Super Furry Animals | ||
| Allmusic Biography : Super Furry Animals were one of the first post-alternative bands, fusing together a number of disparate musical genres -- including power pop, punk rock, techno, and progressive rock -- creating a shimmering, melodic, irreverent, and willfully artsy rock & roll. As one of the leading bands of the mid-90s Welsh movement, they were already tagged as outsiders by their tendency to sing entire songs in their native tongue, but their very approach was unique, full of both whimsy and left-wing political activism. What set them apart from their fellow Welsh bands were their infectious melodic sensibilities and their wildly irreverent attitude, which peers like Gorkys Zygotic Mynci, 60 Ft. Dolls, and Catatonia lacked. Formed in Cardiff, Wales, in 1993, Super Furry Animals were comprised of Gruff Rhys (lead vocals, guitar), Huw "Bunf" Bunford (guitar, vocals), Guto Pryce (bass), Cian Ciárán (keyboards, electronics), and Dafydd Ieuan (drums). All five members had played in bands throughout their teens prior to forming the group, most notably Rhys, who had previously played in a jangle pop band named Emily that was briefly signed to Creation, as well as a Welsh noise rock band called Ffa Coffi Pawb. Following the dissolution of Ffa Coffi Pawb, Rhys played in a trio with Pryce and Ieuan, which eventually evolved into Super Furry Animals. Initially, the group was a techno outfit, yet they quickly evolved into a neo-psychedelic and progressive pop outfit. After two years or writing and touring, the band signed with the Cardiff-based independent label Ankst and released their debut EP, Lianfairpwllgywgyllgoger Chwymdrobwlltysiliogoygoyocynygofod (In Space), which was sung entirely in Welsh. It was followed within a few months by another EP, Moog Droog, which was also sung in Welsh. Both EPs were produced by Gorwel Owen. By the end of 1995, Super Furry Animals had gained a strong, cross-generational fan base in Wales while gathering a strong cult following in Britain, which led to a six-album record contract with Creation Records. Prior to signing with Creation, the band had decided to sing the majority of their songs in English, in order to reach a wider audience. Super Furry Animals and Owen produced the groups debut album, which was preceded by two singles in the spring of 1996 -- "Hometown Unicorn" and "God! Show Me Magic" -- which became moderate hits. Fuzzy Logic, the bands debut album, was released in the U.K. in June 1996 to uniformly excellent reviews and a place in the Top 40. Within a few months, SFA had become one of the hippest bands in British independent music, with several of the groups lyrical touchstones -- most notably the notorious Welsh dope smuggler Howard Marks, who appeared on the cover of Fuzzy Logic -- having become pop culture references. Super Furry Animals also became infamous during the summer of 1996 for attending all of the pop music festivals in a gigantic tank. "Something 4 the Weekend" and "If You Dont Want Me to Destroy You" became hit singles in the summer and fall of 1996. The latter single was scheduled to have a B-side called "The Man Dont Give a Fuck," which was built on a sample of Steely Dans "Showbiz Kids," but Donald Fagen refused to give the group permission to use the recording. By November, he relented and "The Man Dont Give a Fuck" was released as a limited-edition single in early December; it reached number 22 on the U.K. charts, and became the groups default set closer. Fuzzy Logic also placed in the Top Ten of many critics year-end polls. Super Furry Animals entered the studios in January 1997 to record their second album, Radiator, which was released in August 1997. Guerrilla followed two years later, and in mid-2000 the band resurfaced with Mwng. Cameos by John Cale and Paul McCartney were featured on the ambitious 2001 album Rings Around the World, while 2003s Phantom Power was a looser affair. The compilation Songbook: The Singles, Vol. 1 and the new album Love Kraft were both released in 2005. The group signed with the Rough Trade label in 2006 and released the addictive pop album Hey Venus! in 2007. Two years later, the group released Dark Days/Light Years and then went on hiatus. Over the next five years, indvidual members pursued solo projects, finally returning to action in 2015 to play concerts promoting the reissue of Mwng. A biography called Rise of the Super Furry Animals saw publication by the end of the year. In 2016, they played several festival dates in the U.S., along with releasing "BING BONG," an anthem for Euro 2016. | ||
