Super Furry Animals: cool?

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Ok, I'm asking two questions is one day. So it's been quiet around here. Sorry.

So here's a new(ish) band I actually like, and wonder what people think of them in the UK... their profile here in the States is zero, even people I know who are into "indie rock" never heard of them. So are they "cool"? Are they on the radio a lot? Do you see kids wearing SFA t-shirts on the street? Will liking them give me the hip cache I crave?

― Sean, Wednesday, 29 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Nice chaps. Impeccable record collections. Ambitious songs, all of them trying to elbow avant-garde ideas into pop format a la Stereolab, but consistently let down by appalling vocals. Cool? Not very outside of evening indie radio and the NME. Sure, kids wear their shirts; just not very hep ones.

― s, Wednesday, 29 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Not quite zero there, Sean. ;-) Then again I don't know where you're at, but when they played an in-store in LA back in 1999 there was a healthy turnout, about 150 folks, maybe?

Anyway, I loves 'em. New album is quite good, they keep on quietly surprising me with every fresh release.

― Ned Raggett, Wednesday, 29 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

SFA are on of those bands that appear more famous than they actually are. If they have a record out it usually gets reviewed in the mainstream press and get mentioned on music TV shows, lots of people wear their T-Shirts, and would claim to like them. But their radioplay and sales don't really reflect their indie fame. I'd expect every UK indie fan to know about them, but most other people would at best only know the name.

Are they cool? To people mostly into edge-of-mainstream indie guitar rock/pop, yes. To people mostly into the kind of weird obscure stuff that only sells three copies, "they're kind of alright, for a pop band". Liking SFA is not a guaranteed ticket to cool, at least not in the UK.

― Graham, Wednesday, 29 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

graham has expressed the 'in the know' opinion apparently. aside from the appalling topical lyrics the new album is lovely. they have more ideas than most other bands combined and the vocals are one of the main selling points for me. but still, 'no sympathy' is one of the worst songs i have ever heard.

― keith, Wednesday, 29 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I'm not quite sure what you mean Keith, but just to be clear, I wasn't knocking them, I'm just saying they won't win you much cred around ultra-obscurist musos. I've got the new LP (on DVD), and I rather like it.

"You've got to tolerate/All those people that you hate"

"Sympathy, Sympathy/I don't feel sorry for thee/You deserve to die"

(and it has the weirdest, weirdest, weirdest video of them all)

― Graham, Wednesday, 29 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

The new album went Top 10 for certain - I think their sales are respectable. I don't like them much though.

― Tom, Thursday, 30 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

the epitome of...ok

no kudos with them though, maybe a few years back but even then debatable. but you wouldn't get laughed at.

― gareth, Thursday, 30 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I might not be ultra obscurist, but my mom says I'm cool and I've always thought if you're going to listen to pop-indie then SFA are the best band around. I've also always thought that they in many ways they are what a band should be, serious and yet outrageously funny at the same time. They truly are under-rated. As for their work, I've always found there to be a few brilliant songs on every album but I don't think any of the albums are as coherent as the new one. Despite that songs like Northern Lites and Something comes from nothing would blow anything on Guerilla out of the water. I always found my glow in the dark Spiritualized t-shirt gave me a certain coolness, but then thats because I'm a giant fan. Still.....it glows.

― Ronan, Thursday, 30 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Oh, they're alright. Don't bother with the first album though, it's a crappy Oasis-a-like.

― DG, Thursday, 30 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I certainly don't think they live up to the amount of attention they get - somehow their blend of glam, prog-boogie and electronica doesn't come off most of the time, despite sounding interesting on paper. That said, I do like the first album, and don't really understand your comments, DG. Sure, there are echoes of the Brit-pop rabble in say, "Something for the Weekend" or "Bad Behaviour", but Noel's limited palette couldn't get Oasis anywhere close to the gorgeous "Hometown Unicorn" or "Gathering Moss".

I heard some of "Rings..." and I'm interested in hearing more - sounds like they may finally get interesting.

