Stereophonics - Keep The Village Alive
7/10
Returning to a phrase first used within the sleeve notes to their very first album eighteen years ago, Stereophonics are back with Keep The Village Alive, a rallying call not just to the Welsh valleys but to all communities crippled by public funding cuts and struggling to engage a disaffected youth.
The single C'est La Vie opens as an anthem for escape from the 'we don't belong anywhere' desperation of hometown mundanity. White Lies counters with U2-esque guitar work and the case for long-term honesty, trust and hope, whilst Sing Little Sister echoes The Eagles' Life in the Fast Lane and a life of instant gratification and pleasure. Words of tribute and reflection becomes a eulogy to a departed friend in My Hero, before Sunny pushes past a slightly clichéd start to climax with an orchestrated finale that rivals Townshend's Love Reign O'er Me for dramatic effect. After analogies of re-birth and new life with Into The World, the album closes with the mysterious Mr and Mrs Smith.
Not necessarily guaranteed to open new doors, but a welcome return to form for the Stereophonic faithful. After wowing them at V Festival, watch this one reclaim the number one spot.
7/10
