English rock band The Verve, famous for the hit single "Bitter Sweet Symphony" and the ensuing struggle over the rights to the song (eventually awarded to Mick Jagger and Keith Richards because the song sampled a short snippet of a Rolling Stone song), are set to return in August with a new album -- the band's first since 1997's Urban Hymns that featured that bitter sweet single. Billboard reported last week that the new album, titled Forth (Billboard cites it incorrectly as Four) will be released on August 18 in the United Kingdom and a day later in the United States.

While the band had not worked together in nine years before reuniting last year to commence work on new music and play a number of festivals, lead singer Richard Ashcroft had enjoyed a semi-successful solo career built on the success that the band had enjoyed in the nineties. He joined Coldplay onstage at Live 8 in 2005 to perform "Bitter Sweet Symphony" to an elated Chris Martin (lead singer of Coldplay) and cheering crowds. The first single from Forth, "Love is Noise", was premiered on British radio June 23 and will be released a couple of weeks before the album. It is currently streaming from the band's News Corp. (NYSE: NWS) MySpace page.

In the United Kingdom, The Verve are signed to EMI Group and will release Forth via Parlophone, but in the United States, a unique release scheme will be utilized, somewhat similar to Radiohead's deal in the U.S. for In Rainbows earlier this year. The band has set up a label, On Our Own, and will release the album through a distribution deal with RED Distribution and Megaforce Records. Previously, the band's albums had been released through EMI's Virgin Records imprint in the United States.

Billboard reported last Friday that Irish alternative band My Bloody Valentine is planning to "pull a Radiohead" with the release of its first album in over 16 years, albeit without the "pay what you want" feature. Although not the first band to note the success of the new "Radiohead-model" and plan to copy it, My Bloody Valentine is the first of the recent rash of bands engaged in reunions this year. Reformed bands could add a new dimension to the success of the model, but it still diminishes the possibility young and new bands could have implementing it.

While it would be an impossible dream to see Led Zeppelin record new material and release it this way (they are signed long term with Warner Music Group (NYSE: WMG)'s Atlantic Records), other reformed bands might use it. In addition to My Bloody Valentine, 1990s English band The Verve, reformed last summer and have already released a demo session through the British newspaper NME's website. Though limited to a time limitation, that demo session was released free to fans. Unfortunately The Verve will likely sign with EMI, the music label the band was signed to in the 90s and where front man Richard Ashcroft has recorded for his solo career the last eight years.

My Bloody Valentine was signed with an independent label 16 years ago, which makes the plan more promising. If the band is successful with this plan it might offer some promise for younger bands who like the model because of the length of time between the band's last album and the mentioned pending release. What promise is hard to tell unfortunately, but Billboard does note the band isn't planning any form of CD release, only a later vinyl edition.