SUPER FURRY ANIMALS

Riding high off the momentum laid down on their debut "Fuzzy Logic," the Cardiff spawned SUPER FURRY ANIMALS was taking the 90s alternative scene by storm with its innovative mix of progressive Britpop, neo-psychedelia and alternative indie rock. In fact they were considered the hottest act from Wales since Budgie decorated the 70s hard rock scene with heavy doses of proto-metal and launched the UK's early new wave of British heavy metal scene (we'll ignore the Manic Street Preachers for this review!). Having tamed its outlandish electronic experiments into digestible chunks, the band led by lead singer Gruff Rhys focused more on catchy Britpop hooks embellished with all those scrumptious 90s sounds including grunge guitar, pop punk and alternative with a dash of psychedelic sprinklings on top.

The band didn't waste any time taking their sound to new heights with their sophomore full-length RADIATOR which emerged in the summer of 1997 to great fanfare although the band was a little too experimental and weird for the Britpop crowds and a little too poppy hooky for the casual alt rockers who were totally craving the unabashed guitar fuzz. But somehow SUPER FURRY ANIMALS captured a new niche of their own making, one that was in that eerie in between zone where all styles of 90s music seemingly met in the dark but didn't tell the family. The results were not only interesting but fascinating and for lovers of art rock and progressive pop, RADIATOR was a real treat indeed.

Alternating mind-blowing electronic experiments with fully fueled Britpop accessibility, SUPER FURRY ANIMALS reminded of many artists but sounded like no other. While comparisons to The Flaming Lips, Radiohead, The Beach Boys and even Blur have been made, the band funneled all those diverse ingredients into a cauldron of its own making and boiled them down into a cohesive mishmash of masterful art pop bar none. RADIATOR begins with the eerie electronic intro of "Furryvision" which makes you think you might have popped in a Tangerine Dream album but the Britpop flavors with raucous guitar grooves quickly take you into the world of more contemporary alternative rock (a la Blur) of the 90s and then the band delivers a series of diverse tracks that feature blistering rock workouts accompanied by stellar space rock and psychedelic effects.

Certain tracks remind me of Spacehog, such as the intelligently designed "Demons" (one of the many top 40 hits and a personal fave!) which featured grungy guitar hooks, references to David Bowie glam rock and even adopts those famous Canterbury Scene keyboard sounds made popular by Soft Machine's Richard Sinclair. The production is one of the top notch elements on RADIATOR as well as the attention to details. "Demons" for example features not just the usual guitar, bass, drums and keys layout but also features a subtle banjo accompaniment as well as strings and a trumpet! Not to mention Beach Boys inspired harmonies which adds layers of ear worm catchiness.

Another standout is "She's Got Spies" which begins innocently enough as what sounds like a ballad before breaking into a Weezer inspired sizzling slice of pop punk before drifting off again into glacial neo-psychedleia that offers bloops, bleeps and sputtering synthesized sounds that offer strange contrapuntal sound effects. The band excelled at these off-kilter contrasts. While the music is catchy and the compositions are cleverly designed, the band also proved to be excellent at writing lyrics. The tongue in cheek "Hermann Loves Pauline" may sound like a party grunge stomper but narrates a fictitious account of the parents of Albert Einstein with references to Marie Curie and Ernesto Guevara. This was another top 40 hit.

SUPER FURRY ANIMALS achieved an even greater success on RADIATOR with no less than four top 40 hits on the British charts and rave reviews for its innovative approach of melding Britpop with nerdy electronic effects, progressive elements and various strains of alternative rock including grunge, pop punk, indie rock and even a bit of shoegaze. While this band often gets lumped into the world of progressive rock for its innovative approach, for those seeking prog musical workouts don't even enter these grounds. This is Britpop plus plus plus. Think Spacehog only with more interesting dynamics as well as much better songwriting. RADIATOR is a compelling listen from beginning to end and was the album that propelled SUPER FURRY ANIMALS onto the world's stage. The band would continue on for the next decade as Wales' most interesting band. This is an excellent experimental indie pop rock album!

