Gruff Rhys | ||
| Allmusic Biography : Best-known for his tenure in the hard-to-peg-down Welsh outfit Super Furry Animals, Gruff Rhys has a long history in British rock. Born in 1970, Rhys played in Creation Records Emily as well as Ffa Coffi Pawb, but his first foray into the musical arts was at the ripe age of five, when he wrote an odd little number about a train driver whos contemplating his own death. In 1990, a chance meeting helped lead to the development of what would become Super Furry Animals. First a left-field techno group, then later a whacked-out guitar group, SFA got much of their character and respect from Rhys outlandish and obscure lyrical slants. After many critically acclaimed singles and full-lengths, Rhys released his solo outing Yr Atal Genhedlaeth in 2005. And in true Gruff Rhys form, it was an entirely Welsh affair. He followed up the release with a small sampling of dates in his native homeland. When Super Furry Animals moved to Rough Trade, the label also picked up Rhys solo work and released his second album, Candylion, early in 2007. The album was released by Team Love in the U.S. shortly afterward. That same year, Neon Neon, a collaborative project of Rhys and Boom Bip, released Stainless Style, an electro-pop concept album about auto tycoon John DeLorean. Rhys next stepped outside of SFA in 2010 for The Terror of Cosmic Loneliness, a duet album with Tony Da Gatorra. In 2011 Rhys released his third solo album, Hotel Shampoo, featuring production from Andy Votel. Rhys then returned to Neon Neon for 2013s Praxis Makes Perfect and then devoted himself to an ambitious multimedia project called American Interior. An album, a movie, and a book, American Interior traced Rhys journey through America to track the legend of John Evans, a Welshman who searched for the legendary lost tribe of Welsh-speaking Native Americans in 1792. The project was unveiled in the spring of 2014 with the album seeing release in May of that year. | ||
 | Album: 1 of 10 Title: Yr Atal Genhedlaeth Released: 2005-01-24 Tracks: 11 Duration: 29:36 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Yr Atal Genhedlaeth (00:08) 2 Gwn Mi Wn (02:33) 3 Epynt (01:48) 4 Rhagluniaeth Ysgafn (02:55) 5 Pwdin Ŵy 1 (01:42) 6 Pwdin Ŵy 2 (03:13) 7 Y Gwybodusion (01:52) 8 Caerffosiaeth (02:58) 9 Ambell Waith (02:22) 10 Ni Yw Y Byd (03:56) 11 Chwaraen Troin Chwerw (06:04) |
| Yr Atal Genhedlaeth : Allmusic album Review : Super Furry Animals frontman Gruff Rhys has been writing for and performing with the well-known Welsh quintet since the bands 1996 debut, FUZZY LOGIC. Like the brain-spinning eclecticism of the Super Furries--which can veer from punk-pop to electronica experiments to sparkling psychedelia to Latin-tinged lounge in an eye-blink--Rhyss first solo outing, YR ATAL GENHEDLAETH, is a stylistically mixed bag. As on SFAs MWNG, Rhys adds another skewed angle to his psychedelic pop-rock by singing all of the lyrics in Welsh. (The albums title is a pun on the Welsh word for contraception, and translates loosely to "the Stopped Generation" or "the Stuttering Generation.") "Gwn Mi Wn" layers a chorus of chant-like vocal melodies over a simple drumbeat, creating a unique, trance-like effect. Rhys also croons his way through an electronica-rock ballad ("Rhagluniaeth Ysgafn"), strums acoustic guitar on sing-along Britpop ("Ni Yw Y Byd"), and rap-sings through angular, but surprisingly tuneful, blip-hop ("Caerffosiaeth"). Much of the album ("Epynt," "Y Gwybodusion"), however, is stripped-down, guitar-driven rock with a lean, home-recording feel that contrasts with the Super Furries high-end production. For its similarities to his main outfit, and for its distinctive differences, Rhyss YR ATAL GENHEDLAETH is an appealing listen. | ||
 | Album: 2 of 10 Title: Candylion Released: 2007-01-08 Tracks: 12 Duration: 44:44 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 This Is Just the Beginning (00:50) 2 Candylion (02:31) 3 The Court of King Arthur (03:24) 4 Lonesome Words (02:55) 5 Cycle of Violence (02:56) 6 Painting People Blue (02:53) 7 Beacon in the Darkness (03:18) 8 Con Cariño (02:18) 9 Gyrru Gyrru Gyrru (03:17) 10 Now That the Feeling Is Gone (03:01) 11 Ffrwydriad yn y Ffurfafen (02:40) 12 Skylon! (14:36) |