 | Album: 1 of 18 Title: Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyndrobwllantysiliogogogochynygofod (in Space) EP Released: 1995-05 Tracks: 4 Duration: 13:00 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Organ yn Dy Geg (02:56) 2 Fix Idris (03:10) 3 Crys Ti (01:55) 4 Blerwytirhwng? (04:58) |
 | Album: 2 of 18 Title: Moog Droog EP Released: 1995-08 Tracks: 4 Duration: 15:09 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Pam V? (03:57) 2 God! Show Me Magic (01:51) 3 Sali Mali (04:34) 4 Focus Pocus / Debiel (04:46) |
 | Album: 3 of 18 Title: Fuzzy Logic Released: 1996-05-20 Tracks: 12 Duration: 41:14 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 God! Show Me Magic (01:50) 2 Fuzzy Birds (02:27) 3 Something for the Weekend (02:34) 4 Frisbee (02:21) 5 Hometown Unicorn (03:33) 6 Gathering Moss (03:22) 7 If You Don’t Want Me to Destroy You (03:17) 8 Bad Behaviour (04:26) 9 Mario Man (04:07) 10 Hangin With Howard Marks (04:20) 11 Long Gone (05:20) 12 For Now and Ever (03:33) |
| Fuzzy Logic : Allmusic album Review : Super Furry Animals are eclectic, to say the least. Fusing together pop melodies, psychedelia, and art rock with an impish, punky fury, the band cover more ground on their debut album, Fuzzy Logic, than most indie bands do in their entire career. However, the album works better as a series of moments than as a collection, mainly due to their overreaching ambition. Each song floats by on irresistible, catchy vocal harmonies, while the music alternates between glitzy overdriven guitars and sighing, sweeping keyboard, guitar, and string backdrops. Over these lush sonic beds, lead vocalist Gruff sings lyrics that are either mystical, nonsensical, or bizarrely funny -- none of the songs make much literal sense, but that doesnt quite matter when the music is as free-spirited as this. The songs may start conventionally, but theyll be undercut by wild synthesizers and careening guitar solos, or off-kilter vocal melodies. Taken as individual moments -- as the singles "God! Show Me Magic" (relatively straight-ahead punk-pop), "Hometown Unicorn" (gorgeous psychedelia), and "Something 4 the Weekend" (which finds the middle ground between the first two singles) prove -- the music of Super Furry Animals is quite intoxicating, but when assembled together, they dont sustain momentum. However, the individual pleasures of each song become more apparent with each listen and Fuzzy Logic suggests that the group could blossom into something quite distinctive and utterly unique within a few albums. | ||
 | Album: 4 of 18 Title: Radiator Released: 1997-08-25 Tracks: 19 Duration: 1:03:08 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Furryvision™ (01:25) 2 The Placid Casual (02:49) 3 The International Language of Screaming (02:14) 4 Demons (05:11) 5 Short Painkiller (00:38) 6 Shes Got Spies (04:43) 7 Play It Cool (03:15) 8 Hermann ♥s Pauline (04:43) 9 Chupacabras (01:26) 10 Torra Fy Ngwallt yn Hir (01:54) 11 Bass Tuned to D.E.A.D. (03:20) 12 Down a Different River (05:37) 13 Download (03:19) 14 Mountain People (06:14) 1 Mu-Tron (03:16) 2 nO.K. (02:12) 3 Foxy Music (03:49) 4 Hit and Run (03:29) 5 Wrap It Up (03:26) |
| Radiator : Allmusic album Review : Using the psychedelicized prog-punk of Fuzzy Logic as a foundation, Super Furry Animals move even further into left field on their second album, Radiator. As before, the group displays a gift for catchy, deceptively complex melodic hooks, but now its songwriting and arrangements are mind-bogglingly intricate and eclectic. Songs boast intertwining melodies and countermelodies, with guitars and keyboards swirling around the vocals. Similarly, the production is dense and heavy with detail, borrowing heavily from prog rock and psychedelic pop, but pieced together with the invention of techno and played with the energy of punk. Its a heady, impressive kaleidoscope of sounds, but what gives Radiator its weight is the way the sonics complement the songwriting. SFAs songs are melodic, accessible, and utterly original -- melodically, they may borrow from 60s pop, but they rearrange the clichés in fresh ways. Also, Gruff Rhys has a fondness for revolutionary politics and the bizarre that helps give Radiator its intoxicating, otherworldly atmosphere, making it one of the few late-90s albums that sounds inventive, vibrant, and utterly contemporary. | ||
