Super Furry Animals
Guerrilla
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Super Furry Animals
Guerrilla
Flydaddy, 1999
RiYL: The Beatles, Beach Boys, The Kinks |
Musical success stories, right? Well, hold on. In '99, our dear friends Tom and Ed Chemical managed to bless us with "Hey Boy, Hey Girl," a single so underwhelming that Lenny Kravitz's cover of "American Woman" almost seemed appealing for a second. Almost. The Beta Band denounced its debut album, describing it as "the worst record that will come out all year" in the NME (although it first appeared to be a publicity ploy, after hearing the LP it seems that the Betas were probably being sincere). Blur was more successful, but to be truthful, 13 went in one ear and out the other for the most part.
Luckily there is hope, and it can be found on the Super Furry Animals' delirious album Guerrilla. Here is a world where it's alright to put a sculpture of a one-eyed squid smoking a pipe (a "communication god") on your record sleeve and it's cooler to use a Latin-flavored horn section and steel drums on your new single. Indeed, said single "Northern Lites" is so refreshing, upbeat and utterly happy that anyone who owns it and denies dancing to its calypso groove in front of the bedroom mirror is LYING.
While SFA's previous album, Radiator, was an overflowing well of majestic pop hits, Guerrilla finds the band finally giving album space to its drum and bass urges. "Wherever I Lay My Phone (That's My Home)" and "Something Comes From Nothing" indulge the Welshmen's beat fetishes and succeed in proving that they may be the only band capable of adding lyrics and melodies to them. This experimentation fails only on "The Door To This House Remains Open," a competent stab at the so-called drill-and-bass style popularized by Aphex Twin and mu-ziq that can't overcome its uninspired lyrics.
But don't be fooled by the apparent festivities within. Guerilla often expresses a geniune concern for the state of today's society and addresses our obsession with technology -- something like OK Computer on prozac. Gruff Rhys laments "We're living in a world of quicksand / castles on their keep / still waiting under siege / for the turning tide" on "Turning Tide," while "Wherever I Lay My Phone" refers to the cellular phenomenon as a "status symbol disease." Please don't argue that they can't be serious.
On the other hand, "Night Vision" rocks like the Sex Pistols, had they been smart enough not to fry their brains. Huw "Bunf" Bunford's guitar tones are perfect and the lyrics are a hilarious description of a night out at the clubs: "We were the upside of down on a Saturday night / And the girls were bickering and starting to fight / Hey you! -- don't push, just wait your turn / said the bouncer to the woman with the carpet burn."
Don't forget to look for the hidden track. Uniquely located before the album begins, the flute-driven "The Citizen's Band" can be found by rewinding immediately after pressing play.
The fact that SFA are so unknown in the States makes the band all the more intriguing. After a failed stint on Epic, SFA signed up with Flydaddy in an attempt to cultivate more of a U.S.-based following. Guerrilla could go a long way in helping the cause, its contents some of the most cohesive, all-encompassing blasts of brilliance to be released in a long time.
PAUL FOREMAN |