Here We Go

First impressions of complex music are usually pretty useless. Still, wanted to jot down a few notes if only to see how things develop:

01) Album delivered on-time, no downloading glitches
02) No jaw-dropping departures
03) They've been listening to reggae
04) In Rainbows: nothing to do with gay lib
05) Yorke's voice: still wonderful
06) "Faust Arp": they've been listening to Nick Drake
07) Phil Selway (drums): stiff or tasteful?
08) They've been listening to Krautrock (see 7)
09) Guitars: delicate or lifeless?
10) "Videotape": better solo (see clip below)?

More later, I'm afraid.

In Waiting

Just paid $10 or the iTunes equivalent of full-price for In Rainbows, out in a matter of hours. My rationale:

a) Pay-what-you-will seems like a good idea and we ought to support it. If Radiohead gets paid, other bands should follow.

b) I expect I'll listen a lot. Why stint?

c) When you don't know about pricing, imitate an established model.

d) I have this feeling Thom's wandering eye will somehow fall on my order - one of millions, yes, but I have this hunch. He'll smile or twitch or do whatever it is Thom Yorke does to express pleasure, and he'll be moved to phone. (He has my info now - am I the only one this pleases?) "You're worth it, Tommy," I'll say coolly, the new album playing softly in the background. "Thanks for the music."

back to the music

This is Gruff (you say it like "griff"). He's in the band Super Furry Animals. You may have heard of them. They've released 7 proper albums, 2 compilations, and one remix album. Also several DVDs. They have a new CD coming out on August 27th called "Hey Venus." Gruff has released two solo albums. Cian is in Acid Casuals. Daf is in The Peth. Guto is just Guto. And Bunf I almost forgot about.

I'm pretty sure I know everyone who comes to this blog, which also makes me pretty sure that no one's listened to the Super Furry Animals unless forced to do so by me. This is a serious shame, but I quit trying to convert people to them probably about seven or eight years ago. At least aggressively. I'm ashamed to say that maybe I started to doubt my own judgment. But, I mean, I was seriously excited by this band, and no one else I knew was.

Super Furry Animals still seem sort of perfect in a lot of ways. Clever lyricists, willing to experiment, not tied to any particular genre. All around nice, smart, and funny people. They write infectious melodies -- strange ones you don't get sick of. They use whatever instruments they like the sound of. Like celery. They sing in Welsh when they feel like it (this is very entertaining to me. It's a funny-sounding language, admit it), and in English when they don't. They have special glowing suits made for them to play in, and they have a resident artist.

Anyway, the point was to inform you that Gruff will be coming to North America (or perhaps just the U.S.) after spending all summer touring with SFA in the UK. Should be good (as it was last year). The only confirmed dates so far are September 29th and 30th (ahem) at the Crocodile Cafe in Seattle.

Update:
Jakes asks for some advice as to where to start listening. I don't really know. Here is a link to one of their singles, called 'Ysbeidiau Heulog.' It's sort of a middle career thing (2000), and a fairly random one, but they have it on their site so I figure it's fair game. Gruff has this to say regarding this song: "It is about a relationship but from the narrative of a weather man. So it is mostly cloud and rain and some frost with some sunny intervals."

If you want a more recent one, here: 'Lazer Beam'