SUPER FURRY ANIMALS

The tape dated 7th Sept 1998 is clearly from the Guerrilla sessions, it's named RW Session Mixes #1, RW meaning Real World Studios where the album was record. 'Y Teimlad' is the recording that went onto Mwng, but it was recorded at the Guerrilla sessions. #9 is 'DX', which I would assume is 'DX Heaven' ... I have no fucking idea what 'Ya-Hey!' could possibly be. It's either a working title for one of the Guerrilla tracks (or B-sides) or something that didn't get released.

There is an old Phantom Power floating around the net that contains an additional "father father." I had it and lost it. I assume it's an old master, as the undefeated sounds, from what I remember, a bit lazier, with more a reggae-styled rhythm section.

xpost:

*record=recorded.

Yeah, I remember the early leak of Phantom Power having a few differences to the final release. I haven't heard it for years, though.

One of the DAT's is labelled SFA - "Sympathy" Tracks which certainly must have something to do with 'No Sympathy'

This is starting soon. Anyone able to make it?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l0nhQ7637_Y

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-R_6YB53Wp0

Love Kraft still their best album

https://twitter.com/BBCWalesNews/status/679193519450263552

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/theatre-dance/reviews/the-insatiable-inflatable-candylion-sse-swalec-stadium-theatre-review-delightful-music-but-energy-a6780371.html

Only the imagination of Gruff Rhys could have come up with this singular show. He expands his 2007 album Candylion into a psychedelic fable - for all the family! Billed by National Theatre Wales as a “theatre gig”, live music propels the story, with the audience standing or moving about the space.

We’re in Pixel Valley, where hybrid creatures – Candylion, Polarpear, Meringueutan – happily gather pixel fruit. But after the Candylion swallows some negative vibes, she begins to grow – and get nasty. The pink creature (played with winning childish stroppiness by Remy Beasley) turns into a tyrannical “Turbo Capitalist”, forcing the others to work in her candy factory. Only Caruin – a carnation penguin, obviously! – resists. After an epic journey to the land of the Cone People, he returns to persuade Candylion – swollen into an enormous, inflatable set of jaws – that it’s better to share.

The word ‘surreal’ is liberally used today – but Candylion really, genuinely is. It’s delightful – and should delight kids.

Rhys came up with the show after noticing children were coming to the Candylion album tour, clearly responding to the twee plinky-plonk or gently driving rhythms of his songs. Still, I’ll have to take his word for it – I see one of the ‘after-dark’ shows, with an adult audience; we get an extra “theatrical encore”, his 20-minute song ‘Skylon’, guest starring Charlotte Church no less.

But the play’s main, archly anti-capitalist allegory certainly works for adults; indeed, there are elements that are really more for groovy parents than kids. But the underlying story and message – be inclusive; don’t be greedy – is definitely child-friendly.

They even find some cute ways to explain economic principles: if the irony of a dance number about the “trickle down” effect flies over little heads, the concept is then explained, revealing with childish simplicity the injustice of the theory. “I have the jar – and you have the drips”, says Candylion. “Can’t we just share what’s in the jar?” questions Caruin. Get ‘em young, Gruff!

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The music is a delight – as a high-concept gig, The Insatiable, Inflatable Candylion is a roaring success. Rhys narrates in his inimitably zoned-out, meandering style, and leads a super-group featuring Sweet Baboo, Lisa Jen Brown from 9Bach, and Kliph Scurlock from the Flaming Lips. He even conducts a conga round the venue in a tiny wooden car.

But that moment aside, the hangar-like space doesn’t do them any favours. It felt under-filled, the 360-degree staging over-stretching the core cast of six – and the budget. It might have worked if they could bring on a big chorus; instead, the energy too often dissipated, sliding from anarchic into shambling.

Not that there isn’t a coherent vision here: the hybrids’ costumes are fab, and Wils Wilson’s production is clever in its use of bubblegum cartoon stylings – we enjoy the sugar rush, while also recognising that this shiny, pester-power pink is its own capitalist coating. But while Candylion may have an easy-to-swallow message, delivered in Rhys’ deliriously odd signature style, when the sugar-high wears off you’re left hungry for something a bit more substantial.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9247t3mtYk

SFA's 20th birthday celebration turns 21 on the Left Coast! New Super Furry Animals tour alert! Super Furry Animals's momentous 20th birthday celebrations of 2015 become 21 this year as we embark on some adventures that passed us by last year. Starting next week - (Feb 4th 2016) the furious Furry will be hitting North America's West Coast, starting in Vancouver and visiting Portland, Seattle, San Francisco, San Jose, and ending with 2 dates at LA's famed Metal hang out - The Roxy Theatre. Some East coast shows are happening in May following a slot at Austin's Levitation festival - look out New York, Washington DC, Philadelphia and Boston. We'll warm up for these May shows by embarking on an enormo-dome tour with Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds in April - pay attention Glasgow, Aberdeen, Liverpool, Leeds and Birmingham. More festivals and announcements to be expected for the Summer - starting at The Manic Street Preachers's Liberty stadium show on May 28th in Abertawe. Full list of February shows here: Vancouver Imperial Feb 4th Portland Crystal Ballroom Feb 5th Seattle Neptune Theater Feb 6th San Francisco Great American Music Hall Feb 9th San Jose Ritz Theatre Feb 10th Los Angeles Roxy Theater Feb 11th Los Angeles Roxy Theater Feb 12th Our pals and confidants Dead Meadow join us for all West Coast shows apart from Portland and San Francisco. Tickets available from all the usual spots for all shows - apart from 1st LA show which has sold out. @superfurryanimals @gutopryce @gary.aspden

---
What's left to announce?

