Aaah dear
friends, four years of absence is a VERY long time when you care about someone:
Stereophonics’ last album, “Keep Calm And Carry On”, was released in 2009 and –
although I ended up appreciating this one as much as the band’s other albums –
it took me a few more times listening to it to fully do so.
More than a
year ago, I got some information that the band was back in the studio to record
a new album. Even more interesting, I found out they were actually partly recording
it in my sweet little country of Belgium (sometimes, little things like that
makes you even prouder of being Belgian, trust me!). If I had been some kind of
“groupie”, I’d have headed straight to ICP Studios in Brussels ‘cos I was almost
sure this was THE studio they were hiring. Wasn’t wrong… Wasn’t “groupie”
enough to sit in front of the studio entrance waiting for the guys to show up
though… Mostly because I firmly believe that artists who are in creating
process should be left alone to work in the most peaceful atmosphere ever
possible.
Speaking of working peacefully, Stereophonics parted ways with V2 and have now their own label, named “Stylus Records”, therefore allowing them to do things their own way. Fun fact: if the band got its its name from a… “stereophonic” radiogram they saw at Stuart Cable’s family home (the band’s first drummer that sadly passed away in 2010), their label has also the name of another musical item. The stylus is the part of the record deck with the needle, the one that actually helping the music escaping from your LPs and fly to your ears… Enough with technical stuff, let’s come back to the album, shall we?
Speaking of working peacefully, Stereophonics parted ways with V2 and have now their own label, named “Stylus Records”, therefore allowing them to do things their own way. Fun fact: if the band got its its name from a… “stereophonic” radiogram they saw at Stuart Cable’s family home (the band’s first drummer that sadly passed away in 2010), their label has also the name of another musical item. The stylus is the part of the record deck with the needle, the one that actually helping the music escaping from your LPs and fly to your ears… Enough with technical stuff, let’s come back to the album, shall we?
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| "Graffiti On The Train" cover... Look for the "Stylus" mention... ;) Original art by Stephen Goddard |
Last
October, we were finally able to have a sneak peek at this new album thanks to
its first single, “Violins And Tambourines”. A haunting musical piece, gaining
power as seconds go by… whether it is musically or vocally. Strings added some depth
to the track: needless to say that getting a little help from David Arnold, one
of the finest film composers of England (Stargate, Shaft, Hot Fuzz as well as
James Bond’s Tomorrow Never Dies, Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace and many
more…), was quite an asset for a track like this one… Although Stereophonics is
more “guitar-ish” than strings, this song was very promising and I was eager to
listen to more songs from this new album…
The next
single “In A Moment” sounded more like a Stereophonics song than the previous
one and had that common point to many of their songs : a melody that sticks
inside your head for quite a while… The “You think you’ve it all, the writing’s
on the wall […] in a moment” melody part has that musical side… It is also
impossible not to mention the great guitar solo near the end. So, I was totally
into this one as well…
Could they
do better with the next single? At some point, the excitement has to fall down,
right? Well… then came “Indian Summer”. I already wrote on how a song can affect
you within seconds, turn your musical heart upside down and bring that electric
shiver that spreads through your entire body… some kind of physical reaction to
something you can barely explain yourself. Well… that did happen to me the
first time I listened to “Indian Summer”. This one is a pure diamond: you can
see its beauty on a global scale but if you lean a little bit and look closer,
you may see little details that make it even more beautiful… Try this: take
each instrument on this one and listen very closely to each one of them and you
may realize how much the acoustic or slide guitar part or piano parts were
necessary to add a little something to make “Indian Summer” so perfect.
The irony in this song is that the subject is not really a happy one but that I always have a smile on my face while listening to it because of its beautiful melody… That one was also the one I was waiting for a long time to feel better as the few weeks before its release had put me in some “high pressure and close to despair” state of mind. Now gone. Never been a fan of summer time but this one’s a good one!
The irony in this song is that the subject is not really a happy one but that I always have a smile on my face while listening to it because of its beautiful melody… That one was also the one I was waiting for a long time to feel better as the few weeks before its release had put me in some “high pressure and close to despair” state of mind. Now gone. Never been a fan of summer time but this one’s a good one!
These three
tracks were so great that waiting for the album became kind of a torture… but
FI-NA-LLY, here comes the 4th
of March and “Graffiti On The Train”!
Needless to
say I was so much in love with “Indian Summer” that I was a bit worried I
couldn’t stop listening to that one and give the album’s other songs the best attention
they fully deserved. These songs really had to have a great deal of “something
more” to take me away from “Indian Summer”. Did they have that little
“something more”? The answer is… YES!! HELL, YES!
