It's a well-worn cliche but recharging run-down batteries was probably the only option open to Catatonia 18 months ago. That or self-destruction. What the time away did give the band was a fresh sense of perspective to write and record their best album to date.
But be warned. 'Paper Scissors Stone' is not happy-go-lucky listening and is stark and brutally honest in places. It shouldn't be shocking that Catatonia's latest album is an emotional out pouring. If Cerys' well publicised late-night antics and high profile separation wasn't ample ammunition then the rest of the bands observations of their apparent downward spiral provides a weighty foundation.
Cerys recently spoke of the "complacency" of 'Equally Cursed And Blessed'. If that was the sound of a band on cruise control then this is the band with their foot down to escape what they've become. Gone is the smothering production and dearth of ideas to be replaced with a refreshing depth to their sound (courtesy of new producers Clive Langer and Alan Winstanley), some of their best lyrics to date and a maturity that may not bring in the platinum discs but may well allow them to sleep easier at night.
The sweeping 'Godspeed' is a hefty indication of the tone of the album to follow. From the off, and for the duration of the album, it's strikingly clear that its all change on the good ship Catatonia. For starters we discover that, understandably, dealing with living in the constant glare becomes increasingly difficult to cope with. When in the past the undercurrents of insecurity were buried and forgotten under an anthemic chant, this time round they're left exposed for all to see.
Look no further than the opening refrain: "If I sounded distant this far/It's cos I'm as lost as you are," 'Immediate Circle' where Cerys calls for some new friends who don't lead her astray and "Doom looms large on my horizon," from 'Fuel'.
But it's not all depressing. The innovative 'What It Is' sounds unlike anything they've ever committed to tape and the comeback single 'Stone By Stone' is a healthy reminder of pastures already conquered.
However it's at the mid point of proceedings that things really start happening. At this juncture in the past you'd be hitting the fast forward button but now some of the album's real treasures come to the surface.
'The Mother Of Misogyny' is the first biting tale of love lost whereas the 'Road Rage'-esque 'Is Everybody Here On Drugs?' shows they haven't lost their sense of humour nor knack of scrutinizing and poking fun at what they see - this time its the drug-addled media scene.
Cerys slips into her coy vocal for the opening of 'Imaginary Friend' before part two of the track bursts into life with a thumping, crunching piano/guitar riff. Battling to keep up with the din, Cerys manages to come out on top with her best vocal performance on arguably the album's highlight.
There's still much more 'Paper Scissors Stone' has to offer. 'Shore Leave' (single material?) harks back to 'International Velvet' with its rabble rousing, hug-your-nearest-mate refrain: "We all need someone/We all need something" while 'Blues Song' evokes warming memories of the simplistic, naive 'Way Beyond Blue'.
'Paper Scissors Stone' isn't so much a change of direction more a honing of direction. It's the soundtrack to a band losing the plot but then regaining their footing in the nick of time. The charts may not beckon this time but Catatonia have been there, done that and look what happened.
