The Verve's "Love Is Noise"

So despite its already enormous popularity (or at least radio exposure), I can't help extolling just a bit more praise on this song for a couple reasons.
There's the fact that they hail from my old Northern English stomping grounds, and I was gently convinced with subliminal alcoholic messages that any Manchester or neighboring region musician was a god. There's the fact that "Love Is Noise" was one of the most memorable performances at Coachella with a barefoot Richard Ashcroft holding the mike to his heart in an earnest, meditative state. But what really sold me on this song is that in a musical time period where the dance rock wave has inspired trends towards that digitized, 8os, and (dare I say it) soulless sound, the Verve has cheerfully ignored that and come out with a tune so emotional it would border on embarrassing if it wasn't so damn good. It sounds like the band you love, despite the lack of a string ensemble and takes you on a comfortable ride back about a decade. The musical equivalent of putting on a plaid shirt and actually rocking it, the Verve reminds you that it's always in style to be yourself.
And then there are the actual musical elements of the song. That wonderful reverb / echo motif that frames lead singer Richard Ashcroft's brooding vocals oh so nicely. And the matter of Ashcroft singing the song like he truly means it; the chorus, which could be meaningless (and even a bit cliched) but goes so much further than that because the refrain "Love is noise" becomes a sort of mantra, a loving noise in itself. Is it self indulgent? Maybe. Do I care? Not in the slightest.

You can check out their video filled with pretty pictures here.