| Candylion : Allmusic album Review : Technically, Candylion isnt the first solo album by Super Furry Animals frontman Gruff Rhys, but its his first to be sung in English. More importantly, it has the form and feel of a pop album, which 2005s Yr Atal Genhedlaeth lacked. In that sense, its a debut, but this 2007 venture also represents a slight break from SFAs recent past, too, even if its not a radical break. Lighter and hardly as fussy as anything the Furries have done since Guerrilla, Candylion is lithe and cheerful, lacking both the proggy pomp and electronic eclecticism that rendered recent SFA albums alluring and maddening in equal measure. In their place are sunny melodies, propelled forward by flutes, gurgling synths, and acoustic guitars that never succumb to dippy folkiness. This is a breezy affair, almost drifting away in the breeze like so many needles from a dandelion, and thats the niftiest thing about it; it gives the album a cheerful, warm vibe. Ultimately, Candylion is the sound of Gruff Rhys relaxed, simply letting the music flow easily, and after hearing Super Furry Animals labor hard at crafting self-conscious masterpieces, this is a welcome reminder of the scruffy, clever charm of Rhys at his inventive peak. | ||
 | Album: 3 of 10 Title: The Terror of Cosmic Loneliness Released: 2010-07-26 Tracks: 10 Duration: 42:40 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 O Que Tu Tem (07:05) 2 In a House With No Mirrors (Youll Never Get Old) (04:54) 3 Espirito Luz (05:13) 4 Oh! Warra Hoo! (04:04) 5 Eu Protesto (05:00) 6 OVNI (03:34) 7 Vos Dos Semterra (04:46) 8 6868 (02:13) 9 Rap Verdade (04:35) 10 (Peidiwch Ac) OVNI (01:11) |
 | Album: 4 of 10 Title: Hotel Shampoo Released: 2011-02-11 Tracks: 13 Duration: 40:19 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Shark Ridden Waters (04:23) 2 Honey All Over (03:16) 3 Sensations in the Dark (02:40) 4 Vitamin K (03:04) 5 Take a Sentence (03:03) 6 Conservation Conversation (02:38) 7 Sophie Softly (02:09) 8 Christopher Columbus (03:31) 9 Space Dust #2 (02:19) 10 At the Heart of Love (03:32) 11 Patterns of Power (03:35) 12 If We Were Words (We Would Rhyme) (03:12) 13 Rubble Rubble (02:53) |
| Hotel Shampoo : Allmusic album Review : Nominally inspired by Gruff Rhys habit of collecting sample bottles of shampoo at every hotel he’s stayed at over the years, Hotel Shampoo is decidedly not a cosmetic concept album, yet it does have an underlying musical theme. Rhys uses this third solo album to slide into his softer side, creating a sweetly hazy, soft pop fantasia that recalls both Bacharach and the sunnier side of ‘60s psychedelia. Such softly swirling spaciness has been Rhys’ specialty ever since Super Furry Animals hit their stride, but the noteworthy thing about Hotel Shampoo is that he sustains his mood while serving up one of his strongest set of songs. The textures are tunes that are familiar yet not comfortable; they take twists and turns, with the melodies following unexpected contours and the arrangements colored with contrasting hues and textures. There’s a lot going on, but Hotel Shampoo never seems cluttered. It flows easily, so easily that it becomes an album to get lost in. | ||
 | Album: 5 of 10 Title: Atheist Xmas EP Released: 2011-12-19 Tracks: 3 Duration: 11:30 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Slashed Wrists This Christmas (05:39) 2 At the End of the Line (03:29) 3 Post Apocalypse Christmas (02:22) |
 | Album: 6 of 10 Title: American Interior Released: 2014-01-01 Tracks: 13 Duration: 46:03 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 American Exterior (00:28) 2 American Interior (03:15) 3 100 Unread Messages (04:31) 4 The Whether (Or Not) (03:35) 5 The Last Conquistador (03:57) 6 Lost Tribes (03:00) 7 Liberty (Is Where Well Be) (04:53) 8 Allweddellau Allweddol (04:01) 9 The Swamp (04:10) 10 Iolo (03:47) 11 Walk Into the Wilderness (03:48) 12 Year of the Dog (03:29) 13 Tigers Tale (03:09) |
