What does one say about The Shore?

For starters, their tunes are aesthetically pleasing for an American stab at Brit rock, but in that same moment when you're realizing The Shore sounds pretty darn good, you can't help but ask, "Haven't I heard this before?"

Chances are, you probably have.

Frontman Ben Ashley, who is responsible for vocals and guitar on The Shore's self-titled debut album, sounds almost identical to former The Verve's frontman Richard Ashcroft.

In fact, if we're going to start comparisons here, The Shore sounds like The Verve came over to Oasis' house one dark and stormy night and they all got rip-roaring drunk and decided to copulate, thus forming a three piece baby, The Shore.

But don't let my complaining about bands sounding like other bands turn you off from The Shore.

Despite their tunes being twin-like, their music is catchy, poppy at times, and smothered with slide guitar clean enough you could eat off it.

Take the album's opening track, "Hard Road," for instance.

The song opens with a laid-back, cool-sounding drum and guitar intro that makes me want to sink into a sofa and sip a martini with the lights low and the mood set to silky.

Ashley's voice sounds like the wind rustling down a dirt road, but in a sexy, cigarette-infused way.

"I've been chasin' you down/Waiting for something to burn/I've been lost but now I'm found/Sailin' the tide to your heart/You're taking the hard road/You never feel anymore/I'll let you come down easy/Let you be reborn."

The album's second song, which is sure to be a college radio hit, is "Firefly."

It starts with a singing guitar solo, a rock beat, and Ashley's voice, which has gained a painful, but fitting grumble.

Opening lyrics: "Fallin' down/I'm tasting all I ever had/just to lose," sounds like something we all could relate to, especially if you pair it with a relationship we keep falling back on for comfort.

And possibly the prettiest and softest song on the album is "Waiting for the Sun."

I like the song, but there's something too familiar about the opening guitar riff. It sounds like a song that I once heard on a Dr. Martens' CD that I got when I bought a pair of boots seven years ago.

Regardless, the tune reminds me of a typical gray East Lansing day, when you wish the sun was shining and it was spring instead of winter.

"Summer's changing baby/All the light is changing too/Can't you see/Feels like all the colors of emotion shine on through/I keep holding on, waiting for the sun/I keep holding on, waiting for the light."

In the long run, I can't stop loving The Shore, but at the same time the CD only makes me wish Richard Ashcroft or The Verve would put out new material and smash The Shore to bits.

But, The Shore is young, hip and talented enough to make it this far, so why not give them a chance?

If you liked this, you might also like: The Verve, Oasis

Suggested listening: Smoking alone in your room