― Dr. C, Thursday, 30 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I have to agree with Dr. C, DG -- the first album sounding like Oasis? Uh, where? In that they sorta *looked* like them at the time, yes...

― Ned Raggett, Thursday, 30 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Last Sunday, whilst relaxing at the Oak Street Beach with my sweetheart, I spied a guy wearing a Mwng t-shirt. So even people in Chicago, IL have heard of SFA.

― hstencil, Thursday, 30 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

i just heard the first song off Guerilla on the backround of an MTV show. egad.

― brock kappers, Thursday, 30 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Hmm...I always think their songs get worse with every album so have consistently failed to buy any of them. The same as for Gorky's Zygotic Mynci, but I am more likely to rectify that, and they are another Welsh band who are very good.

― Bill, Thursday, 30 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

All I can remember of Fuzzy Logic are various songs which just chug along being 1994 Oasis-y. I haven't heard it for ages though.

― DG, Thursday, 30 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I think the new album is wonderful! "Juxtapozed With U" might just be the greatest non-R&B single of the year, and the production is fantastic. I don't think they'll make you hip, but it's damn good pop.

― Simon Howell, Friday, 31 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

A man in my office wears a Mwng shirt (he has different colors of them) two days out of five.

― Andy, Friday, 31 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

SFA is where it is at. Who cares if they do or do not get you indie cred. If you like them, then just enjoy the damn music. Cause it is damn fine.

― md, Friday, 31 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

No, they're not cool: not with me, anyway. The one person I know who really likes them is Nick Dastoor. but he likes Gorky's Mynci too - I can't explain him.

― the pinefox, Friday, 31 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Why oh why do Nick and I seem to be the only people on the planet who swoon over Gorky's?

― scott p., Friday, 31 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I only have one Gorky's album (Spanish Dance Troupe), and I think it's quite nice. I wouldn't go so far as to say "swoon", though...

― Sean, Friday, 31 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

It's hard to explain why, but SFA are just the ultimate band to play at a rock-oriented bar. They're influenced by everything from ELO to Bowie to Barrett, but make it sound like it was all recorded by producers on a UFO using future digital technology.

They're fuck of a lot better than Weezer, at least.

Don't think much of "Juxtapozed with U" actually, but look forward to hearing more of "Rings"

― Chupacabra, Friday, 31 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I likes them Gorkys as well. So smile. :-)

― Ned Raggett, Friday, 31 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

SFA OK, i have every record theyve ever put out and all are worth buying in my opinion...

― Debs, Sunday, 2 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

nine years pass...

Is there a best album poll for these guys? Couldn't find it. If not, there really should be....sadly I'm too lazy to make one myself.

― Tim. E "LazRus" Lucas (Prose b4 Hoes...and Big Hoos), Sunday, 5 September 2010 14:20 (fifteen years ago)

Super Furriest album poll

― useless chamber, Sunday, 5 September 2010 14:22 (fifteen years ago)

Cool, thanks :)

― Tim. E "LazRus" Lucas (Prose b4 Hoes...and Big Hoos), Sunday, 5 September 2010 14:24 (fifteen years ago)

Been playing Mwng a lot over the last few days. Wonderful record.

― Captain Ostensible (Scik Mouthy), Sunday, 5 September 2010 19:59 (fifteen years ago)

It's my favorite. Every time I listen to it, I'm surprised by how little I notice that it isn't sung in English. For whatever reson, Welsh seems much less jarring in a rock song (to me, obv.) than most other foreign languages. You can kind of turn the Welsh phrases into slurred English phrases without to much trouble...

― dlp9001, Sunday, 5 September 2010 22:12 (fifteen years ago)

one year passes...

i can't remember exactly when i saw them, could be 99, 00 or 01. they were getting in their mollo phase as i would say and also i think someone told me that evening they were at the end of their tour and were tired so the performance was sort of , yeah. the weird, interesting electronic music they played before the show started made a bigger impression on me. wished i was there to see *that* show. does any one knows what that was? for some reason it didn't cross my mind i could ask online at the time.

― Sébastien, Thursday, 10 May 2012 13:12 (fourteen years ago)

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