The UK's Super Furry Animals always struck me as significant to Alternative Rock and Power Pop, so when I discovered they were here on ProgArchives that was exciting. Certainly, the melding of "Alternative" music and Pop has been happening since the birth of progressive music as a niche part of the Pop canon (the mid-to-late-60s), and SFA weren't the first to approach these styles for their generation. And from my memory, their third LP, Guerrilla, is far fuller with experimentation and brings a diverse allotment of genres and moods than what came before.

Don't be too keen to check your volume, as the opener, "Check It Out", begins out of a sea of silence, broken before the first minute, to what I would describe as something happily owing to Psych Pop. The bass and straight drum rhythm bounce accordingly, as these elements collide with minor-key guitar crunch. Pre-second verse, we are greeted with bright flutes (perhaps performed most convincingly on Moog). This is a strong track and its progressive elements come in the form of sonic depth in the least. The track closes out seemingly prematurely, with the quieting of the airwaves, until a few seconds later, a funny, little electro-Jazz thing closes out the number officially. Interesting choices, to be sure. Breaking the silence in a more definite way, "Do or Die" is to follow, a straight-ahead Alt Rock number, hearkening back to synth-heads like Game Theory. Strong, though simple melodies and infectious riffs can be found herein. Our heads are then turned back to the psych-soak pastoral of "The Turning Tide", Gruff Rhys's warm, throaty vocals matched with Rhodes, acoustic guitar and piano, and a small string ensemble to boot. Lovely.

The mood shifts most suddenly into a vaguely Caribbean cadence on "Northern Lites". Charming vocals sing great melodies (best thus far). The small ensemble of strings from the previous track is replaced by a crew of horns. This is more in line with Brian Wilson than sharing any commonality with much from the Symphonic Prog of old and has nothing to do with the Post-progressive Rock of Radiohead and their ilk. "Night Vision" buzzes into my earbuds, evoking punky Garage Rock, though the backing vocals are broadly... R'n'B? I have no idea what it is haha. Frankly, a corny song to me. The electronic droning in the latter half before the choral return was a nice choice. Perhaps overall, this may appeal to fans of Ween. I'm struck with a similar feeling at the start of "Wherever I Lay My Phone (That's My Home)", as a scurrying, almost rapping group of sampled, distorted voices introduce another lighthearted number. Certainly, Rhys's vocals are also rap-like, not to be confused with any atonal deliveries from whitey (i.e. Punk, at large). I hope they had fun, anyway haha. "A Specific Ocean" follows, with cool, downtempo beats and simple instrumentation, a sort of 1-minute interlude.

I struggle to call "A Specific Ocean" an interlude in the sense that it's tying things together, but it does break things up. Next is "Some Things Come from Nothing", at least following in a chill vibe not dissimilar to that interlude. As we get two minutes in, I'm definitely resonating with the title. The instrumentation is sparse and more focused on the electronic. Very full mix on this one, despite its minimalism. On this note, this is one of a few decisions they made which just feel like a mark against the album as a whole. To follow, and most suddenly, "The Door to This House Remains Open" is somehow based on a jam sesh on the Rod Stewart classic "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy?" haha. Pretty remarkable. This is a full embrace of technology in what I would consider a sonic triumph. Definitely understand (limitedly) the Boards Of Canada comparison, but it broadly has a Drum'n'Bass approach to the rhythm section, with sharp, rolling drums and deep, droning bass.

Back to Alt-Rock optimism, "The Teacher" is another straight-ahead song with not so much in the way of surprises, but does have solid melodies and is strengthened by varied percussion and a repeated, tone-setting organ crescendo. Next, we are lulled back to bed with the soft, heartfelt "Fire in My Heart", a Rootsy ballad. Definitely some strengths here, again praise due to the mix. "The Sound of Life Today" is an even shorter interlude, a scurrying of light synth lines, readying us for the dreamy start to "Chewing Chewing Gum". Vocal harmonies drift in and out of the mix until they remain in strength, only fortified by the building drums, simple but true. Another tune that literally sprouted out of near-nothingness. Grateful for my Psychedelic education (in more than one way), as the reward of this number comes fullest with time. Interestingly, this reminded me of offerings from Sweden's Beardfish. Finally, "Keep the Cosmic Trigger Happy" comes with a 10+ minute track length. This is a return to the bright Psych Pop of the album's start. I could see others drawing parallels to Queen as well. It's a playful song, which only offers more and more, thank god for the technology, I say. Of course, no surprise now, the 10-minute length was a farse, the song closing around 3 minutes, and so I wait... Just kidding. The hilarious thing about this must-be hidden track, a reprise of "Chewing Chewing Gum", lasts so brief, it feels like a huge joke has been played on me. Respect.

