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[Mifune]

Michael Winterbottom is one of the best filmmakers working today, even if not every one of his movies is all that great.

24 Hour Party People earns him a million free passes. This new one has me intrigued.

 

[enjoy bell woods]

I'm certainly checking it out.

 

[Meier]

I like it and my girlfriend likes it. Win/win situation! The new Supergrass is pretty good too if not a bit subdued.

 

[enjoy bell woods]

Hmm, I haven't heard the new Supergrass. I liked the last two albums, but they really couldn't compare to their first two. How's the new one sound? Subdued is fine, but is it boring?

 

[Varian]

Good to see you back bell.

It's pretty fantastic, but I'm going to hold out on calling it their best album for now. I said that it was elsewhere, but there are a couple of lame tracks (Oi Frango! is a total waste of space).

Oi Frango sounds like a 60s-era novelty song (I have no idea if that's a Brazil influence). The only track I don't like is Frequency, which sounds almost like a compendium of hooks from their earlier albums. Kind of like Receptacle for the Respectable, which to its credit did have new hooks.

That's not Cian on "The Horn"; it's Bunf. Cian does vocals on "Cabin Fever" and "Walk You Home". Daf does vocals on "Atomik Lust", which is probably my favorite song of the year.

Have Bunf or Daf had song credits before this? (I'm assuming if they did vocals they also wrote the songs.) As far as I know Cian mostly did techno before moving to songwriting.

 

[enjoy bell woods]

I think Bunf wrote "Sex, War and Robots", but for all I know that could've been Gruff's song with Bunf's vocals and lyrics.

Odd that you don't like "Frequency." That's probably one of my favorite moments.

 

[enjoy bell woods]

http://xfm.co.uk/Article.asp?b=multimedia&id=110312

I'm gonna try ordering the SACD. I'd really love to hear the album in 5.1. Probably gorgeous.

 

[Varian]

http://www.nme.com/reviews/11986.htm

8/10

There’s a case to be argued that SFA are the most important band of the past 15 years. Come on then Noel, let’s list the attributes of a New Beatles: 1) Ceaseless desire to innovate. Check out the Doors-scuba-diving-into-Hell micro-opera of ‘Zoom!’ , or the way ‘Atomik Lust’ turns a heart-twisting tune into a frenzied Terminator stompalong halfway through, or how ‘The Horn’ finds a middle ground between zither vibes and ‘Yellow Submarine’. 2) Ability to sublimate all genres into their music without losing sight of The Tunes. How many other bands could adapt their set to fit the Acoustic Café, Brixton Academy and the main room at Manumission, or release a cohesive album with a toe in wired future prog ( ‘Zoom!’ ), loping C&W ( ‘Ohio Heat‘), prehistoric funk ( ‘Psyclone!’ ), smoove Bacharach boudoir soul (‘Walk You Home’), mental kiddie electrosquelch pop ( ‘Lazer Beam’) and ‘Coffee & TV’ in space ( ‘Oi Frango’), all coated in cyborg swan noises and crazed cyber-belches? 3) Inate playfulness of lyric and costume without ever spilling over into Coral-style foolishness. Once again, Rhys’ lyrical concerns span the political spectrum from ‘Frequency’’s environmentally astute state-of-the-globe address to chickens taking over the world on ‘Psyclone!’ , while the cover art suggests that they’ll soon be joined onstage by large alien penis monsters. 4) Massive global popularity. Ah, yes, um… have we told you how weird this record is? It’s fucking weird.

This last statement kind of irks me. The album is far more mellow than is let on. The song "Frequency" is especially moving, and it deserves a listen for that alone.

At any rate the cover art has nothing to do with large penis monsters, but is clearly a play on the Christ statue in Rio, where part of the album was recorded.

EDIT: WTF happened to bell again?

 

[Ford Prefect]

I just got my copy from Amazon.co.uk the other day (I decided to forgo the leak), and though I haven't fully absorbed the album yet, despite having listened to it about 10-15 times, it's good. Not at all what I expected, but good. I'm terribly excited for future releases, what with the band having four songwriters, now. Cian's and Daf's songs and song are really good, and Bunf's are alright.

 

[enjoy bell woods]

Bunf's songs are terrible and "Lazer Beam" is pretty bad, but the rest of the album is either really great or pretty good.

 

[pjberri]

I enjoyed this. Recommend me something in a similar vein, or even another SFA album.

 

[Ford Prefect]

Bunf's songs are of lower quality than the rest, but I love Lazer Beam. Classic SFA; I was expecting and hoping the rest of the album would be of a similar sort.

pjberri - I would go with Radiator or Rings Around the World, two of the best Furry albums.

 

[enjoy bell woods]

ENJOY ELL WOODS' FAVORITE SFA ALBUMS (FROM BEST TO LEAST BEST):

1. GUERRILLA (Mental electronic/rock mish-mash. The most super furry of the Super Furries' albums)
2. MWNG (Welsh, folksy, stripped production. Some ELO-inspired moments (Ysbideau Heulog), but mostly long, pretty songs with nice orchestration)
3. RINGS AROUND THE WORLD (The "accessible" Guerrilla. Their most expensive album to date with very polished production, the latter part proving a turn-off to some longtime SFA fans. Practically my favorite album of the decade. Very super furry in sound as well.)
4. Radiator (the pop album. Fits in well with Blur and the rest of that mid-'90s scene, but it has an edge those other British bands didn't really have. Considered the band's classic album)
5. Phantom Power (kind of country-ish, a little depressing, with uplifting tracks scattered about. Their "brown" record, reflecting their mood with the world affairs of the time. "Slow Life" is one of their best tracks ever, as is "The Piccolo Snare.")
6. FUZZY LOGIC (their debut. Welsh druggies make their first album in the English language. The songs are clearly influenced by many drugs. I like it, but not for everyone.)
7. LOVE KRAFT (Four out of five of the band's members become principal songwriters. Gruff does write the majority of the songs, but Dafydd (drummer), Cian (synth/electronics/producer guy), and Bunf (guitarist/super pothead/drunk) take a stab at vocals as well. The results are mixed, but it gives a hopeful look at the next decade to come)

BONUS: # OUTSPACED (B-SIDES AND RARITY COMPILATION: includes anthem "The Man Don't Give a Fuck")

I'm torn on "Lazer Beam," man. At times it sounds absolutely mental and like one of the best songs they've ever done, but when I'm really focusing on the music it falls apart and just sounds weird and cacophonic. At any rate, it was a poor choice of a single.

 

[enjoy bell woods]

With my list out of the way, I wouldn't suggest listening to Guerrilla if you're not into weird, experimental pop music. I'd go for Rings or Radiator - maybe even Phantom Power.