As soon as
you listen to “We Share The Same Sun”, it is obvious the Stereophonics guys haven’t
lost any of their great energy. Critics have sometimes labeled the band a
pop-rock band and I never understood from where they’d gotten that. Sure,
tracks like “Have A Nice Day” (Just Enough Education to Perform, 2001) or
“Innocent” (Keep Calm And Carry On, 2009) have a more pop side but come on, identifying
Stereophonics as a “pop” band??? Those critics should take a moment to listen
to “We Share The Same Sun” and the great “Catacomb” with its powerful guitar part
to realize that they rock… That long
instrumental part in “Catacomb” is definitely one of the best they’ve ever composed!
Really hard not to get up and start dancing around with your hands up in the
air. Believe me… I’ve tried.
Stereophonics
is a rock band but let’s admit though that the Welsh band also has a softer
side … “Been Caught Cheating” is a nice bluesy track that helps us remember how
much this music genre is one of the finest ways to tell the world about the
saddest events of a human’s life. Aaaaw, that one played in duet with the great
B.B. King would be such a fine piece of art.
“No-one’s Perfect”? Right but there’s at least one thing perfect in there… the song itself. That one is a nice ballad, with limited number of instruments: no strong guitar riffs, no strings orchestra… Basically just enough stuff to put Mister Jones’ voice on the front stage.
“No-one’s Perfect”? Right but there’s at least one thing perfect in there… the song itself. That one is a nice ballad, with limited number of instruments: no strong guitar riffs, no strings orchestra… Basically just enough stuff to put Mister Jones’ voice on the front stage.
The Welsh singer’s
distinctive voice has always been an element of the band’s high effectiveness
and is one of the band’s trademark. I like Stereophonics’ melodies but Kelly’s voice
is also a reason of why I love this band. Whether it’s a rock song or a ballad,
the guy has this great ability to bring the right vocal power to make the song
sounds just exactly as it should be. I’ve watched God knows many videos and I’ve
never seen him failing or missing a part: he perfectly knows his voice and how
to use it and as a fan of music, it’s always an amazing thing to watch and
listen to… Of course, Kelly Jones writes most of the band’s songs and therefore
knows in which direction he can vocally go or which one he must not take but when
I listen to him, I have that weird feeling he could take US anywhere HE wants…
Drop all the arrangements, give the man just a guitar and he’s able to turn any song into something different, something that is even more beautiful than the one version we’ve always known… Just check “Maybe Tomorrow” on the “Live From Dakota” album and you may understand what I’m talking about…
Drop all the arrangements, give the man just a guitar and he’s able to turn any song into something different, something that is even more beautiful than the one version we’ve always known… Just check “Maybe Tomorrow” on the “Live From Dakota” album and you may understand what I’m talking about…
“Graffiti On
The Train”, the title song, left me… speechless. Air cut in my throat. There’s
something incredibly overwhelming and emotional coming out of that song … Oh
don’t get me wrong: I know the arrangements are a big part of it but still…
It’s not only the melody; it’s also the story that is being told… It’s also
that solo guitar near the end followed by some piano: a fine peak for an
emotional moment… At some point, I realized that maybe… maybe Mr. Gilmour and Mr.
Wright from Pink Floyd could have enjoyed themselves if they were able to play
that one together. But of course, Stereophonics and Pink Floyd are two different worlds…
Although… There was a time when Kelly Jones was writing songs about things
happening in his life or events he witnessed in his entourage (Mr Writer, Have
A Nice Day and Rainbows And Pots Of Gold are some of those…) but he recently
mentioned he now doesn’t need much “real facts” to write stories/songs. Therefore,
you can only wonder if he really met a girl on a train during Indian summer and
ended up with the lady or if he knew that couple of “Graffiti On The Train”.
But in the end… maybe it’s not worth knowing the truth or where these words came
from. All we need is let these songs bring up our emotions and… just… feel.
I mentioned earlier the haunting side of “Violins And Tambourines” but there’s also something quite attractive to “Take Me”, that male/female vocal combination gives more credit to the song than if it had been a single-singer one.
“Roll The Dice” was a trap I fell into without seeing it coming. Oh it’s OK, it only took me 48 seconds before finding out that things weren’t what they were at first… It’s like… It’s like rolling a dice and having a nice ballad and rolling it again 48 seconds later and finally getting a good rock song. You got me there, boys!
“Roll The Dice” also gives me the opportunity to mention that Stereophonics is not only Kelly Jones but a whole band made of four individuals: Richard Jones, original member of the band and childhood friend of Jones, is the tall but discreet bassist whose bass lines are always appreciated and exactly in the right place into a song; Adam Zimbani has brought his own experience and talent as a guitarist (and vocalist!) since his arrival in the band in 2007… Javier Weyler, Cable’s replacement since his departure in 2003, left the band in September 2012 and was replaced by Jamie Morrison. Jamie may be the “rookie” of the band but from what I’ve heard while listening to “Graffiti On The Train”, I’m not worried, the drummer perfectly fits into Stereophonics’ world.
