SUPER FURRY ANIMALS - Dark Days/Light Years
Tuesday, April 21, 2009 at 10:00AM
soundscapes in Pop/Rock

Even though this remarkable Welsh quintet have never made a bad record, their last few have been more very good than great. Part of this may have revolved around the fact that both 2005's majestic but languid Love Kraft and 2007's short but sweet Hey Venus! were, sonically at least, kind-of concept albums, choosing to highlight one aspect of the band's style. As past high watermarks Radiator, Guerrilla and Rings Around The World have amply illustrated, though, this band is at its best when pulling from every possible musical corner. Please welcome, then, their best effort since Rings, as DD/LY is a kaleidoscopic headtrip in the Furries' grand tradition merging meta-social commentary with Mod rave-ups, butt-thumping blasts of electro, vocoder soul, and simple pop treats. "Inaugural Trams" is their best single in ages, a childlike kraut jam that even features a rap in German from Franz Ferdinand's Nick McCarthy. It's not as though they stopped making solid music, but a SFA album of this calibre is indeed a welcome arrival.

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