 | Album: 5 of 18 Title: Ice Hockey Hair EP Released: 1998-05-25 Tracks: 4 Duration: 17:05 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Smoke (05:02) 2 Ice Hockey Hair (06:58) 3 Mu-Tron (03:16) 4 Lets Quit Smoking (01:48) |
 | Album: 6 of 18 Title: Out Spaced Released: 1998-11-23 Tracks: 13 Duration: 1:03:41 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 The Man Dont Give a Fuck (04:50) 2 Dim Brys: Dim Chwys (05:25) 3 Smoke (05:02) 4 Dim Bendith (04:52) 5 Arnofio / Glô in the Dark (04:29) 6 Guacamole (04:00) 7 Dont Be a Fool, Billy (04:06) 8 Focus Pocus / Debiel (04:12) 9 Fix Idris (03:10) 10 Pam V? (03:57) 11 Pass the Time (03:48) 12 Carry the Can (04:44) 13 Blerwytirhwng? (11:00) |
| Out Spaced : Allmusic album Review : Like any band in 90s Britpop, Super Furry Animals were obligated to release a steady stream of singles buttressed with non-LP songs, which meant that there were nearly two albums worth of songs that werent on either Fuzzy Logic or Radiator, especially if the first two EPs on Ankst and two non-LP singles were counted as well. Following in the footsteps of Suede, Gene, and Oasis, among others, SFA released Outspaced, their own compilation of B-sides, in the fall of 1998, a year after Radiator hit the stores. Instead of taking the completist route, which is essentially what Suede did with Sci-Fi Lullabies, SFA constructed Outspaced as an actual album, leaving many very good songs behind on the singles. This is bound to frustrate fans who havent bothered to collect every single, but the approach results in a better, tighter album -- one that doesnt quite rank with their official albums, but nevertheless amply proves that SFA take more risks and reap greater rewards than most of their contemporaries. Even on the earliest material -- and a fair portion of their Ankst EPs are here -- SFA were gleefully recontextualizing, pulling techno, indie, and classic rock into unpredictable forms. Unlike some bands, they didnt save their riskiest material for B-sides -- unless you count singing in Welsh as a risk, since each single contained a Welsh-language song, about half of which are here. Whats really impressive is that the English songs sound as magical, baffling, and unusual as their Welsh counterparts, which only emphasizes the uniqueness of SFAs vision. These sort of revelations are best appreciated by the dedicated, but thats why Outspaced remains an essential addition to any hardcore fans collection. | ||
 | Album: 7 of 18 Title: Guerrilla Released: 1999-06-07 Tracks: 20 Duration: 1:17:19 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Check It Out (01:26) 2 Do or Die (02:03) 3 The Turning Tide (02:49) 4 Northern Lites (03:31) 5 Night Vision (04:41) 6 Wherever I Lay My Phone (Thats My Home) (05:24) 7 A Specific Ocean (00:51) 8 Some Things Come From Nothing (05:53) 9 The Door to This House Remains Open (04:17) 10 The Teacher (02:31) 11 Fire in My Heart (02:45) 12 The Sound of Life Today (00:22) 13 Chewing Chewing Gum (04:49) 14 Keep the Cosmic Trigger Happy (10:31) 1 This, That and the Other (05:50) 2 Missunderstanding (sic) (03:23) 3 Mrs Spector (03:02) 4 Rabid Dog (03:45) 5 The Matter of Time (05:47) 6 Colorblind (03:34) |
| Guerrilla : Allmusic album Review : Its difficult not to find Super Furry Animals brand of pop infectious, particularly the collection of numbers compiled for Guerrilla, the bands third full-length and arguably most cohesive -- albeit pleasingly and consistently unpredictable -- one to date. Old-school techno remains in remnants, such as in "Wherever I Lay My Phone (Thats My Home)." When it rears its head otherwise, it rests easily beside and within the majority of the fully fledged pop songs. The High Llamas contribute to the dreamy "Turning Tide"; theres the Tropicalia of "Northern Lites," and, as ever, there are shades of punk and distortion in "Night Vision." | ||
