Artist bio

The Welsh quintet Super Furry Animals are one of the most inventive bands of their era, exploring new musical avenues with each release and each passing year. They have drawn inspiration from throughout the history of rock music, to say nothing of their huge electronic influences, and have consistently created compelling albums and songs within each idiom through which they pass.

Having formed from the ashes of a number of bands, including a noise-rock outfit and a techno group, SFA released their first EP, the impossibly-named Lianfairpwllgywgyllgogerchwymdrobwlltysiliogo-ygoyocynygofod (In Space) in 1995. They inked to Creation and kick-started their English-language catalog with Fuzzy Logic in 1996. Its unique punk- and power-pop-influenced tunes floated lysergic patterns and engaging lyrics about off-beat subjects, and the sound was furthered and expanded on the fine sophomore slab Radiator in 1997. 1999's Guerrilla was reportedly recorded only when the sun was shining, at Peter Gabriel's Real World studios, and added a decidedly technological edge to the group's music with an increased focus on electronic rhythms and textures spun together with a sharpened pop hilarity.

But then the group took another turn with its music as its label Creation folded; retreating to the moors of its homeland, the band recorded the Welsh-language Mwng for 6,000 quid in local studios. But hey, lo-fi and less-spoken language doesn't dim the album's appeal. It becomes the highest-selling Welsh-language album of all time, earning them a mention in a Parliament session.

Not to stay pointed in one direction for very long, the group's sixth album Rings Around The World was its slick, produced major-label debut, which sacrificed a tad of the earlier punkish rockula for a perfectly executed widescreen distillation of the group's talents. Eardrum-blazing techno merged with somber acoustic balladry; death-metal codas sat next to five-part pop opuses; sexually charged, thumping instrumentals and gospel-chorused classic rock songs all crashed together in a ponderous, life-affirming stew.

SFA upped the ante once again in 2003, with the space-rock epic "Phantom Power," which took the group's songwriting and arrangement skills to another planet, treating the world to a host of multi-faceted anthems.

They continues to explore the edges of the pop and rock universe, and they put on a great concert. What more could you want?

Albums by this artist

Love Kraft (2005)

Phantom Power (2003)

Rings Around The World (Recommended) (2001)

Mwng (2000)

Guerrilla (1999)

Out Spaced (1998)

Radiator (Recommended) (1997)

Fuzzy Logic (1996)

Concerts

April 24, 2002
Irving Plaza, New York

Interviews

Unleashing Their Power
July 26, 2003

Drawing Rings Around The World
July 28, 2001

Super Furry Animals

Mwng

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» TROY CARPENTER | CO-DIRECTOR

Super Furry Animals Mwng Placid Casual, 2000 RiYL: Love, Os Mutantes, Datblygu

The Super Furry Animals' fourth full-length album, Mwng, is a home-cooked affair.

The Welsh pop quintet, which has thrived on diversity and experimentation throughout its career, was left label-less when England's Creation Records folded in late 1999. True to their muse, the band devised a game plan: record the follow-up to 1999's Guerrilla by themselves, on a low-budget, in their homeland of Wales.

The Furries also decided to take things one step further with Mwng, writing and recording the entire album in their native Welsh. This makes for an interesting listening experience indeed for those (and there are many) who do not speak the language. Can the intricate Super Furry magic that permeates their three English records translate well in lo-fi, when one can't understand any of the words?

Yes.

Though admittedly, a lot of the appeal of the SFA comes through their comical and always intriguing lyrical bent, the band is full of great musicians. Not understanding the words forces one to pay more detailed attention to the music, and the melody and meter of the words. This approach yields a satisfying listen to Mwng (pronounced "moo-ng"), although for the truly curious, singer Gruff Rhys has sketched out rough translations of the album's lyrics on the band's Mwng web site.

Musically, many of the album's songs reflect the sound of the band playing live. The album is more reserved than the band's previous efforts -- the overall mood definitely conjures up images of the Welsh winter in which the songs were recorded. But don't think SFA's musical outlook has retreated to unfamiliar territory. The somber pulse of "Pan Ddaw'r Wawr" recalls psychedelic-era Stones, while closer "Mawrth Oer Ar Y Blaned Neifion" wouldn't sound out of place in Pink Floyd's ambient songbook. The buzzing, bouncy "Ymaelodi A'r Ymylon" could be a journal of Brian Wilson and Arthur Lee taking a summer vacation to overcast Welsh shores.

But the best part is how SFA characteristically stews in their numerous influences, but boils away just enough to create a fresh, individual sound. Mwng fits right in with their unique vision, and shows that the band can happily and productively work outside of the traditional bounds of the music industry. The record is already the top-selling Welsh language album of all time, reaching the top ten in the U.K. The only question remaining: what will SFA do next?

p.s. the American version of Mwng, on Flydaddy records, comes with a five-song bonus disc!

TROY CARPENTER | Troy Carpenter founded NATN from a Chicago apartment during the ambitious winter of 1998 with co-conspirators Ben French and Jonathan Cohen. After a five-year stint in New York, he and wife Lourdes have recently relocated to Indianapolis, where he spends days listening to music and nights in the kitchen at Elements restaurant. Musical heroes: Jimi Hendrix, Bob Marley, Super Furry Animals. What else makes life worth living: Sushi, Phucty, runs in the park, and the Atlanta Braves.