— First review of this album —

MOOG DROOG is the second EP released by SUPER FURRY ANIMALS. As with the first "Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyndrobwllantysiliogogogochynygofod (in space) E.P." it was released on the independent Ankst records which would be their last before signing on to Creation to debut their first full album "Fuzzy Logic." The title is a Welsh phrase that means "bad smoke" which is slang for marijuana. This is neo-psychedelia after all! As with their debut MOOG DROOG has also been released with two artistic album covers ironically the same as the first EP only with different coloration. This one has the prettier colors of the stick man sweeping dirt under a carpet with other beings rising from the dust. The oranges and purples and futuristic pixilations make for quite the trippy and eye-catching artistic statement. There is also a rare 7" Vinyl release that has a neon orange smiley face on a bright blue background with Mickey Mouse ears and SFA eyes. Not nearly as cool, but strange.

EP number two is another short but sweet release that has a running time of 15:11. These two first EP releases are very punk in that regard and reminds me of art punkers like the Minutemen in their stream of super short EPs. The music on MOOG DROOG is less grungy than the debut and enters more into psychedelic pop territory with moments reminding me of the late 60s Beatles ("PamV")and at times reminding me of the myriad indie pop and rock bands of the 90s including The Flaming Lips, Of Montreal or even Mercury Rev. The electronic embellishments have really entered the sound now and have usurped the harshness of the guitars. The lyrics are in both Welsh and starting with their first single "God! Show Me The Magic" in English as well.

MOOG DROOG shows SFA sallying forth into their ever expanding adventurous experimentation while keeping the songs and the hooks ever so accessible as to reel you in instantly. The first two EPs have become collector's items due to their scarcity but are very good supplementation to your SFA discography since the music on this is well worth hearing for any fans of neo- psychedelic pop and indie rock. Although the songs are more pop oriented and less adventurous as their next full album releases they still show quite a strong development towards their own unique sound. 3.5 rounded down

— First review of this album —

Right from the beginning SUPER FURRY ANIMALS were displaying their mammalian cuteness and treating us to a strange little debut EP with an equally strange lengthy title which, believe it or not is LLANFAIRPWLLGWYNGYLLGOGERYCHWYNDROBWLLANTYSILIOGOGOGOCHYNYGO FOD (IN SPACE). The title is from a real town on the Isle of Anglesey in their native Wales which happens to be the longest official one-word place name in all of Europe and the second in the entire world. The funny thing about this monstrous title is that the entire running length of the EP is a mere 13:03 and as a non-Welsh speaker i would have to say that pronouncing the name of this release would take me longer than it would take for the 4 tracks to play. So we can just call it IN SPACE :)

This is a debut release and frankly it sounds like one. It is nowhere as interesting and creative as the first few full studio albums, but it is hardly a waste of time either. All tracks are sung in their native Welsh and the although the music isn't as varied as future releases, we get some hints of what's to come. Starting on "Organ Yn Dy Geg" we get an indie rock type of grungy sound with cool swirling electronic effects and a harmonica on board as well. All tracks are short and sweet. "Fix Idris" sounds very much like a 90s indie Britpop type of song with vocal harmonies and a bouncy Blur type of guitar edge with a slight Beatles kind of feel. "Crys Ti" is a very short track that reminds me a bit of Weezer pop punk with some electronics added. "Blerwytirhwng?" is the longest track one second shy of the five minute mark and is a slower indie rock type of track that has a nice hook and almost sounds orchestrated but in an SFA way. The backing of various sounds around a nice groovy guitar riff is the key to their song building and however here it's at the beginning stages.

This EP was released twice with two front covers. The original has some dude sweeping under a rug with other figures under there as well which ironically is also the cover of their second release the "Moog Doog EP" albeit with different coloration. The second is the one i have of a neon green smiley face with Mickey Mouse ears and two cute SFA eyes on a black background. A nice debut for a unique band that doesn't quite hit the mark as they would on their full album releases but nonetheless dishes out four nice tracks that managed to carve a distinct sound of sort despite the obvious influences. 3.5 rounded down

This is the first SFA album on the label Rough Trade. The label wanted a pop sounding album like they used to make, so SFA put together a bunch of poppier songs which sound similar to Elvis Costello for the most part and only leaving a few really good songs like "Baby Ate My Eightball" and "Carbon Dating". The songs are short and so is the album at just over 36 minutes, it is the shortest album that the band made.

