Super Furry Animals : S/D

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I saw SFA at a small (for them) club in Portland on the Hey Venus tour. 2008? 2009?

I was friends with the promoter, who knew that I was a huge fan, and as a result I found myself in their dressing room after the show.

This was notable for a few reasons:

First of all, they had a full DJ setup going... like, two turntables, PA, crates of records, and the band members were just taking turns spinning jams for themselves and their friends on this comically overpowered system in a dressing room slightly larger than a typical US hotel room.

And... there were bowls of weed *everywhere*. Not bowls as in pipes, or cereal bowls... but, like, the big metal mixing bowls you find in a restaurant kitchen, just *filled* with weed, like a half dozen of them. I've honestly never seen more marijuana anywhere on earth.

I ended up getting what was almost certainly the most stoned I've ever been in my entire life as SFA joyously spun records for hours, geeking out with them on their albums, laughing hysterically. It was the best time ever. SFA OK.

Davey D, Thursday, 13 February 2020 21:19 (four years ago) link

That's a great story. Their legendary weed consumption comes up in this documentary:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FKT67LyDKvU

afriendlypioneer, Friday, 14 February 2020 14:57 (four years ago) link

There's a small feature in the new Uncut. Cian basically says Das Koolies is the new band as far as he is concerned and not a side project. They have no plans to record a new SFA album and Das Koolies is their main focus. They apparently have enough material for three albums, of course they always say that kind of shit. Anyway, I guess you could read into the "new band" thing in a couple ways.

afriendlypioneer, Monday, 17 February 2020 15:24 (four years ago) link

"It's not a side project, it's not a gap-filler, it's not something we're doing because we're waiting to do Super Furries things again. This is what we do now, basically."

afriendlypioneer, Monday, 17 February 2020 15:34 (four years ago) link

Very much up for this album despite not caring for the single

PaulTMA, Monday, 17 February 2020 16:40 (four years ago) link

How'd you like the B-side--if you've heard it?

afriendlypioneer, Monday, 17 February 2020 16:45 (four years ago) link

Er, not blown away either but it's early days

PaulTMA, Monday, 17 February 2020 17:01 (four years ago) link

two years pass...

Super Furry Ifans

https://superfurryanimals.bandcamp.com/track/of-no-fixed-identity

Ned Raggett, Friday, 4 March 2022 22:16 (two years ago) link

“Apathy only ruined me”!?

afriendlypioneer, Saturday, 5 March 2022 20:30 (two years ago) link

ten months pass...

So, wait, have we never done an ILM artist poll of these guys?

Naive Teen Idol, Friday, 3 February 2023 17:28 (one year ago) link

Looks like the four lads, minus Gruff, are set to release some more stuff as Das Koolies. Posting some snips and snaps on their social media. I have to say I’m more interested in it than the new Gruff LP. Been a while since the other guys had their time to shine and I liked the first couple tracks well enough.

afriendlypioneer, Friday, 3 February 2023 20:14 (one year ago) link

https://www.qobuz.com/us-en/album/the-condemned-das-koolies/ouo028rq7ieea

Sounds like this is going to be a good antidote to Gruff’s sleepy balladeer persona.

afriendlypioneer, Friday, 3 February 2023 23:19 (one year ago) link

So, wait, have we never done an ILM artist poll of these guys?

― Naive Teen Idol

I will do SFA in 2023. Was almost going to do it last year but opted to do the Police instead. I just feel like I'm going to need to prepare to do it properly.

Bee OK, Saturday, 4 February 2023 01:27 (one year ago) link

i'm looking forward to that eventual poll

ufo, Saturday, 4 February 2023 02:37 (one year ago) link

Awesome! Yeah, they’re a lot of work, done properly. There aren’t too many bands with as big of a catalogue we haven’t done at this point. Should be super exciting.

Naive Teen Idol, Saturday, 4 February 2023 15:38 (one year ago) link

Also looking forward to that.

