Language Sex Violence Other?

An unusually falsetto delivery from Kelly Jones on the glam-rock stomper 'Superman', opening track on the new Stereophonics album 'Language Sex Violence Other', heralds not only a new direction for the band but also marks the arrival of new drummer Javier Weyler. The story goes that Kelly wrote 'Superman' first, and was so knocked back by its sheer power that he decided to write the rest of the album in the same super-affirmative attitude. Along with their new recruit, the 'Phonics have since evolved into a much more guttural and rock-heavy band from their previous Britpop incarnation and their epic indie sound that has since proven successful for Keane and Snow Patrol.

This new direction can be heard to spectacular effect on tracks like 'Doorman' with its embittered and sarcastic attack on security, stemming from an incident in a Seattle club after playing with Super Furry Animals, being set against a powerful and jutting guitar monster, complete with a sleazy lounge-beat breakdown halfway through its rampage of riffs and bass lines, and 'Pedalpusher', with Kelly reverberating back at a basic guitar strum before climaxing into a full-on overindulgent axe-wielding guitar solo.

New single 'Dakota' demonstrates the perfect combination of the old and new 'Phonics sound, with its infectious happy-sad hook that grabs you and doesn't let go, blended with Kelly sounding as grovelled-voiced as he is anthemic over sparkling and spiralling chords, proving that the band are still just as tuneful as they are powerful.

With 'Language Sex Violence Other', Stereophonics have conscientiously produced an album of diversity, change and concept; from the uniformly one-worded song titles, to the evolved rock sound and the inclusion of a new drummer. This album heralds many 'firsts' for the Stereophonics, but its inevitable success will make them one of Britain's most successful rock bands, a title that comes as second nature.