Formed: 1993
How I became a fan
A connection was made. I'd seen the performance of God! Show Me Magic on Richard And Judy of all shows in the band's perverse quest to be crowned the next Take That. Now guys, you've got to admit it - that fact alone makes SFA better than 90% of groups! Incidentally, 911 won.
But I had no memory of this performance afterwards, just something in my head telling me that I should listen to the Super Furry Animals! Then I saw them doing Something 4 The Weekend on TOTP and was impressed enough to start buying their records without yet realising just how incredible the SFA were...
Comments
I've done it many times in arguments before so now I'll try to get down on "paper" just why the SFA have remained my undisputed greatest band on Earth ever since 1997 and that magical moment when I first saw the video for The International Language Of Screaming.
The brilliance of the Super Furries basically boils down to nearly every aspect of the band being incredible. They're original, prolific, consistent, wildly varied, interesting and their tunes have almost infinite depth. Their lyrics are excellent, artwork fantastic, live show mind-blowing, gimmicks brilliant, and interviews genius. Think about it: how many bands can claim to have EVERY SINGLE ONE of these attributes in their favour? For example, you could never say Oasis are particularly varied or consistent over their career, whereas The Beach Boys aren't famous for their lyrics and some of their albums have little strength in depth.
So why haven't they truly made it? In addition to the stupid reasons, such as their name and Welshness, which put off anyone retarded enough to judge bands on such trivial grounds, their tunes are regularly impenetrable. In an impatient world, nobody is willing to give the records the repeated listens which are necessary for them to sink in, and can't grasp the fact that SFA have covered so many genres with such success that just because you think you dislike some songs doesn't mean you'll hate the rest: They're all so different!
For example, I've never really liked Run! Christian Run! or Demons, but other fans think they're the best things SFA have ever done. It also took me four years to truly get Play It Cool which I now adore, and Hermann ©'s Pauline has still yet to sink in since it came out in 1997!
Not to say the Super Furry Animals don't make pop music, it just takes a long time to figure it out. But once you get it, you'll be rewarded, and it's the fact that the songs have such an astonishing depth and just get better and better with each listen and in so many different ways that makes the SFA so great and at the same time so difficult to get into.
As an example of the genius of SFA, consider Juxtapozed With U. It's a great pop tune which is disliked by many and without cause. Now prepare yourself as I use it to explain the genius of the Super Furries. When writing it, SFA considered how they could shock people, and saw it was impossible to do so by swearing or releasing "heavy" music anymore. So they decided to release the most sickeningly pop song imaginable, thereby creating one of the most shocking records of all time, showing boy bands like Korn how to truly offend. Except, in this case, the people offended are cynical guitar music snobs rather than conservative parents, which is just so funny!
Also consider the songs excellent title and its misspelling, glorious introduction and production values, particularly as the chorus drifts along. Hear the lyrics, and how Gruff is clever enough to rhyme juxtapose with just suppose. Then take the vocoder and see how it makes the verses juxtaposed with the chorus, further re-emphasising the message of the song. Spend hours trying to figure out the lyrics yourself and what it's all about, before you give up and look at my website! Watch the video: Brilliant! Also imagine the song as it was meant to be: A duet with Brian Harvey or Bobby Brown!
Then listen again and accept that there's so much to admire here that its only musical conservatism making people claim, usually on the shock reflex of being faced with something difficult, that they dislike the song in the first place, and therefore the band. And, of course, underpinning everything else is the defence that SFA have never released another record remotely like it since so, if you still don't appreciate it, listen to another song!
Yes, SFA rule and anyone with a sense of musical adventure will adore them if they try to!
Bad points
SFA's awesome ability at genre-hopping is also a downfall, as the band have yet to find a single sound which you can associate with them, the only common thread being Gruff's vocals. Rings Around The World and Phantom Power hinted at a singular style but I didn't particularly like it. They have since spent far too much effort concentrating on mid-tempo tunes. SFA probably should keep the variety up, doing no more than settling down for one album at a time in one style. And a definitive album would be nice too, assuming Radiator can possibly be topped.
Err... Also their live show isn't as incredible as it used to be, their ability on the quiet songs isn't as good as some, and I suppose Gruff's voice does restrict them to a point, although they do achieve more variety than everyone else regardless! And that's all their bad points brutally exposed!
Twenty songs you really should know before you judge this band
Atomik Lust (2005)
Assessment
Tunes: 10/10
Final judgement: 10.0/10
The bottom line
Quite simply, Super Furry Animals are the best mindfuck ever!
Baby Ate My Eightball (2007)
Calimero (1997)
God! Show Me Magic (1996)
Golden Retriever (2003)
Gwreiddiau Dwfn/Mawrth Oer Ar Y Blaned Neifion (2000)
Hermann ©'s Pauline (1997)
Ice Hockey Hair (1998)
Juxtapozed With U (2001)
Mountain People (1997)
Neo Consumer (2007)
Northern Lites (1999)
No Sympathy (2001)
Play It Cool (1997)
Receptacle For The Respectable (2001)
Sex, War & Robots (2003)
Slow Life (2003)
The International Language Of Screaming (1997)
The Man Don't Give A Fuck (Live Version) (2006)
Wherever I Lay My Phone (That's My Home) (1999)
Accessibility: 6/10
Originality: 10/10
Diversity: 10/10
Rockability: 10/10
Balladability: 8/10
Consistency (of b-sides): 10/10
Consistency (over career): 9/10
Live show: 9/10
Influence: 7/10
Vocals: 8/10
Interestingness: 10/10
Lyrics: 9/10
Work ethic: 9/10
Image: 9/10