 | Album: 8 of 18 Title: Mwng Released: 2000-05-15 Tracks: 15 Duration: 58:50 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Drygioni (01:23) 2 Ymaelodi âr Ymylon (02:57) 3 Y Gwyneb Iau (03:54) 4 Dacw Hi (04:18) 5 Nythod Cacwn (03:46) 6 Pan Ddawr Wawr (04:29) 7 Ysbeidiau Heulog (02:51) 8 Y Teimlad (04:39) 9 Sarn Helen (04:18) 10 Gwreiddiau Dwfn / Mawrth Oer ar y Blaned Neifion (07:56) 1 Cryndod yn Dy Lais (02:47) 2 Trôns Mr Urdd (04:36) 3 Calimero (02:22) 4 Sali Mali (04:34) 5 (Nid) Hon Ywr Gân Syn Mynd i Achub yr Iaith (03:53) |
| Mwng : Allmusic album Review : The very fact that Super Furry Animals had the courage to release Mwng, an all-Welsh-language album, is proof that the group is the great eccentric band of its time. Unfortunately, many critics and listeners may dismiss Mwng as a stunt or a wacky joke, which is condescending -- especially in light of what a terrific album this is. It doesnt matter that many listeners will not understand the lyrics, since the music is terribly effective in its own right. Ironically, Mwng is more of a pop album than its predecessor, Guerrilla, which often took fascinating detours into electronica-inspired pure sound. Mwng has more than its fair share of evocative sonic textures -- its easy to get lost not just in the surface sound but whats buried beneath the melodies -- yet its also a concise, sharply written psychedelic pop record. These are smart, melodic, catchy songs graced with inventive, clever arrangements. Super Furry Animals have tempered their harder rocking in favor of expanding their prog, psych, and pop inclinations. There are still numbers that rock, but theyre unconventional, taking wonderful left turns and being blessed with arrangements that are welcoming, but never predictable. Fuzztone guitars and floating keyboards vie for space in the mix, vocals swoon in reverb, horns sound equally eerie and enthusiastic, and instruments are compressed so they no longer sound normal. Even when it skirts with psych-pop convention, with sitars popping up in the mix, it sounds fresh. Mwng is simply intoxicating with its richly melodic songs and dreamlike flow. This is an otherworldly record not because it is sung in Welsh, but because the music is fully realized and visionary. | ||
 | Album: 9 of 18 Title: Rings Around the World Released: 2001-07-23 Tracks: 15 Duration: 1:02:18 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Alternate Route to Vulcan Street (04:31) 2 Sidewalk Serfer Girl (04:01) 3 (Drawing) Rings Around the World (03:29) 4 Its Not the End of the World? (03:27) 5 Receptacle for the Respectable (04:32) 6 [A] Touch Sensitive (03:07) 7 Shoot Doris Day (03:38) 8 Miniature (00:40) 9 No Sympathy (06:57) 10 Juxtapozed With U (03:08) 11 Presidential Suite (05:24) 12 Run! Christian, Run! (07:20) 13 Fragile Happiness (03:04) 14 Tradewinds (05:36) 15 Happiness Is a Worn Pun (03:16) |
| Rings Around the World : Allmusic album Review : Super Furry Animals leap to a major label in the U.K. with Rings Around the World isnt that drastic of a change -- Fuzzy Logic was also released on Epic in the U.S., Creation was subsidized by Sony, and they never were exactly wanting of money on their previous records -- but the band nevertheless seizes the opportunity to consolidate their strengths, providing an introduction for listeners that may not have been paying attention before. As such, its hard not to consider it as a bit of a missed opportunity, since this is the first SFA album not to progress from its predecessor, or offer the shock of the new, and thats hard not to miss -- but, if this is the first SFA record you hear, itll likely intrigue, even dazzle, with its kaleidoscopic blend of pop, prog, punk, psych, and electronica. Still, this is nearly Super Furry Cliff Notes, offering a glossy, big-screen variation on all of their themes -- decadently lush pop-psych, chugging rock & roll, bitter leftism, sublimely warped imagery, experimentalism wrapped in luxurious productions. Alluring, to be sure, and satisfying, too, and there certainly are wonderful details scattered throughout the album, the least of which are cameos by John Cale and Paul McCartney. Plus, there is exceptional songwriting here, such as the cinematic "Juxtaposed With U," "Sidewalk Serfer Girl," and "Receptacle for the Respectable," which