Luna Schlosser, Sunday, 5 February 2023 10:55 (one year ago) link

Me too. I've heard 80% of their output but been meaning to do a comprehensive listen through everything at some point

Vinnie, Sunday, 5 February 2023 11:11 (one year ago) link

Fifth'd. They're one of my favourite bands ever

you can see me from westbury white horse, Sunday, 5 February 2023 11:45 (one year ago) link

Well lads I lost interest many years back but you made me listen to Bad Behaviour this morning so fair play

bald, mean and full of beans (Noodle Vague), Sunday, 5 February 2023 11:59 (one year ago) link

They hit a wall when they recorded Love Kraft and Hey Venus!, but I’ll be damned if DD/LY isn’t one of their best albums as I view their great back catalog with loving eyes. It’s fun, a little shaggier, less rehearsed and clever. I so wish they’d known some folks really rated that album. I cherish it so much more than any Gruff Rhys solo album.

I’m ready for Das Koolies.

afriendlypioneer, Sunday, 5 February 2023 15:12 (one year ago) link

And as far as I’m concerned,Love Kraft has some righteously moody and endearing songs. They put a really odd, not very good single on it, a song based on a demo they’d been tossing around since the Guerrilla days- “Lazer Beam.”
Knock that and a couple other silly songs off the track list and the album’s got quite an interesting vibe.

afriendlypioneer, Sunday, 5 February 2023 15:16 (one year ago) link

Love Kraft and a Hey Venus! both have some really good tracks, but are very uneven and have some cringy moments. Agree that DD/LY is amazing and among their best.

silverfish, Monday, 6 February 2023 14:34 (one year ago) link

DD/LY has Mt. on it, which might be one of the worst songs by an otherwise good band in the history of music, but the rest is good yes

imago, Monday, 6 February 2023 14:36 (one year ago) link

right, I've actually skipped that one so often that I actually forgot it existed

silverfish, Monday, 6 February 2023 14:44 (one year ago) link

“Mt.”‘isn’t great but Cian’s two post-SFA albums 12 people have listened to contain some pretty good, if not excellent, songs. I thought the non-Gruff guys were starting to write some pretty good songs in general, like “White Socks/Flip Flop.” Might’ve not carried the whole album, but always a treat when it comes on.

afriendlypioneer, Monday, 6 February 2023 14:58 (one year ago) link

at the other end of the scale, guess which song invariably comes into my head every time I take a European city break, or go to Croydon

imago, Monday, 6 February 2023 14:58 (one year ago) link

https://www.qobuz.com/nz-en/album/the-condemned-das-koolies/bzcatc2zmop5a

Looks like Das Koolies are finally a thing. New EP next month. Single tonight.

afriendlypioneer, Tuesday, 7 February 2023 17:15 (one year ago) link


1.The Condemned 00:05:40
2. Dim Byd Mawr 00:07:22
3.You Killed My Robot 00:03:42
4. Grab a Slice 00:05:11

Might be the only person hyped as fuck for this right now, but I've been dying for some new SFA material since about 2009 so I'm going to take it.

afriendlypioneer, Tuesday, 7 February 2023 17:16 (one year ago) link

I haven’t listened to it in a while, but I remember liking a lot of Lovekraft, especially the slower more introspective numbers. Didn’t like Lazerbeam or whatever and I always skipped Back On A Roll. Hated that song. l

Cow_Art, Tuesday, 7 February 2023 17:30 (one year ago) link

Walk you home is a bop

BringTheAuBonPain, Tuesday, 7 February 2023 21:07 (one year ago) link

"Back on a Roll" is a low light, but I generally really dig Bunf's songs. His voice is weird.

afriendlypioneer, Tuesday, 7 February 2023 21:27 (one year ago) link

Love Kraft has great bookends and I do actually quite like Lazer Beam but much of the rest feels kind of bloated and anaemic. Hey Venus is anaemic without even being bloated, which is worse

imago, Tuesday, 7 February 2023 21:40 (one year ago) link

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GL9Y2_4ztKM

As close to SFA as we’re going to get

afriendlypioneer, Wednesday, 8 February 2023 05:07 (one year ago) link

SFA produced some great songs not fronted by Gruff. have yet to hear anything that rises above mediocrity from Das Koolies, though

PaulTMA, Wednesday, 8 February 2023 11:31 (one year ago) link

I find some comfort hearing them pull out some of their tropes on that track, but it’s bubblegum at best. I dig it. Glad they didn’t pull a Boo Radleys and try to continue the facade of being the same band.

afriendlypioneer, Wednesday, 8 February 2023 14:15 (one year ago) link


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