Graffiti On The Train

Continuing in the sober vein begun on 2009's Keep Calm and Carry On, Stereophonics manage a nifty trick on 2013's Graffiti on the Train: they sound simultaneously massive and intimate. Arena rock remains their specialty, as they're adhering to the tradition articulated by U2 and refined by Coldplay, two bands whose influence echoes throughout Graffiti on the Train, but Stereophonics never sound as massive as either group. Instead, as led by Kelly Jones, the band seems preoccupied with smaller issues, either matters of the heart or sundry mundane issues of existence. They're at their most distinctive when they bend big music traditions a bit -- the strings are a nice touch to the title track, "Indian Summer" has some propulsion, "Catacomb" dilutes the Manics, and, best of all, "Been Caught Cheating" is an unexpected and successful stab at country-soul -- but Stereophonics seem loath to leave all that they know behind, so Graffiti on the Train remains distinctly earthbound for all its big aspirations. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

年に1度は必ずツアーを行うなど、休むことなく走り続けてきたステレオフォニックス。そんな彼らが自主レーベルを立ち上げ、表立った活動をストップさせてじっくりと作り上げた8作目です。全体的にマイナー調の淡々としたナンバーが多く、過去作中でも際立って感傷的なアルバムと相成りました。ストリングスのアレンジもドラマティックで、冬の凍てついた空気にピッタリとハマリますな。
bounce (C)赤瀧洋二