Theres a case to be argued that SFA are the most important band of the past 15 years. Come on then Noel, lets 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 Frequencys environmentally astute state-of-the-globe address to chickens taking over the world on Psyclone! , while the cover art suggests that theyll 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? Its fucking weird.
