Stereophonics
The Stereophonics are a Welsh band who have been around since ’96 when they released their debut album,
‘Word Gets Around’ to critical acclaim but muted sales. Since then, they have released a consistent stream of albums boasting classics like, ‘Vegas Two Times’ and ‘Maybe Tomorrow’, with their style being based in melancholy acoustic ballads to the riff-heavy Led Zeppelin head bangers. Despite their skill in both areas, they are yet to break into the massive mainstream which they probably deserve. This album is another one which just bordered on being massive with reviews like, ‘A great modern rock record’ from NME, and the usual ‘almost’ massive sales.
But the album is not just ‘the usual’ from the Phonics, but a more brooding and often seductive and groovy album, brought along mainly through Kelly’s new drawl and extensive use of a wah pedal and Fender Jag-Stang.
The album opens with some indistinct voices which are interrupted by sinister sounding guitar which descends as a fuzzed up bass climbs,
Superman is a great opener. This is interrupted briefly by a twangy and characteristically simple guitar riff which is again, almost prematurely, interrupted; but this time by Kelly, who drawls out the classic opener, ‘You don’t know what it’s been like, meeting someone like you’. His low throaty voice is juxtaposed by a falsetto section over the original riff, a vocal double tracked with a dissonant whine which works very well. This song is a good representation of the album as it shows off Kelly’s interesting writing, ‘You keep your cards close to your chest, your poker face is a dreary mess’, the new experimentation with melody and the sinister mixed with the downright funky.
Doorman mixes a pounding rock scream, which is good, but not great, with a much more interesting section in which the bass bounces around as Kelly mutters in his new found seductive tone, ‘All I wanna do, Is get close to you. All I wanna do, is make a mess out of you’. They don’t fit together as well as you’d have hoped, but it’s still a good song, saved mostly by Kelly’s enthusiasm on the vocals and the guitar solo, which Kelly seems to have developed a new passion for.
Brother is a little more experimental in the vocal department, but still uses very simple riff, one which The Stereophonics seem to hang a lot of their songs around these days. The verse is low and breathy while the chorus hits a heady high with an almost Liam Gallagher-esque sneer. However, the song is on the verge of boring and seems slightly uninspired and almost an effort to listen to
Devil features the same voices from
Superman but is more of a straight-forward rocker with the crunchy twang that features heavily on the album. The cuts between the songs verse and chorus are sweet, and the wailed repitition suits Kelly’s voice, but the song is still on the verge of boring and seems slightly uninspired and almost an effort to listen to. On the whole though, despite it’s energy, the song just doesn’t work very well.
The first single and on the of the standouts song on the album is
Dakota an up tempo rocker straight from the Phonics box of tricks, featuring screeching guitars and a screamed chorus which Kelly delivers perfectly. During the verse the guitar tinkers away under a softer vocal which just reminds of me of the summer. The second verse features another guitar which has a clean and fuzzy tone which juxtaposes the chorus perfectly. The middle eight is the highlight as it begins with a stop start structure, interrupted by a simple wah riff to the pounding last lines, ‘I don’t know, where we are going now’. A cleverly produced and memorable rocker.
On the softer side of things,
‘Rewind’ is a highlight of the album, with a sweet reverb effect on Kelly’s voice as he sings over a thumping drum and slightly distorted guitar. Unfortunately, the vocal is almost lost in poor production. The chorus is very nice though, with the drums picking up pace as everything else seems to slow down. A more reflective song, this is a standout track on the album as one of the fewer slow songs, but couldn’t hold it’s own against the likes of
‘Maybe Tomorrow’ or
‘Mr Writer’, which pretty much sums up the album.
Pedalpusher is a miracle, because in spite of one of the most annoying guitar riffs I’ve ever heard, it manages to come out as one of the best tracks on the album: mostly due to Kelly’s voice, the guitar swell in the bridge and that great moment when all else stops and he sings, ‘Push the pedal now’, mixing his sneer, drawl and seductive rock voices all in one. A wah pedal s******s underneath the rest of the song and this, combined with the beat, gives the song a real groove.
Girl has a much better guitar riff and is another standout track. The riff chugs along for the whole song, fitting perfectly with both the vocals and guitar solo. The whole song flows together very well indeed, but this may be because it stands as just one minutes and fifty nine seconds. When they get it right, they get it very right and by keeping it short, it sticks in your head.
Lolita sounds a lot like The Who which a nice chord sequence which lurks under a simple, creamy riff. The rhythm section reminds me of ‘How Soon is Now?’ due to it’s tremolo and indistinct nature. The chorus is very nice and the song flows very nicely and the whole vibe is quite relaxed and the guitars are smooth and the vocals are meaningful.
Deadhead continues this great run of songs, with a great melody and lyric, the song is very well balanced keeping up a constant energy. Beginning with an almost Gorillaz/Damon Albarn style vocal. It’s one of those head bangers which the Stereophonics do so well, but it lacks the fantastic riffs which usually accompany these songs. Despite this, the guitar is functional and everything serves the song well, a heady and pounding rocker.
Feel, begins with a soulful vocal over a sweetly distorted guitar and gives the feeling of being a cam before the storm, indicating a massive chorus to end the album. Instead the songs rolls at the same pace, after an ascending bridge to nowhere. It works well and the continuous pace gives the song a sinister and brooding groove which creates an effective end to the album, with an almost apocalyptic feel.
All in all, I really wanted to love this album, but it’s inconsistency and general feel don’t sit very well with me and I often get the feeling that no matter how many times I listened to it, I wouldn’t know any of the words or be interested in working out any of the guitar. I would say this is their weakest effort yet, which is a shame as they were really on the cusp of greatness. Many people will enjoy the new moodier and broodier and occasionally funkier Phonics, but I see this as a step in the wrong direction.
I would, however, recommend going to see them live as the energy of songs come across very very well on stage and I loved all the songs they played, it also encouraged me to dig this CD out and give it another try, but alas, I was disappointed and I returned to their earlier albums for comfort. I’m sure they’ll surprise us soon with an absolute classic, but from the way this album turned out, it may be some time.
Recommended Tracks
Superman
Dakota
Lolita
Feel
Kelly Jones- Rhythm/Lead Guitar, Singer, Songwriter
Richard Jones- Bass, Backing Vocals
Stuart Cable- Drums
