Info
Name:
Stereophonics
Album:
Graffiti on the Train
Style:
Rock
Released:
2013
Label:
Ignition Records
From:
Wales
Facebook:
www.facebook.com/stereophonics
Website:
www.stereophonics.com
There's
no way that Stereophonics' new album “Graffiti on the Train”
could not be present on New Rock Reviews. From all the reviews
planned in April, this one is probably the quietest album. Still, I
am pretty sure that this little break is worth it; be it because of
“Graffiti on the Train”'s quality or because of the forthcoming
albums to be reviewed – we'll see. I can only promise one thing –
there's enough Welsh bands on this blog for now, so there won't be
any other for the next couple of weeks or months.
Let's
talk about the album now. “We Share the Same Sun” is a quiet
opener and only starts to rock during the chorus. Listening a little
more closely, I can hear a few synthesizers and I definitely enjoy
the The-Edge-like solo. All in all a pretty good beginning. The title
track already shows that this album is going to rock a lot less than
other Stereophonics releases. The tranquil structure of the song, a
few violins, and Kelly Jones' emotional singing are the predominant
ingredients. The lyrical story reminds me of I Like Trains' lyrics
and is therefore pretty melancholy; but still something that will
make people think.
“Indian
Summer” is a song with a rock edge and could be compared to “We
Share the Same Sun”. Some fans might disagree with the violins but
as I like a little progress on every album I definitely wouldn't say
anything against it. For me, “Indian Summer” is the first little
hit on the record. The following song, “Take Me”, is again a
little different from the first three. Its balladic structure and the
change between Jones and a not-named female singer are nice; however,
the song doesn't really get to the same level as the other songs on
the album.
The
first song that reminds me of the
Stereophonics that I'm used to is “Catacomb” which somehow makes
me think about some Oasis or Beady Eye songs respectively –
especially towards the end, when the song develops into a nice rock
song. This is song-writing a lá Liam Gallagher – and absolutely to
my taste. “Roll the Dice” slows things down again. The balladic
beginning makes rock reviewers on other websites moan. Again I can
hear a lot of violins and even trumpets during the chorus; still,
this is one of the best songs on the record.
“Violins
and Tambourines” is again really balladic at the beginning but then
develops into a nice rock song towards the end. You might already
have guessed from the name of the song, which instruments you can
hear during the title. This one is another one of my favourites.
Right after “Violins and Tambourines” there is the greatest
surprise on the record. “Been Caught Cheating” is a great blues
song and, although the solos aren't as good as Joe Bonamassa's or
Henrik Freischlader's solos, it can still convince me to be another
one of my favourites. This is a brilliant example of how wide
Stereophonics' musical spectrum is and how much Kelly Jones can
switch between musical styles. A great change.
What
impresses me most about “In a Moment” is the backings during the
verse and the bridge which add a very special note to it. I can't
help but think about U2, which is absolutely no bad thing and shows
how variational Jones' song-writing is. This song, as well, gets a
very good grade. The last song is not going to rock either. However,
“No-one's Perfect” has a nice singer-songwriter feeling to it and
somehow reminds me of “Maybe Tomorrow”. Although it's a very
quiet ending for an already very quiet album, I can only give it
great marks as well.
Although this is not a typical Stereophonics
rock album, “Graffiti on a Train” can't make me write a bad
review about it. It's variational and really creative but the band
could have written one or two rockier songs to add to it. “Catacomb”
being the only “real” rock song on the album is a little to less
for me.
Listen
to: „Graffiti on the Train“, „Indian Summer“, „Violins and
Tambourines“, „Been Caught Cheating“, „In a Moment“
7
out of 10 points
Tracklist:
1. We Share the Same Sun
2. Graffiti on the Train
3. Indian Summer
4. Take Me
5. Catacomb
6. Roll the Dice
7. Violins and Tambourines
8. Been Caught Cheating
9. In a Moment
10. No-one's Perfect
Members
Vocals,
Guitars: Kelly Jones
Guitars,
Vocals: Adam Zindani
Bass: Richard
Jones
Drums: Javier
Weyler
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