encapsulates nearly every side of the band within five minutes. Still, its hard not to want a little more from the band that was the best pop band of the late 90s. Its hard not to at least want surprises (since there are none) or, if its going to be a consolidation, to have it be a statement of purpose, since it lacks either an overarching theme or a music that gels. So, its not what it could have been, but what it is is still pretty damn great, satisfying with its melodies, textures, and ideas. Compared to what Super Furry Animals have done before, Rings Around the World pales slightly but noticeably, but compared to the dead world of mainstream and indie rock in 2001, it still shines brightly. | ||
 | Album: 10 of 18 Title: Phantom Power Released: 2003-07-21 Tracks: 14 Duration: 52:29 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Hello Sunshine (03:35) 2 Liberty Belle (02:58) 3 Golden Retriever (02:28) 4 Sex, War & Robots (03:49) 5 The Piccolo Snare (06:08) 6 Venus & Serena (03:26) 7 Father Father #1 (01:54) 8 Bleed Forever (03:39) 9 Out of Control (02:43) 10 Cityscape Skybaby (04:34) 11 Father Father #2 (01:30) 12 Valet Parking (04:35) 13 The Undefeated (04:07) 14 Slow Life (06:59) |
| Phantom Power : Allmusic album Review : With Rings Around the World, Super Furry Animals took a stab at a streamlined, big-budget album, complete with guest stars and cameos. It was accomplished and accomplished what it set out to do -- namely, elevate the Furries critical standing, making them a mainstay of Mojo readers and opening some doors in American magazines, who had previously ignored the brilliant Welsh quintet. Nevertheless, it was their least-interesting set of music released to date, often sounding constrained by its polished widescreen aspirations (not to mention its similarly cleaned-up, simplified political stance and lyrics), so it comes as no little relief that SFA loosens up on the sequel to Rings, the superbly titled Phantom Power. Teaming up with producer Mario Caldato, Jr., who helmed the Beastie Boys comeback, Check Your Head, the Furries come up with their fuzziest record yet, abandoning the Technicolor gloss of Rings for a hazy, slow-rolling collection of elastic pop songs. Caldato facilitates the return of dance beats and hints of electronica, sometimes recalling Guerrilla in its arrangements, but his biggest contribution is to give the record a bit of dirt, grounding this music in reality. This is a mixed blessing, since it means that Phantom Power never takes off the way Radiator or Mwng or even Fuzzy Logic did in its sheer exuberance. This earth-bound feeling is all the more palpable because SFAs sensibilities are still in line with the streamlined attitudes of Rings Around the World. Their different influences and ideas dont intertwine the way they used to; they exist as separate songs. These songs are frequently very good, and display many of the bands attributes, from Gruff Rhys ethereal yet warm voice and his sweet, enveloping melodies to the groups effortless eclecticism, grounded in neo-psychedelia but encompassing much more, including a new fascination with country-rock. Its a very good listen and theres a certain appeal to the dreamy haze of the production, particularly when its goosed along by sighing harmonies and sweet steel guitars, sounding something like a Californian Magical Mystery Tour. That, of course, is a good thing, and Phantom Power is a very good album (and, again, compared to many of SFAs peers in 2003, it is far ahead of the pack), but it does lack some of the things that made earlier Super Furry Animals so exhilarating -- the grit, the wild abandon, the absurdity, and the sheer unpredictability, where it was impossible to tell what would happen next. Perhaps this is the inevitable result of maturity, which does make one a little bit older and a little bit slower, but its still hard not to miss. But, at least theyre still making good records, unlike some bands who enter their mature phase. | ||