The songs on the album were quickly recorded without any samples or computerized recording techniques as the band was also trying to achieve the feeling that the songs were recorded by the band together in a room. They achieved that goal, but unfortunately the songs ended up feeling hollow and not very adventurous. Yes there are highlights to the album, but not enough to merit the high quality of playful songwriting and risky music that they had been experimenting with in their more recent past.

Not a recommended SFA album. It's just not deep or challenging enough as "Phantom Power" or the most recent gem of an album "Dark Days/Light Years". Start with those albums since they are much better. This one only gets 3 stars because even if it's poppier, at least they can make interesting sounding pop, but it's nothing close to their better albums.

This is SFA's 3rd full LP and it is quite the interesting conglomeration of styles and sounds with enough variety to make anyone happy at least for the duration of one track, but in most cases I think anyone would find themselves enjoying several tracks here. What the band was aiming for here was a pop oriented album. They wanted to explore many different styles and that is what happened. For me, this makes this album very enjoyable and fun, but most people might consider it a bit inconsistent because of the variety evident on the album. The one thread that holds most of the songs together on the album is that there is a strong reliance on electronic music and sounds and it is the first time the band had used a sampler (and they use it to add some original and interesting effects). The guitar is not relied upon as much on this album as it has been on other albums.

In the making of the album, the band planned on using the same producer as they had used previously, but he wanted the band to put off the album for a while so that he could rest up from being so busy producing other band's albums. SFA was way too eager to wait, so they ended up producing this album on their own. Since they were sharing the responsibilities of production, they all decided that they would have to reach a consensus as far as which of the 25 tracks that were recorded would be included on the album. They chose the tracks that were more electronic/keyboard oriented and that were more upbeat and "pop-ish" sounding. However, while the band insists on this being "a disposable pop album that you won't want to throw away" many critics insist that it is an excellent foray into psychedilia and dubbed the music "nu-psychedelic". Ghrys explains that psychedelic music should consist of more improvised material and says that all of the music here was pre-planned and has structure. So he insists that it is pop oriented.

Since the tracks are quite brief, that pop idea might hold out. However, even though the album did exceedingly well in Britain, the sounds on the album are very new and interesting, far above the typical pop sound. There are some very infectious tracks on here and there are some very experimental sounding tracks here too. Like I said, this album sports a wide variety of music, and a lot of it is very innovative. Just like most of SFA's other albums, I find this a very enjoyable album which breaks out of the mold of regular run of the mill pop more than it follows the typical pop formulas. Is it progressive though? Well probably not as much as most prog lovers would like, but I will definitely tell you it is much better than a lot of the usual sounding rock and pop music out there. I find it adventurous and interesting.

Most people seem to miss the fact that there are 2 hidden tracks on this album. The hidden track at the end is pretty much expected because it comes after several minutes of silence at the end of the last track. However, the other hidden track is in the pre-gap of the CD. If you start the CD and then hit rewind back to the first of the song and the CD will flip to the hidden beginning track, which is actually a full song and not the typical hidden track filler, so if you like the rest of the album, then you should take the time to find this track. Samples were used in unconventional ways. For example, the "Where Ever I Lay My Phone" is based on a repetitive conventional ring tone, while "The Door of This House Remains Open" is based on a processed recording of the band performing Rod Stewart's "Do You Think I'm Sexy". A lot of the music was also recorded as different situations dictated. The track "Northern Lights" is based on island rhythms that utilizes steel drums that were added at the last minute and played by the keyboardist who didn't know how to play steel drums.

I suppose the thing that would make this album lean towards the progressive genre is in the interesting methods of recording and the experiments in making popular music more interesting. While the album didn't do exceptional in the states, it was quite highly regarded and popular in Britain where it hit number 10 on the British Albums Chart. The music is definitely pop-prog in the same vein as 10CC, David Bowie or Roxy Music with sounds of glam-rock echoing throughout. I love the variety and the originality of the album, but I can't quite consider it a masterpiece. But it is better than a lot of other material out there and definitely far above they typical pop record. I see this as a strong 4 star album just as good as most 10CC albums if not better and more modern sounding and innovative. However, the band was a little put off over bad experiences from their foray into pop territory, that the next album "Mwing" would be almost a complete opposite to this being a lo-fi recording with most lyrics performed in somewhat non-existent language.

