Yes and no. This, above all, is their catchiest album, even moreso than "Pop Smear", with every track just SCREAMING for mainstream radio play. That's a good and bad thing depending on who you are. For me, it's a bitter pill, but it's still The Verve Pipe and the superior vocals, lyrics, and musicianship is still clearly there.

I'd probably rank this album as the middle ground between two superior ("Villains" and "Pop Smear") and two inferior ("The Verve Pipe" and the woefully short "I Suffered A Head Injury") albums.

I know they worked on making a good pop-rock album here, and I want to see these guys succeed on a massive commercial basis, but deep down inside I can't help but want them to get just mild success here, so they'll dig in and make a real artsy work for their next cd.

You're probably looking for a direct statement somewhere here, aren't you? Well, buy this, see if you like it. If not, well, it's only 15 bucks. If so, then great! Buy Pop Smear as fast as you can, as it's very similar. Then buy Villians to discover how they once acheived utter perfection.

Great CD!
Good words, good music, what else could be better!?!

Way more than I expected!!!
Right off from track one I was blown away. This is hands down the best work for BVA. It is sad to see a band of this caliber split up, but none the less, "miles away" and "medicate" are two the most lyricly interesting songs on the cd. I think that it will be a long time till we see another album of this magnitude

New admirer
I found The Verve Pipe when tracking down some favorite songs from movies I'd recorded. Two songs (from "Rock Star" and "Joe Somebody") came from this one band, and I bought this CD as well as Villains and Pop Smear. I can understand the less than complimentary reviews some long-time fans have logged. Some of the pieces on Underneath are a bit over-produced, with too many acoustic gizmos. (Case in point: "Happiness Is".) But I think the more polished presentation also allows TVP's talent to come through on this CD clearer than the others, showcasing catchy and innovative themes, multiple layers, tight harmonic vocals, and lyrics that are worth listening to. (A rare thing these days.) I think this is a good CD for listeners to start with, there are several excellent cuts here I find myself listening to over and over.

Quality Falling Off
This is a decent album, but it does not come close to the energy and...yes, verve, of Villians and Pop Smear. Their lead singer seems to be losing his voice, there is no more of the passionate belt out singing so prevalent in the early recordings, the very thing that gives this music its strength and distinction. But then again I think the same thing about the album The Verve Pipe... Go listen to Villians and Pop Smear instead.
Underneath returns East Lansing, Michigan's Verve Pipe to their very origins, rediscovering the simple power pop of "I've Suffered a Head Injury" and "Pop Smear," ridding themselves of all the guitar bombast, arty flourishes, and dark shadows that producer Michael Beinhorn cast over their last album. This time out the band availed themselves of the talents of Fountains of Wayne's Adam Schlesinger--an underrated pop genius himself--to man the boards, helping them clean out the cobwebs and return the band to the engaging, almost New Romantics sound of their formative years. As a result the Verve Pipe has turned out a bevy of literate, tightly constructed gems that veer from the clever to the confessional, without ever being sappy. But stylish writing has always been this band's strong suit, as well as their full-bodied rhythm section that adds depth, texture, and an interesting complexity to harder-rocking songs. "Never Let You Down" is anthemic in its appeal, what with its stalwart message and dynamic chorus that are reminiscent of Foreigner at their most sincere, while "Medicate" is an earnest postgrunge solution to an age-old problem, moving into them into the territory that Bush used to occupy. --Jaan Uhelszki