 | Album: 11 of 18 Title: Songbook: The Singles, Volume 1 Released: 2004 Tracks: 21 Duration: 1:18:06 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Something 4 the Weekend (02:51) 2 Its Not the End of the World? (03:27) 3 Northern Lites (03:31) 4 Juxtapozed With U (03:08) 5 Slow Life (06:59) 6 Fire in My Heart (02:50) 7 The Man Don’t Give a Fuck (04:47) 8 Hermann ♥s Pauline (04:07) 9 Play It Cool (03:15) 10 Ice Hockey Hair (06:58) 11 Do or Die (02:03) 12 (Drawing) Rings Around the World (03:29) 13 God! Show Me Magic (01:50) 14 Ysbeidiau Heulog (02:51) 15 Demons (05:11) 16 Golden Retriever (02:27) 17 The International Language of Screaming (02:14) 18 Hello Sunshine (03:35) 19 Hometown Unicorn (03:33) 20 If You Don’t Want Me to Destroy You (03:17) 21 Blerwytirhwng? (05:34) |
 | Album: 12 of 18 Title: Phantom Phorce Released: 2004-04-19 Tracks: 28 Duration: 1:19:24 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 2 Hello Sunshine (Weevil) (04:22) 3 Liberty Belle (Mario Caldato Jr) (02:58) 4 5 Golden Retriever (Killa Kela) (02:32) 6 Sex, War And Robots (Wauvenfold) (03:22) 7 8 The Piccolo Snare (Four Tet) (07:08) 9 10 Venus And Serena (Massimo) (02:57) 11 12 Father Father (Boom Bip) (04:53) 13 14 Bleed Forever (Bravecaptain) (06:11) 15 16 Out Of Control (Zan Lyons) (04:55) 17 18 Cityscape Skybaby (Minotaur Shock) (05:54) 19 20 Valet Parking (High Llamas) (05:05) 21 22 The Undefeated (Llwybr Llaethog) (03:43) 23 Slow Life (Sir Doufous Styles) (05:06) 24 25 Valet Parking (Force Unknown) (05:06) 26 27 Hello Sunshine (Freiband) (10:30) 28 |
 | Album: 13 of 18 Title: Slow Life EP Released: 2004-04-19 Tracks: 3 Duration: 17:22 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Slow Life (06:59) 2 Motherfokker (05:41) 3 Lost Control (04:41) |
 | Album: 14 of 18 Title: Love Kraft Released: 2005-08-22 Tracks: 12 Duration: 54:22 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Zoom! (06:53) 2 Atomik Lust (04:53) 3 The Horn (03:01) 4 Ohio Heat (04:07) 5 Walk You Home (04:00) 6 Lazer Beam (04:55) 7 Frequency (04:39) 8 Oi Frango (02:23) 9 Psyclone! (04:19) 10 Back on a Roll (03:46) 11 Cloudberries (05:04) 12 Cabin Fever (06:20) |
| Love Kraft : Allmusic album Review : As Super Furry Animals settle into their second decade of recording and with it their status as veteran rockers, theyre inevitably less surprising than they were at the outset of their career, when their music not only had an exhilarating rush, but there was a sense of impish glee, the sense that they were getting away with something that they shouldnt. That naturally has declined with the passage of time, yet with their seventh album, 2005s Love Kraft, SFA show signs of settling comfortably into their status as alt-rock veterans. Compared to the top-heavy, ponderous Rings Around the World and the trippy pop of Phantom Power, Love Kraft sounds warm and relaxed, lush and dreamy, with a strong, distinct sweet undercurrent to the music. Since Phantom producer Mario Caldato, Jr. has been brought back, its not a great surprise that the album has a similar hazy vibe, but where that album seemed to drift away a little too often, Love Kraft floats in the air -- perhaps it doesnt explore as much territory, but it canvasses its ground particularly well, creating a smooth, almost soulful spin on their signature prog-psych-pop sound. For the first time, each member of the group contributes a lead vocal, but its a testament to the bands overriding vision that the album never sounds anything less than cohesive. If some of the songs seem to announce themselves in a grander fashion than others -- "Zoom!" is an epic space-age opener, "Ohio Heat" has a wonderful spacy shimmer, and "Lazer Beam," the closest this record comes to an outright rocker, is as addictive as "Golden Retriever," as if Bacharach did psychedelic music -- the songs that recede into the background are all strong and help tie the album together into an ideal late-night record, in all meanings of the term. Perhaps its a little disappointing on some level that Love Kraft is merely a very good Super Furry Animals effort, with few surprises outside of its alluring sleekness, but this is another excellent album from a band that may no longer shock and surprise, yet always provides a rich, rewarding experience each time it releases a record. | ||
 | Album: 15 of 18 Title: Hey Venus! Released: 2007-08-27 Tracks: 11 Duration: 36:29 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 The Gateway Song (00:43) 2 Run‐Away (02:53) 3 Show Your Hand (02:51) 4 The Gift That Keeps Giving (03:20) 5 Neo Consumer (02:03) 6 Into the Night (03:33) 7 Baby Ate My Eightball (03:35) 8 Carbon Dating (04:35) 9 Suckers! (04:05) 10 Battersea Odyssey (04:07) 11 Let the Wolves Howl at the Moon (04:41) |
