Stereophonics
Language. Sex. Violence. Other?

THE REVIEW

The previous "You Gotta Go There To Come Back" certainly didn't bring much joy to the many fans of the Welsh band led by Kelly Jones, despite having the band's biggest hit ("Maybe Tomorrow", capable of even surpassing the catchy chorus of the older "Have A Nice Day"). It's natural, then, that Jones wanted to give a turn to the band's artistic path, which has been heavily contaminated by sounds now acoustic (with a strong tendency towards American influences, as in the case of "Just Enough Education To Perform"), now even tinged with blues ("You Gotta...", indeed).

A turn that, however, doesn't look forward but blatantly backward. Which might not be a bad thing, but the 'phonics seemed to have already given their best in the field with the amazing double whammy "Word Gets Around/Performance And Cocktails". The meaning of this "Language..." then? Let's try to give it one.

The disc starts off well, with a sufficiently menacing "Superman" ("Superman on an aeroplane/sitting next to Lois Lane/you got that woman but you want her gone/so you can sleep with a teenage blonde", the meaning is quite clear) and continues with the guitar-driven "Doorman". From here the tumbles begin, ranging from a bland "Brother" to a completely unnecessary "Lolita" (perhaps the ugliest song by the 'phonics ever), passing through a "Pedalpusher" that offers a pleasantly "dirty" sound but makes no melodic impact. Beautiful, however, is the smash-hit of the album, "Dakota", and "Devil" (imagine Bono and co.'s "The Fly" with an aggressive and shouted chorus), as well as "Rewind", which with its U2 references (and a Javier Weyler—the new drummer—who can finally be heard) remains the best number of the work, even if decidedly derivative. Also noteworthy is the beautiful "Deadhead" (a blast live, listen to the version on "Live From Dakota" from 2006), already present as a b-side of the single "Maybe Tomorrow" in demo form and with a different title ("Royal Flush", to be exact). Closing the album is the intense "Feel", which, however, doesn't steal much attention (or rather, the ear).

This "L.S.V.O?" is a disjointed work, living in permanent balance between great pieces and mediocre or, being kind, passable songs. A sufficient album that reaffirms how the Stereophonics are among the best builders of melodies in the English-speaking scene.