Update of 8th March: now that I have received my physical copy of “Graffiti On The Train”’s Limited Edition, it appears that Javier Weyler was still in the band when they recorded the album. Aaaah the wonderful side of buying an album on iTunes… For the record (!) though, Jamie plays on the stripped version of “Graffiti On The Train” on the bonus CD.
I don’t count miles when it comes to see artists live but sadly, I’ve never seen Stereophonics on a stage. Which is a shame considering the number of years I’ve liked them, I know. As soon as I heard about their new album, I was ready to buy tickets but… no Belgian dates announced. Which is a shame too considering they recorded “Graffiti On The Train” in Belgium. Damn!
But…
Sometimes, the most surprising things happen to you when you don’t expect them. Just know I may tell you a little more about the band very soon…
Anyway… It is worth here and now to write that over the course of years and despite the lineup changes, Stereophonics has never failed me when it came to realize that there will always be good music around. Never. As long as these guys – and a few others, of course – will be there, I’m safe in my little musical world. And I DO need that.
PS – this article would DEFINITELY not be complete if I didn’t mention that “Violins And Tambourines”, “In A Moment” and “Indian Summer” videos were all directed by Kelly Jones. The band’s singer has never hid his passion for movies and scriptwriting; he even studied those in college. Now I can’t help but wonder what he could do if he was to turn the script he has written into a long-form movie … but we’ll still have to wait for that. For now it’s music time for the Stereophonics’ singer.
I mentioned earlier the haunting side of “Violins And Tambourines” but there’s also something quite attractive to “Take Me”, that male/female vocal combination gives more credit to the song than if it had been a single-singer one.
“Roll The Dice” was a trap I fell into without seeing it coming. Oh it’s OK, it only took me 48 seconds before finding out that things weren’t what they were at first… It’s like… It’s like rolling a dice and having a nice ballad and rolling it again 48 seconds later and finally getting a good rock song. You got me there, boys!
“Roll The Dice” also gives me the opportunity to mention that Stereophonics is not only Kelly Jones but a whole band made of four individuals: Richard Jones, original member of the band and childhood friend of Jones, is the tall but discreet bassist whose bass lines are always appreciated and exactly in the right place into a song; Adam Zimbani has brought his own experience and talent as a guitarist (and vocalist!) since his arrival in the band in 2007… Javier Weyler, Cable’s replacement since his departure in 2003, left the band in September 2012 and was replaced by Jamie Morrison. Jamie may be the “rookie” of the band but from what I’ve heard while listening to “Graffiti On The Train”, I’m not worried, the drummer perfectly fits into Stereophonics’ world.
Update of 8th March: now that I have received my physical copy of “Graffiti On The Train”’s Limited Edition, it appears that Javier Weyler was still in the band when they recorded the album. Aaaah the wonderful side of buying an album on iTunes… For the record (!) though, Jamie plays on the stripped version of “Graffiti On The Train” on the bonus CD.
I don’t count miles when it comes to see artists live but sadly, I’ve never seen Stereophonics on a stage. Which is a shame considering the number of years I’ve liked them, I know. As soon as I heard about their new album, I was ready to buy tickets but… no Belgian dates announced. Which is a shame too considering they recorded “Graffiti On The Train” in Belgium. Damn!
But…
Sometimes, the most surprising things happen to you when you don’t expect them. Just know I may tell you a little more about the band very soon…
Anyway… It is worth here and now to write that over the course of years and despite the lineup changes, Stereophonics has never failed me when it came to realize that there will always be good music around. Never. As long as these guys – and a few others, of course – will be there, I’m safe in my little musical world. And I DO need that.
PS – this article would DEFINITELY not be complete if I didn’t mention that “Violins And Tambourines”, “In A Moment” and “Indian Summer” videos were all directed by Kelly Jones. The band’s singer has never hid his passion for movies and scriptwriting; he even studied those in college. Now I can’t help but wonder what he could do if he was to turn the script he has written into a long-form movie … but we’ll still have to wait for that. For now it’s music time for the Stereophonics’ singer.
Tracklist :
We Share The
Same Sun
Graffiti On
The Sun
Indian
Summer
Take Me
Catacomb
Roll The
Dice
Violins And
Tambourines
Been Caught
Cheating
In A Moment
No-one’s
Perfect
Bonus Tracks iTunes version
Zoe
Graffiti On
The Train (Stripped)
In A Moment
(Remix)
Limited edition – Second CD
Overland
In A Moment
(alternative version)
We Share The
Same Sun (Up Close)
Indian
Summer (Up Close)
Graffiti On
The Train (Stripped)
In A Moment
(Remix)
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