| Hey Venus! : Allmusic album Review : Sometime after Radiator, Super Furry Animals began exploring a wide sonic world, eventually drifting far out into orbit with albums like Rings Around the World and Phantom Power, albums so ambitious and so packed with celeb cameos that they brought the band attention from the respectable press. As accomplished as those albums were, they found SFA losing their divine gift of suggesting that anything could happen, the very thing that made their first four albums so divine. While they didnt get as overstuffed and lethargic as Mercury Rev or Flaming Lips did when they turned all serious -- an impish sense of humor always pulsated underneath their music -- Super Furry Animals did turn a bit ponderous, which made the relative levity of Love Kraft welcome even if the album was uneven, but that warm, hazy record in no way suggested the full-fledged return to pop power that is 2007s Hey Venus! By far the tightest record SFA has released since Radiator -- boasting no song over five minutes and four clocking in under three -- this is a concise, song-oriented record, which is somewhat ironic since it began its life as something as a concept album. The narrative was ditched during the recording as the group culled together 11 songs that hold together as an intensely colorful, insanely catchy pop album. Such a claim may suggest that this is the return of the frenzied rush of Fuzzy Logic, which isnt exactly true, because after a flurry of hooks at the outset -- "Run-Away," "Show Your Hand," and even the cleverly tossed-off opener, "The Gateway Song," all hold their own with "God! Show Me Magic" and "Herman Loves Pauline" -- the record settles into softer territory, trading on the lush Beach Boys, Bacharach, and ELO of their turn-of-the-century records. But if those albums were gauzy, as much about the texture as about the tune, here the focus is solely on the song, with each of the 11 tracks standing on its own yet working together to create an addictive 37-minute pop album. And just because this is disciplined in a way that Super Furry Animals havent been in years doesnt mean theyve ceased to progress -- theyve never had songs as lazily soulful as the closing "Let the Wolves Howl at the Moon" or "The Gift That Keeps Giving" with its electric sitars, and "Baby Ate My Eightball" threads their electronic fascinations into a lean rocker, the kinds of subtle innovations that prove that the Furries can still surprise as they enter their second decade. That reclaimed sense of unpredictability is as easy to embrace as the simple pop pleasures of Hey Venus! as a whole. | ||
 | Album: 16 of 18 Title: Dark Days/Light Years Released: 2009-03-16 Tracks: 12 Duration: 59:55 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Crazy Naked Girls (06:15) 2 Mt. (04:25) 3 Moped Eyes (04:13) 4 Inaugural Trams (05:19) 5 Inconvenience (03:42) 6 Cardiff in the Sun (08:16) 7 The Very Best of Neil Diamond (04:14) 8 Helium Hearts (02:50) 9 White Socks/Flip Flops (05:09) 10 Where Do You Wanna Go? (02:28) 11 Lliwiau Llachar (03:12) 12 Pric (09:52) |
| Dark Days/Light Years : Allmusic album Review : Longtime Super Furry Animals album artist Pete Fowler collaborated with Keiichi Tanaami, the designer responsible for their 2007 album Hey Venus!, for the cover art for SFAs ninth album, Dark Days/Light Years, and its a fitting gesture for an album that connects the focused, revitalized band of the late 2000s with the renegades of the late 90s. A cursory listen reveals Dark Days to be considerably wilder than Hey Venus!, whose primary charm was its streamlined efficiency, showcasing the band at its tight, melodic best. Elements of this remain -- its hard to strip the Day-Glo pop out of SFA, and they do not deny themselves, or us, this candied pleasure -- but the opener, "Crazy Naked Ladies," makes it plain that this is a buoyant, electrified, psychedelic affair, as much about texture as it is about sound. In that sense, it has a kindred spirit in Guerrilla, the third album that found SFA getting elastically electronic instead of precisely pop, but if anything, the