SUPER FURRY ANIMALS

Just to clarify, the Chinese song came out after 'Dim Bendith.'

The 'Dim Bendith' riff was clearly inspired/influenced by 'I'm Mandy, Fly Me' anyway.

Think the influence of 'Dem Bendith' on the Eason track goes further than the riff.

i've been listening to this band for the first time this week and i'm really amazed at how brilliant they are and that i'd somehow never bothered to listen before. only listened to radiator through to rings around the world so far but all of those are excellent. guerilla and rings especially remind me of cornelius' fantasma which is an album i love and had always wished i had more music that sounded like it - fuzzed out psych pop with lush arrangements and 90s electronic production is such a great sound

That period was definitely their peak but there's still plenty to enjoy on later albums

Don't sleep on the B-Sides too, lot's of great stuff there once you get around to them.

They're not wrong! Fantasma a good comparison

Groovypanda OTM, although I would extend their peak period to include Phantom Power, which is one of their finest.

There's some great stuff pre-Radiator and some excellent tracks on the post-Phantom Power albums, but 1997-2004 they were on an incredible run of unbeatable stuff.

Also - yes, check out the b-sides and non-album stuff. There is a b-sides compilation (Out Spaced) which is put together and sequenced like it's a "proper" studio album with segues and everything, however it only covers 1994-1998 and does not include everything - they left a lot of the shorter, poppier moments off it like 'Calimero', 'Waiting to Happen' ... it does include essential stuff like 'Arnofio/Glô in the Dark' and 'Dim Bendith', though!

It's funny you should mention Fantasma. The way I remember getting into SFA is through HBO's Reverb. The particular episode I remember featured both Cornelius and SFA. If I remember correctly, this was around the time Guerrilla and Fantasma came out. Commonalities between Guerrilla and Fantasma: Sean O'Hagan worked on at least one track on both albums. Sean O'Hagan... one of my all-time favorite musicians. It's such a small world of music.

Cian just dropped a new track with his non-SFA band. Pretty average, but not bad:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DgEfPRxct4M

And of course Fantasma is probably one of my Top 10 records and totally formative to a newly-teenaged afriendlypioneer. So good.

Things afoot at Pledge Music it appears

https://www.pledgemusic.com/projects/space-monkeys-new-album/updates/103268

https://www.billboard.com/articles/business/8494827/pledgemusic-crowdfunding-owes-artists-thousands-late-payments

Dark Days/Light Years officially came out 10 years ago on Saturday.

:(

I guess this means it's 16 years since their last truly great record!

The further away we get from their last record, the more I'm convinced that it was the best time for them to stop.

They must've felt the same way!

It's just weird to think it's been so long. They released on such a regular scheduled for 13 years.

It felt weird when they didn't put out a new album in 2011, which they probably would have done if they hadn't made the decision to stop. It doesn't feel weird to me now - after ten years I've got used to it.

Still, ten albums (Out Spaced included) is enough.

I don’t really disagree. Moved on, myself, though I’d still listen to a new album if it ever came out. Burned out on pretty much all they’ve done at this point and have very minimal interest in any further reissues. Still blew my mind it’s been a decade since their last. That was my final year of college and feels not so long ago...

New Zefur Wolves is a really big improvement over the first album.

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

Good use of fuzz and feedback throughout. Some nice songwriting as well.

When Creation Records signed Super Furry Animals, Gruff Rhys hand wrote me a list of every song he'd written up to that point ... pic.twitter.com/y9KYB73uix

— Andy Saunders (@mrasaunders) March 30, 2019

Never would've suspected 'Lazer Beam' was written pre-Fuzzy Logic.

Perhaps a 'single pulled out of the bag'

If indeed it is the same 'Lazer Beam' and not a different song with the same title. I'm very skeptical as 'Lazer Beam' is heavily based on a Cian demo that came later.

I'm most surprised to see 'Missunderstanding (sic)' on there.

I’ve heard fairly substantiated rumblings they’re working on a new album, but that Gruff is either not involved at all or featured in a diminished capacity. Not exactly what I would’ve dreamed of, but we shall see...

I guess I got off the bus at the right time, then!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bEwPfg5eVnY

Ail-rhyddhad Guerrilla i ddathlu ei ugain-mlwyddiant. Wedi'w ail-fastro o'r tapiau gwreiddiol. Ar gael i'w rhag-archebu rwan: https://t.co/Dw8ZUkKgEO

The 20th anniversary edition of Guerrilla. Remastered from the original tapes available to pre-order now: https://t.co/Dw8ZUkKgEO pic.twitter.com/QXHzKGiCSm

— super furry animals (@superfurry) September 10, 2019

*loads of incoherent sweary babble; you know the drill*

https://images.backstreetmerch.com/images/products/bands/clothing/sfa/bsi_sfa87.png

I've made my peace. That is dope.

Not at that undope price.

Excited to get the Guerilla vinyl reissue. Just waiting on Phantom Power and that's the five of their albums I love done.

Some nice looking shirts there (and that hat is great too), but yeah those prices are a bit much.

I hope they do In Space at some point. I just need In Space and Rings.

I never clicked with Guerrilla; maybe I’ll take this lil “event” as an opportunity to revisit.

Gruff's new album is really good.

Really? Every one of his solo records since the stellar Yr Atal Genhedlaith has been 1-2 great songs and a bunch of really boring junk to me. And I’m a fanboy/Stan.

9 tracks, about 29 minutes long. Not enough time to annoy.

Though I would say he’s had a respectable solo career so far, the highlights of which are mostly the live performances and the fantastic documentary films. I really enjoyed Babelsberg as well.

But this is an entirely Welsh, snappy record with really interesting production by Muzi.

I’ll pang it up!

Wish all his catalog was on Spotify so I could make a great “best-of” playlist.

Where are you based? I see all his LPs on the USA Spotify.

Canada. We’re missing at least Hotel Shampoo.

Dyfal donc a lanlwythir yr ôl-gatalog...

For Guerrilla's 20th anniversary re-issue, we've uploaded the video for "Do Or Die" in vibrant hi-definition with the newly re-mastered audio to our YouTube channel.

Pre-order Guerrilla: https://t.co/Dw8ZUksFNghttps://t.co/9GBNOGPg3Y

— super furry animals (@superfurry) October 22, 2019

Woah, they recorded a demo for Love Lraft's 'Frequency' during the Guerrilla sessions:

Of these, the triumphant and dense "The Citizen's Band" (originally a hidden track before"Check It Out") is among the most wonderfully tight, blissful, and catchy. Elsewhere, the urgent acoustic number "Hand in Hand" (which would eventually become "Frequency" on Love Kraft) is engrossing. "Y Teimland" packs Paul McCartney-esque piano-based poppiness. "John Spex" is a full-blown electronic jam that's downright hypnotic, if a bit repetitious. Whether it's new material or alternate versions of Guerrilla staples, these add-ons are very cool.

I don't see "Citizens Band" anywhere here

I'm guessing it's still a negative track?

A rewindie...

Though I'm not sure how that works out with the vinyl. Probably just gonna tack it onto that extra b-sides set.

Pretty excited to hear the demos this time. 'Wherever I Lay My Phone" should be interesting.

Guerrilla is probably my favorite album of all time, so I was going to like the reissue anyway, but I think they did a bang-up job on this one. It sounds phenomenal. It’s also got an 11-minute mix of “Somer Things Come from Nothing,” which is a song that I could probably listen to an hour-long mix of. Superb.

The Vinyl doesn't have any extra tracks, though?

Digital/CD.

I don't fuck with vinyl too much anymore, unfortunately.

Citizen's Band follows the main album on Spotify