

Listen to The Name We Sell Now and some things are obvious. Yes, these guys know their instruments. Yes, they know how to play as a tight (very tight) unit. Yes, there is no singer. But it's this last fact that deserves some more thought.

While we all have our favorite singer-less groups (Mogwai, Godspeed, Explosions, Pelican, etc.), Verbal is different. While many of these aforementioned (primarily) instrumental acts craft a wall of sound and/or lead listeners on sonic epics, Verbal takes another route entirely, blending elements of jazz, pop and even an occasional touch of lounge into a unique sound. Reverb is kept light and guitar and drum sounds are unusually clean, further separating Verbal from the pack. (However, this isn't to say that the group is easy listening: most songs are definitely up-tempo, driving tunes, punctuated with inventive rhythm shifts.) Indeed, it almost seems that these musicians purposefully limited their gear in order to test their songcraft, to push themselves to deliver a range of feeling with an abbreviated palette. And, after listening to tracks such as "Gin Is An Angry Drink" or "Come Clean," I think they succeed.

While I enjoyed The Name We Sell Now and it's crisp production, I would love to hear the more sonically adventurous side of the band. Tracks such as "Edgar St." and the beautifully insane "The Name You Know Is the Name You Trust" offer electronic additions and spaced-out interludes that make the recipe that much sweeter. In the meantime, the band did issue an EP in 2005 entitled Bury Your Dead. From what I hear on the free download offered on their site, the sound is growing, becoming more feral, without losing the Verbal knack for weaving hooks around crackerjack drumming. Check out the track, check out The Name We Sell Now and check out Verbal. —Jeremy