groups two sides are integrated seamlessly here with the band shifting gears almost imperceptibly, transitioning smoothly from fuzz-flaked guitars to pulsating electro beats. This liquid ease distinguishes Dark Days/Light Years as latter-day SFA, as does their continued reliance on showcasing each of their main singer/songwriters, giving this a bit of a democratic heft, but SFA avoid any of the respectable middlebrow bloat that taints the worthy Rings Around the World period. Dark Days is vibrant and alive, an ever-flowing, ever-shifting, carousel of sound -- some might miss the emphasis on song, but its a ride thats hard to resist. | ||
 | Album: 17 of 18 Title: Zoom! The Best Of (1995-2016) Released: 2016-11-04 Tracks: 37 Duration: 2:35:26 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 Slow Life (06:57) 2 (Drawing) Rings Around The World (03:30) 3 Bing Bong (05:19) 4 Organ Yn Dy Geg (02:56) 5 Run-Away (02:52) 6 Northern Lites (03:31) 7 Inaugural Trams (05:38) 8 Demons (05:13) 9 Ice Hockey Hair (06:58) 10 Juxtapozed With U (03:11) 11 The Gift That Keeps Giving (03:18) 12 The International Language Of Screaming (02:16) 13 If You Don’t Want Me To Destroy You (03:18) 14 Fire In My Heart (02:49) 15 Run! Christian Run! (07:18) 16 The Piccolo Snare (06:46) 17 Zoom! (06:58) 1 Night Vision (04:43) 2 God! Show Me Magic (01:48) 3 Hello Sunshine (02:54) 4 Hermann ♥’s Pauline (04:44) 5 Patience (04:04) 6 Do Or Die (02:06) 7 Ysbeidiau Heulog (02:52) 8 Show Your Hand (02:52) 9 Something 4 The Weekend (02:53) 10 Smokin (05:04) 11 The Citizen’s Band (04:49) 12 Its Not The End Of The World? (03:29) 13 Play It Cool (03:17) 14 Golden Retriever (02:27) 15 Lazer Beam (04:59) 16 Receptacle For The Respectable (04:34) 17 Hometown Unicorn (03:36) 18 Mt. (04:24) 19 Mountain People (06:17) 20 The Man Don’t Give A Fuck (04:46) |
 | Album: 18 of 18 Title: Super Furry Animals At The B.B.C. (Live) Released: 2018-11-23 Tracks: 37 Duration: 2:21:37 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 God! Show Me Magic - Mark Radcliffe Session, 01/04/1996 (01:58) 2 Frisbee - Mark Radcliffe Session, 01/04/1996 (02:08) 3 Hometown Unicorn - Mark Radcliffe Session, 01/04/1996 (03:31) 4 Focus Pocus - Debiel - Mark Radcliffe Session, 01/04/1996 (03:20) 5 Something for the Weekend - Evening Session, 10/04/1996 (02:47) 6 Hangin With Howard Marks - Evening Session, 10/04/1996 (04:15) 7 If You Dont Want Me To Destroy You - Evening Session, 10/04/1996 (02:59) 8 God! Show Me Magic - Evening Session, 10/04/1996 (01:53) 9 The International Language Of Screaming - Evening Session, 11/08/1997 (02:25) 10 Torra Fy Ngwallt Yn Hir - Evening Session, 11/08/1997 (01:58) 11 Play It Cool - Evening Session, 11/08/1997 (03:27) 12 Demons - Evening Session, 11/08/1997 (05:12) 13 Calimero - Evening Session, 11/08/1997 (03:14) 14 The Teacher - John Peel Session, 24/03/1998 (02:04) 15 Phire in My Heart - John Peel Session, 24/03/1998 (02:38) 16 The Turning Tide - John Peel Session, 24/03/1998 (02:51) 17 Y Teimlad - John Peel Session, 24/03/1998 (05:19) 18 Night Vision - Evening Session, 02/06/1999 (05:34) 19 Some Things Come From Nothing - Evening Session, 02/06/1999 (06:21) 20 Fire in My Heart - Evening Session, 02/06/1999 (02:49) 21 Blerwytirhwng - Evening Session, 02/06/1999 (05:38) 22 D X Heaven - John Peel Session, 01/03/2000 (06:23) 23 Ymaelodi Âr Ymylon - John Peel Session, 01/03/2000 (03:05) 24 Y Gwyneb Iau - John Peel Session, 01/03/2000 (04:06) 25 Charge - John Peel Session, 01/03/2000 (03:26) 26 (Drawing) Rings Around The World - Evening Session, 29/05/2001 (02:27) 27 Fragile Happiness - Evening Session, 29/05/2001 (02:28) 28 The Warmth Of The Sun - Evening Session, 29/05/2001 (03:20) 29 Run! Christian, Run! - Evening Session, 29/05/2001 (07:38) 30 (A) Touch Sensitive - Live at Peel Acres, 12/07/2001 (04:45) 31 Zoom - Live at Peel Acres, 12/07/2001 (04:19) 32 Nythod Cacwn - Live at Peel Acres, 12/07/2001 (03:40) 33 Run! Christian, Run! - Live at Peel Acres, 12/07/2001 (06:14) 34 Fragile Happiness - Live at Peel Acres, 12/07/2001 (02:51) 35 Wherever I Lay My Phone (Thats My Home) - Live at SFA Mash Up The CIA, 20/12/1999 (09:29) 36 Bad Behaviour - Live at SFA Mash Up The CIA, 20/12/1999 (03:13) 37 God! Show Me Magic - Live at SFA Mash Up The CIA, 20/12/1999 (01:52) |