Fuzzy Logic is the debut album by Super Furry Animals, and in my opinion, the band did a pretty good job of nailing the sound of glam-rock which is pop based rock with an edge, the same kind of rock done by other great prog related artists like....hmmm, lets see.....David Bowie, Roxy Music, Queen, 10CC, yes even early Pink Floyd, the Beatles and Genesis....to name a few. This is the same kind of music that is performed by this band. Having said that, you will get an idea of what this music is about. Somehow, however, it got labeled by a lot of people as being alternative, but I guess many people would consider Bowie alternative too. SFA actually got the sound right the first time, which many alternative bands and new wave bands from the 80s couldn't get right for a while and some of them never did. I consider this music not pop, but anti-pop, which is demonstrated by the eccentric nature of the bands and the eclectic sound of their music. This is over the top music, not so much in the sound of the music, but in the performance of the music.

SFA do this kind of music, and they do it well. All through this album you can hear shades of David Bowie and Roxy Music doing what they did best. This music is very psychedelic, but has a more updated sound. Yet it still remains true to it's roots. This band just does not get the attention or the accolades that it so much deserves. This first album is a bit all over the place in a way, and not as focused as some of their later albums. But I listen to it and I am so surprised at how they really nailed it faster than so many other bands that people claim to be better than them. You get a few crazy guitar solos, a lot of chaotic sounding brit-pop (gone mad that is), and a very glam-rock type sound. But, this album shows some immaturity in the sound, which the band would adjust in the near future. For now, though, this is a fun album, full of surprises and even some heartfelt moments.

Lovers of Bowie and Roxy Music will find a lot to love here, just as I do. The band got the sound down so well that this album was considered on of the 1001 albums you must hear before you die. I couldn't agree more, but you got to go into it expecting prog related music in the same vein as all the best glam rockers. Those that profess that this is not progressive rock have forgotten that there is an entire genre of prog music that they have dismissed. It's true that this album doesn't have a lot of tricky rhythms (even though there are moments that make me go "WTF was that?") and the songs are not of epic length, but that doesn't mean this band doesn't deserve to be on this site. If that was the case, then Bowie, Roxy Music and Queen shouldn't be here either. This is the sub-genre of Progressive Music that everyone likes to forget about when trying to think of the definitive sound of prog, but let me assure you this is prog and deserves to be here.

You may ask, so that's all well and good, but what does this album sound like? Well, the entire album, though a little unfocused, sounds like Bowie, Roxy Music, early PF (the Barrett Days) and etc. just like I've been describing. That sound is evident through the entire album, with an occasional whacky guitar solo, a few strings placed here and there, psychedelic at times and experimental at others and though they rely a lot on the sound of glam bands, they still have that distinct sound that lets you know you are listening to SFA. I really can't give this excellent effort anything less than 4 stars. Great music by a great band that just doesn't get the recognition it deserves.

SUPER FURRY ANIMALS is a strange band emerging out of Wales, UK in the 90s and not strange like OMG this music is too weird, man! Strange in that they are at their base a britpop band that has song structures similar in catchiness to the bigwigs of that movement like Oasis, Blur and Supergrass but also incorporates a healthy dose of neo-psychedelia from Radiohead, the indie pop craziness of Ween, the glam rock riffage from David Bowie, Alice Cooper and other 70s giants as well as sensual orchestration like that of The Verve.

FUZZY LOGIC is their debut LP and a surprise to find that it is a very consistent album incorporating so many different influences that end up working together so very well. While the short intro track "God! Show Me Magic" sounds a lot like the harder sounds of Supergrass, it quickly cedes to a slower britpop Oasis groove that sounds more like a glam rock Bowie song, but although the influences are evident they are just distant enough to keep me from crying rip off.

