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Welsh rock legends, STEREOPHONICS, have put out their thirteenth studio album Make ‘Em Laugh, Make ‘Em Cry, Make ‘Em Wait. The record itself has been described as putting a twist on their signature rock sound with most of the songs being on the softer side of things whilst still exploring themes in relation to existentialism, finding one’s own identity as well as a song about love.
And, whilst certainly lovely to listen to, and pretty on the surface, the issue the album has is in how forgettable it is in with how there’s little to differentiate between STEREOPHONICS and other artists within the same genre. It’s not a bad album per se, but you come out the other end feeling somewhat underwhelmed. Opening track Make It On Your Own sets the bar with what’s to come, or rather lack thereof, with things starting out with organ synths, adding some theatrics, before we hear a countdown as the full band comes in where the song moves into uplifting arena rock territory. It sounds nice, but that’s all you can really say outside of it playing too safe.
That’s not to say that every song on the record falls into this trap as there are genuinely good moments that stand out. Three tracks in particular are major highlights on the album; There’s Always Gonna Be Something, an uplifting gentle track that would perfectly suit a car journey on a calm, beautiful day with its pop-rock melody despite the lyrical content regarding ones indecision at reaching acceptance; Eyes Too Big For My Belly the only lively rock n roll track with a hint of blues-rock nicely brought together with a deep bass and guitar that, frankly, just sounds cool; and Backroom Boys, potentially the most lovely sounding song on album with the drum and bass styled beats and soft melody.
The main issue with the album is just the fact that you’ve likely heard this type of song before, or heard a similar style shift, or heard another artist sound the exact same. Even when certain songs have potential to be great, like Seems Like You Don’t Know Me, a low moody track featuring lyrics of a fairytale gone wrong, or rather someone refusing to live realistically with their fiction hyper fixation; or Mary Is A Singer, a slow folk-blues track that one can picture being performed around a campfire as everyone sings along, the issue remains: it’s forgettable. It’s nice. It’s there. You just don’t want to go back to it.
It’s not a criticism of STEREOPHONICS wanting to try something new or experimenting with different styles as many great artists have done so before and succeeded, it’s just in this instance it hasn’t worked. It might sound pretty, but that’s all it really has going for it.
Rating: 6/10
Make ‘Em Laugh, Make ‘Em Cry, Make ‘Em Wait is out now via EMI.
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The post ALBUM REVIEW: Make ‘Em Laugh, Make ‘Em Cry, Make ‘Em Wait – Stereophonics appeared first on Distorted Sound Magazine.