| American Interior : Allmusic album Review : Legend has it that a Welsh prince called Madoc discovered the Americas in 1170, some three hundred years prior to Christopher Columbus. Legend also says Madoc and his men mated with Native Americans, thereby creating a Welsh Indian tribe whose existence belongs to myth. Such a tale is ideal for Gruff Rhys, the Welsh psychedelic pop artist who has specialized in eccentricity from his very first recording with Super Furry Animals. American Interior captures Rhys own attempt to retrace the footsteps of explorer John Evans, who set out in the 1790s to find the lost Welsh-speaking tribe. Evans didnt find the tribe and for Rhys the journey itself is the destination, a journey he chronicled in a film, in a book, and in this concept album. As a record, American Interior hits a sweet spot between his lush art rock with SFA and his arch conceptual works released under the Neon Neon moniker. The narrative is slightly hard to parse and not just because Rhys occasionally dips into the Welsh language. Smartly, Gruff expends as much of his energy composing as he does telling a tale, grounding himself within the kind of grand, baroque psychedelia thats very familiar from latter-day SFA but hell cheekily touch upon strands of Americana, turning "100 Unread Messages" into a little bit of swinging rockabilly, while "The Whether (Or Not)" stomps like a forgotten glam nugget and "Liberty (Is Where Well Be)" approximates some of the gorgeous, gossamer smoothness of Philly soul. Such sly allusions are knowing and affectionate without being snide and that openheartedness is evident throughout American Interior, as Gruff Rhys exhibits a true sense of wonder at the possibility that still exists in the heartland of America. That it doesnt always evoke the exotic myth of the Welsh Indians is an attribute; hes wound up creating his own wildly romantic vision of America from the story of Prince Madoc and John Evans, and its something to behold. | ||
 | Album: 7 of 10 Title: Liberty (Is Where Well Be) Released: 2014-07-21 Tracks: 4 Duration: 13:31 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Liberty (Is Where We’ll Be) (05:00) 2 Power Point Presentation (02:31) 3 Thats Why (03:39) 4 Media Quake (02:21) |
 | Album: 8 of 10 Title: Lost Tribes Released: 2014-11-03 Tracks: 3 Duration: 00:00 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Lost Tribes (?) 2 Y Madogwys Neu Angau (?) 3 American Exterior (Extended Mix For Two Synthesisers) (?) |
 | Album: 9 of 10 Title: Set Fire To The Stars Released: 2016 Tracks: 24 Duration: 43:09 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 John Malcolm Brinnin (00:28) 2 Set Fire to the Stars (04:01) 3 After Hours/Panic (02:24) 4 Tremble (Down) (00:31) 5 Tremble to the Light (03:20) 6 Tremble (Up) (00:32) 7 After Hours/Tension (00:54) 8 Log Cabin 1 (01:12) 9 Log Cabin 2 (01:00) 10 Log Cabin 3 (00:45) 11 John Adoring at Yale (00:43) 12 Set Fire to the Strings (01:21) 13 After Hours/Tender (01:52) 14 John & The Poem (01:29) 15 Chop Shop (02:40) 16 Atom Bomb (01:47) 17 After Hours/Contentment (02:47) 18 Ticking Clock (02:01) 19 Military Madness (01:02) 20 Caitlins Theme (02:37) 21 Tremble (Joy) (00:49) 22 Dylans Demons (02:06) 23 It Was Hot That Summer (05:54) 24 [untitled] (00:43) |
 | Album: 10 of 10 Title: Babelsberg Released: 2018-06-08 Tracks: 10 Duration: 40:56 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Frontier Man (03:34) 2 The Club (04:03) 3 Oh Dear! (03:16) 4 Limited Edition Heart (03:38) 5 Take That Call (03:42) 6 Drones in the City (03:49) 7 Negative Vibes (05:15) 8 Same Old Song (04:09) 9 Architecture of Amnesia (04:41) 10 Selfies in the Sunset (04:49) |
| Babelsberg : Allmusic album Review : Babelsberg may be a place that exists -- its a small town in Germany, to the southwest of Berlin -- but Gruff Rhys uses it as a fantastical construct on his 2018 album of the same name. Conceptual pop is Rhys forte and while he arranges this, his fifth solo album, around a loose idea of how humanity may wind up burrowing to hell while attempting to build a tower to heaven, the distinguishing characteristic of the album is its lush, enveloping sound. Much of this is due to the presence of the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, a 72-piece orchestra playing arrangements by composer Stephen McNeff. Together, Rhys and McNeff pull off a trick: the songs and the arrangements are so richly melodic that theyre almost comforting, sometimes suggesting the psychotropic vistas of prime Glen Campbell, yet they always skirt clichés. Within these succulent sounds lie some disquieting meditations on modernity -- Rhys wrote these ten songs during the global political turmoil of 2016 -- which causes an appealing dissonance on Babelsberg. Rhys words may be filled with dread but his music offers solace in its deftly executed songcraft and reassuring soft focus, which means Babelsberg can soothe the very emotions it stirs up. | ||