Tracks like "Hometown Unicorn" show a distinct "The Mollusk" era Ween sound in action with Hendrix guitar and solos and other 60s psych / pop influences melded together. The rest of the album follows suit mixing and fusing all these influences together with catchy britpop based compositions but always bring some strange new ideas or seasoning to the table. This is only the debut album by SFA. Despite their delving into the progressive realms of music they were also fairly successful from the start on the UK pop charts.

Their sound becomes more distinct starting with their second album "Radiator" when all these detectable influences simmer down into a tastier concoction generating a more original sound. For a debut album clearly rooted in the britpop era i have to say that i find this album a winner. The production is crystal clear, the alternation of hard and soft tracks mixed with glam, psychedelic, indie rock / pop as well as 60s influences too numerous to mention really adds up to a pleasant surprise.

What do you get when you combine psychedelic/space rock, electronica, progressive rock and pop music altogether, throw in a few tricky rhythms, stray away from the usual verse/chorus formula, throw in some chaos once in a while, add an odd instrument or two, sing in Welsh and rap in German just to throw you off a bit, put in a wild guitar solo or two, shake in a bunch of amazing hooks and add a lot of non-obnoxious keyboards and add a dash (or spill it in sometimes) of humor? You get this album! In fact, you might get a few Super Furry Animals albums.

Some may wonder why this band is in the Prog Archives. It is listed under Prog Related because it is a brand of unconventional pop music, but there is so much more to it than pop music. This is, to me, an updated version of Sophisto-Prog, which was popularized in the late 70's, early 80s by a band by the name of Supertramp. But this is a much more updated sound AND you get a whole truck load of variety on top of that. Where Supertramp's sound was easily recognizable, SFA is not so recognizable because they give their treatment to so many kinds of music. You can really hear that in this album, which is probably one of their best. This album is full of surprises, but if I told you what they were, they wouldn't be surprises anymore. And that last epic track called "Pric" is simply amazing music that even propels you into avant garde territory before you even realize what is going on.

This is not music that you have to concentrate on and because of that, the album can play by track by track and before you know it, you've been tapping your foot and bouncing your head for over an hour and wondering where the time went. But you will have sounds echoing in your head and you will be thinking, "Wow, where did that sound come from and how could a pop group do something that cool?" You will question whether you really did hear that or if it is something that popped in your head from another album. This is good stuff and it very seldom gets boring. Pop and prog really can work together. Though the prog might be light, the band does not follow pop formulas though they may retain some of the sensibility of it all, but at the same time, the music just hangs on the edge of sanity.

Enjoyable music. I wish pop music would take lessons from this music more often. Excellent addition to your collection. 4 stars (with a fifth star that just kind of winks in and out a bit, kind of like that Christmas light with a short in it).

This being their first album, I was very impressed.

Out at around the time Britpop was going strong, these Welsh guys took the Brit Pop sound and added more colourful influences, like punk, fuzz rock, psychadellic and progressive rock in order to enhance a thick and joyous sound.

This album was very fun to listen to. Their wasnt really any bad songs on it, it did have it's ups and downs, but it was really fun to listen to.

1. God! Show Me Magic - Britpop at it's very best. Great chorus. Alot like the Pixies, short and simple. 10/10

2. Fuzzy Birds - Very funny song about a man who makes his hamster spin around on a wheel and power his house. A bit like The Beatles meet Prince. Great chorus. 9/10

3. Something For The Weekend - Reminds me of The Kinks. Very The Hoosiers. Great chorus. 9/10

4. Frisbee - Very rocking. Pretty good chorus. 8/10

5. Hometown Unicorn - Amazing chorus. Reminds me of early Radiohead meets Blur. 10/10

6. Gathering Moss - Quite beautiful. Very dreamy. 9/10

7. If You Don't Want Me To Destory You - Again, very dreamy and incredibly British. Great vocal overdubs. 9/10

8. Bad Behaviour - Sounds like a fuzzed version of Status Quo. Great song. Love the thermin work. 9/10

9. Mario Man - Great changes in dynamics and use of sound. 8/10

10. Hangin' With Howard Marks - Love the lyrics. Guy from Sparks, haha. Great song. 8/10

11. Long Gone - Nice and calm. A bit repetitive though. 7/10

12. For Now & Ever - Reminds me of Weezer. Great end to the album. 8/10

CONCLUSION: Wouldn't say it's a masterpiece, but is incredibly enjoyable.