While it was no big surprise that the Verve got back together last fall after a nine-year hiatus, what's simply stunning is the quality of this reunion album. More than any of the recent comeback efforts from like-minded groups, "Forth" not only equals the Verve's best work, but in many cases exceeds it. "Judas" is the most beautiful song the band has ever written, its burbling guitar lines conjuring a gloriously bleary New York sunrise. "Valium Skies" is the kind of ready-made anthem that turned the Verve into a superstar in the first place, while "Appalachian Skies" and "I See Houses" are hard-hitting hybrids of emotion and virtuosity. Even more enticing are "Sit and Wonder" and the aptly named, eight-minute "Noise Epic," which reignite the psychedelic passions of the Verve's earliest releases. So when Richard Ashcroft wonders, "Is there anywhere better than here?" on "Rather Be," it's easy to exclaim, "Hell, no!" —Jonathan Cohen