Categories : Music Reviews, Rock + Pop.
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Rating: 3 / 5 Reviewer: Greg Hutton |
Keep Calm and Carry On, the seventh album by the Stereophonics, is very much rooted in the radio-friendly rock of the post-grunge ‘90s. The vocals are all clearly sung and very much the focal point of the mix, most songs adhere to three- to four-minute, verse-chorus-verse structures, and most cover familiar lyrical territory and are addressed to an unnamed “you.” For instance, ‘Innocent’ features a jangly, Peter Buck-esque guitar line, and includes lyrics like “Everything is touchable / Nothing’s going to beat you in this life / It’s alright.” Coupled with squeaky-clean production values, the song’s “everything will be OK” message would fit perfectly between the Gin Blossoms and the Goo Goo Dolls on mid-‘90s alternative rock radio.
While there’s nothing wrong with making music that’s meant to be uplifting, it is wise to remain within the boundaries that could otherwise lead to regrettable territory. The most notable offence of this nature comes on ‘Wonder’ which includes the chorus “I’ll always wonder / About our summer.” Unless you’re Brian Wilson, odes to summers past seem a little inappropriate for veteran songwriters.
There are a few standout tracks on Keep Calm. Opener ‘She’s Alright’ builds to an arena-rock sing-along chorus atop surprisingly subdued instrumentation; while the gradual layering of instruments would seem to be building up to a monster guitar riff chorus, Kelly Jones’ raspy vocals are instead allowed to take centre stage, creating an engaging dynamic. ‘Could You Be the One?’ is the highlight of the album, a ballad that contrasts between lines delivered from a singular voice in the verses to multi-layered harmony in its choruses. The song channels the underlying positivity of the album to good effect, being sweet and sincere without being cheesy. As an added bonus, the ears of Canadian listeners are likely to perk up when Jones sings “Every little thing you do is tragically hip / Even when you tend to play the fool.”
Ultimately, each song on Keep Calm feels like you should have heard it for the first time as a radio single in 1996. Most songs are well-written, and lots are catchy on their own, but the repetition of nostalgic familiarity eventually begins to feel like a gimmick hearkening back to a time that really was not that long ago. Although there is no doubt that the band is sincere, the album falters through its inability to escape association with a very specific era.
