ALBUM: SUPER FURRY ANIMALS // DARK DAYS/LIGHT YEARS

ALBUM REVIEW: Super Furry Animals – Dark Days/Light Years
words: Rob Nicholl

‘This is what ‘Hey Venus’ should have sounded like’ – are the words you can bet Gruff Rhys and the rest of S.F.A are saying about their 9th studio album; Dark Days/Light Years. They wouldn’t be wrong either…….

Most of the 12 tracks on offer here started off life as rough demos and off cuts from 2007’s fair-if-a-little-disappointing album ‘Hey Venus’. DD/LY shares the same ‘bouncing’ vibe as HV and even the artwork looks like it came off the same canvas as its predecessor’s but why is this offering so much better?

I found that although I enjoyed HV, it never really grabbed my attention, nothing really stood out for me. The songs were great, a couple were wrote brilliantly but unfortunately little of it stuck with me. Unlike this offering which manages to deliver nonsense pop and capture your imagination at the same time.

The electronic squelches that open up ‘Crazy Naked Girls’ sounds scarily like infamous 90’s horror-pop classic ‘Macarena’ (youtube it, I‘m not making it up). Thankfully, fears of this album descending into euro-pop madness are quickly dispelled as we are served the familiar S.F.A special of nonsensical lyrics, heavy drum beats and a fiery guitar solo. Given that the chorus consists of Gruff and Huw screaming the title, its fair to say its certainly one of this years more hectic album openers. Second track ‘Mt’ quickly settles into its glam-rock groove and marches on for 3 minutes of brilliant braindead pop. The call and response between Gruff and the guitar during the verses would not be out of place on a T. Rex best of.

‘Inaugural Trams’ has the guys enlist Franz Ferdinand’s Nick McCarthy to try and recreate Kraftwerk at their silliest. Not the albums strongest point but the synth-flutes, bouncing bassline and disbelief at the german rap make it enjoyable enough. ‘Inconvience’ features a bassline ripped straight from 1970’s David Bowie and an arena sized chorus and sounds all the more better for it.

Next up ‘Cardiff In The Sun’ has the band showing off their psychedelic side. Think of it as an eight minute ride through the deranged world of the Super furries. Guitar notes dance and slide around a multi-layered electronic land before the middle section transforms into a glorious space choir. Its easily Dark Days best moment and perhaps indicative of how ‘big’ the band should be if the world was a better place.

I can see Helium Hearts being seen as a weak track along with ‘Moped Eyes’ by some but I really like this charming 60s tribute. It’s so unashamedly Leo Sayer in spirit and probably going to be the sound track for an Ice Cream or some shit in the future but it is pure pop perfection.

Album closer ‘Pric’ is another epic to behold, this time sung in S.F.A’s native tongue. The bass and drums carry the song with Joy Division-esque precision in between verses and the whole thing collapses with a discordant crescendo into a barely audible drone. And that’s it. Where they chose to kick off the album with drum fills, guitar solos and lots of shouting they instead at the end let it fade out, as if to make sure you have soaked in every last sound. Dark Days/Light Years is a magnificent album filled with upbeat pop perfections and chilled out masterpieces. Super Furries have shown that they are a band no-one can pigeonhole and created a weird collection of beautiful music. The perfect soundtrack for this summer.