If experiencing Richard Curtis’ latest Brit flick 'The Boat That Rocked' inspires raging desires to somehow straddle the boundaries of time and space in order to return to the loose morals and free love of the 1960s, Super Furry Animals are the sort of band to evoke similar fantasy come 2050. 'Dark Days/Light Years' sees Gruff Rhys return to his day job following his brief stint with Californian producer, musician and all-round delightful chap Boom Bip (aka Bryan Hollon) under the shimmering aurora of Neon Neon, picking up a Mercury Award nomination in the process. Rhys’ Midas touch is undeniable but the carat count is highest however whilst he finds himself nestled amongst the euphoric psychedelia of his slightly crazed, fuzzy animals. Or bearded Welshmen. Whichever makes more sense…Each of these twelve tracks are absolutely barking but all up the right tree. Following the addition of lap steel and saxophones to the “banned instrument directive of the SFA board” Rhys and his super mushroom-filled magicians have reverted back to the swirling strings and gargantuan guitar riffs that brought us the likes of '(Drawing) Rings Around the World', 'Golden Retriever' and 'Hermann Loves Pauline' at a time when Damon and Liam wrestled with egos and each other. From the futuristic funk of 'Crazy Naked Girls' to the hymnal sunshine anthem 'Cardiff in the Sun', SFA carry no preconceptions and make no mistake, ‘they don’t give a f*ck about anybody else’. The simplistic harmonies of 'Mt' could give Fleet Foxes a run for their ecclesiastical charm and then some as scuffed-up guitars and dirty bass bumps thunder along like a freight train down a tube line.
If Curtis’ pirate radio ship got you flicking through those old records for a dash of Motown ('Where Do You Wanna Go?') or a quick fix of mangled, chewed up recordings ('Inconvenience'), the uplifting ode to the human body with its nods to Vegemite amongst others, 'Helium Hearts' establishes SFA as a truly unique prospect and bridges the vinyl and digital banks of the musical stream. It’s worth shelling out for Rhys’ records just to fully digest his lyrical genial tendencies; blissfully idealistic whilst remaining endlessly creative, Dark Days/Light Years may prove to be this year’s essential release.
Super Furry Animals- Mt
Super Furry Animals- Helium Hearts
Super Furry Animals- Crazy Naked Girls
Super Furry Animals- Cardiff in the Sun
