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Language. Sex. Violence. Other?

by Stereophonics

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Stereophonics' fifth album will inevitably provide more material for the band's critics, if only for the fact its title has clearly been rather lazily inspired from the back of a rental video case. The music within, however, is anything but laid-back: the employment of Argentinean drummer Javier Weyler, who replaces founding member Stuart Cable, sees the band venturing further along the hard-rock path that spawned previous denim-and-leather-clad tracks like "Moviestar". The first three tracks find frontman Kelly Jones is in downbeat mood, his vocals drawled and insouciant, and his lyrics distinctly sour--take the raging "Doorman", where he rails against some faceless bouncer with surprising and rather paranoid ferocity: "You like nothing more than to break my face/ You like to throw me out on the street!". Things sweeten towards the album's middle, providing two of the album's stand-out tracks: the chiming, electronic-tinged "Dakota" is a light, buoyant anthem that deserves to be a hit, while "Rewind" is a reflective moment that pricks memories of mid-period U2. But on the whole, Language. Sex. Violence. Other? isn't an album out to win new fans – it's an album that caters to the Stereophonics' rock faithful, and it's them who'll really dig it. --Louis Pattison