Interactive CD-ROM?

Saw them last night in Vancouver. Set started out a bit rocky, but after 3 or 4 songs they warmed right up & sounded great. Not exactly the most dynamic performers, but the psychedelic looping film projections made up for it somewhat.

They are generally pretty stiff live unless they're doing the rehearsed bits like the yeti outro.

Gruff is much more entertaining when he's alone for some reason.

I dunno. I thought they were fantastic on the RAtW tour.

I'd never heard this before:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNurmiAGjYU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNurmiAGjYU

Danger Mouse really should produce the inevitable tenth SFA album. He expressed a desire to do so in the past.

Oops.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EDRQ2ObNhSI

This is the documentary that aired on S4C last year:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWmMSzI3hWQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ur7_jT-obmc

Not his most sonically exciting composition, but I like the message and I'm amazed it's been trending for hours on Twitter.

http://i.imgur.com/ENDKK90l.jpg

Tweeted by his label earlier today.

Maybe Q got some bad information, but it sounds like he said something about 'new SFA songs' based on the headline.

Gruff is always pretty poor at describing his songs, but here it is:

"Imminently, there are more soundtracks, solo material and SFA's Euro 2016 song for Wales, the not-so-profoundly titled Bing Bong which Rhys describes as a 'six-and-a-half-minute demented disco idiot track, in the Welsh language."

I booked a trip to Philadelphia, next week, to catch a show. Was researching also hitting up the Boston show, and found this notice for all upcoming dates (including the Philadelphia one around which I planned my trip):

Please Note: This event has moved from Tuesday, 5/3/16 to Sunday, 7/24/16.

Re: Philadelphia...

Super Furry Animals' tour plans have changed. The new date for their Philadelphia show will be July 22nd. All tickets for the May 7th date will be honored.

Anybody have any information? Does this have something to do with Levitation being canceled? What the fuck.

Huh I had tickets for next Fri night in DC and now the show has disappeared from the 930 calendar. Never got any email or nothing wtf

Looks like DC is now June 5

Unbelievable.

anyone have link to new dates?

https://twitter.com/superfurry/status/726349510436347905

That's really terrible. I wonder why they only just announced it. The venues were all ahead of the announcement.

At least they're releasing a new song.

Oh great, a football song. Quality control, once a great feature 'o' this band, has clearly gone right out 'o' the window at this stage.

great title, too. :)

If you're 5.

https://twitter.com/superfurry/status/653000547222593536

They used a bingbong hashtag back in October. Must be some kind of hilarious inside joke.

"hilarious"

That this once-great band that once put out a run 'o' seriously great records from 1997-2003, including the 5.1 extravaganza 'o' Rings Around The World, R now reduced 2 putting out football songs entitled 'Bing Bong' ... Yeah, that's totally hilarious.

Cmon, I know it isn't funny.

I'll wait to hear it, though "idiot disco" makes me think of a cross between •Lazer beam" and "Psyclone!"

https://instagram.com/p/BEyNef0uJz0/

BING BONG

That this once-great band that once put out a run 'o' seriously great records from 1997-2003, including the 5.1 extravaganza 'o' Rings Around The World, R now reduced 2 putting out football songs entitled 'Bing Bong' ... Yeah, that's totally hilarious.

IIRC Cian said they'd definitely record a song if that happened, so he's just keeping his promise.

It's kinda amazing how this band didn't really have a slow decline, just 2 distinct periods where they were excellent and then suddenly not so, with Songbook being the divider.

I would suggest most bands of their caliber from the 90s dropped off equally. Don't much care for blur's think tank and I thought the new one was completely terrible. Supergrass fell off hard.

Hell, all bands do. No one seems to get better with age.

Except Paul McCartney obviously

Yeah,but Wings have done nowt since he left them.

thankx 4 the reminders of what sux

Dark Days/Light Years - does not suck

RYM has DD/LY down as SFA's lowest rated LP.

On the other hand it's hangin' with their 2000-2003 albums on Metacritic.

So, the critics enjoyed it on their initial listens, but people disagreed with that initial assessment over time. Which is understandable, because it doesn't come remotely close to their 1994-2003 work.

I dunno - the only SFA record I can't get into is LoveKraft, and even that album I quite dig about 1/2 of. Still spinning the last 2 on a regular basis, and I rate both of them higher than Mwng and Guerilla.

Apparently 'Bing Bong' is out tomorrow.

Can't wait for Turrican to dismiss it. :)