Super Furry Animals ‎– Dark Days/Light Years CD PROMO

Through bong-fuelled pop, cacophonous excursions in drill 'n' bass and parliamentary kudos for services to the Welsh language, there can be no doubt that Cardiff's Super Furry Animals are one of a kind. Since signing with Creation in 1995, Gruff Rhys's psychedelic troupe have set the controls to the heart of the pop mainstream via the most contrary route possible, taking in inspired Britpop (Radiator), high-gloss soul (Rings Around the World) and folk-tinged lo-fi sung in Welsh (Mwng).

On this ninth studio album, the band temper their goofiness with an unusual restraint, kicking the clogged Spector-isms of 2007's Rough Trade debut Hey Venus! into touch for a potent mix of Krautrock, glam and Zep-ish freak outs. Perhaps inspired by Rhys's spell as half of last year's Mercury Prize-nominated Neon Neon, the likes of Kraftwerk provide deadpan sonic foils for several of the record's finest sallies, from Pric's psychic grooving to the proto-techno wobble of Inaugural Trams, which doubles as an ode to an unnamed German city's integrated transport system. This might just be their best record in a decade.

Label: Rogh Trade

Country: UK

Media Condition: Near Mint (NM or M-)
Sleeve Condition: Near Mint (NM or M-)