How does it compare to the artist's other releases
Value for Money
Advantages:
Distorted fuzzy guitars + strange lyrics
Disadvantages:
Not exactly mainstream
Recommend to potential buyers:
yes
Full review
Released on the 20th May 1996 ‘Fuzzy Logic’ is the debut album of the Welsh band Super Furry Animals (SFA). For those of you who not familiar with the band they consist of
Gruff Rhys - Lead Singer/Guitar Huw Bunford - Guitar Guto Price - Bass Guitar Dafydd Ieuan - Drums Cian Ciaran - Keyboard/Electronics
Before I move onto the album I will give you a little information on the band and their history. Originally formed in the early 1990’s SFA toured the north coast of France as a techno outfit. It wasn’t until 1995 that they started to play more guitar-based music and they finally signed to the famous Welsh indie band label Ankst. They released two EP’s on this label to critical acclaim and whilst gigging in London they were spotted by Creation Records (the home of Oasis) boss Alan McGee who immediately noticed their potential and signed them to his label. The album that I am about to review followed and it reached No.23 in the album charts.
In essence this is a guitar album but some tracks are heavy on keyboards and other electronic instruments. This album is for anyone who likes music outside of the mainstream Indie rock and offers high rewards for those who are prepared to listen. I have to admit that I didn’t like this album when I first listened to it, I was reluctantly cajoled by a friend to give it another few listens and since then I have loved it. Just in case you are interested the title for the album comes from an obscure branch of computing/mathematics. The cover art for the album is a collage of passport photos used by the master of disguise (and drug dealer) Howard Marks which he used to evade the law before being caught in the US. Right now onto the individual tracks
Track 1 - God! Show me magic.
This album wastes no time in getting you involved and the opener is a blend of fuzzy guitars and slightly echo laden vocals. The tempo is very upbeat and it is a song that grabs you immediately at 1min 50 seconds its kind of short but that just means you can never get bored of it.
Track 2 - Fuzzy Birds
This track is a lot mellower than the opener and starts with the lyrics
Hamster turnin’ round in your wheel I’ve got something to tell you I can harness your fuel Dynamo for electricity You empower my feelings Give me light so I can see
The lyrics are sang over quiet but what can only be described as psychedelic guitars. The lyrics pertain to a dream that one of the band members had where he wired up his hamster’s wheel to dynamo system to produce electricity.
Track 3 -
This song brings the tempo back up and starts with high-pitched guitars breaking into a melodic and catchy chorus, which I find myself still singing days later. This is one of my favourite tracks from the album and sums up everything that the band is about. The lyrics on this track are especially weird:
Doctor I'm ill please pass me the brandy 5-6-7 I heard George Foreman say: Slow horse loose Fast women frighten
Overall a really great track which reached number 18 in the Singles chart.
Track 4 - Frisbee
Maintaining the upbeat tempo set by the last song this track opens with a whining guitar riff backed up by a solid drum beat. Again the song effortlessly moves into a catchy chorus which as backing vocals contains Bruce Forsyth’s catchphrase “Nice to see you, to see you nice”, strange to say the least. Towards the end the song descends into anarchy as the vocals are electronically distorted and monkey cries can be heard in the background. Overall a fairly good song but not one of the best.
Track 5 - Hometown Unicorn
This track starts quietly with the odd strum of a guitar, which is then overlaid with Gruff’s vocals
I was lost Lost on the bypass road Could be worse I could be turned to toad
The song continues in pretty much the same way until the chorus when the guitars become louder and more persistent and it is probably the best chorus on the whole album. Infinitely catchy and backed up by some great lyrics referring to Frankie Fontaine who was allegedly abducted by aliens.
Track 6 - Gathering Moss
This track is set apart from the other songs on the album by the fact that the fuzzy guitars are not present. Instead the guitars are of a more classical nature and Gruff’s vocals are heavily laden with echo. Towards the end the song picks up in tempo and the introduction of drums and a tambourine give the song a little more impetus. A very short guitar solo ends the song, which wouldn’t be out of place in Western. This is probably the worst song on the album, not a terrible song but not a good one either.
Track 7 - If you don’t want me to destroy you
Gruff opens with the lines
If you don’t want me to destroy you Take a leaf out of my book Turn it round and have a look
The guitars have a bright clear sound on this track which is rare for this album and is a welcome change from the normally distorted guitars. This track is backed up by a good beat but the chorus is not as stand out as on some of the other tracks. This track also features violins, which break in at about the halfway mark adding an eerie kind of sound.
Track 8 - Bad Behaviour
This track restores the album’s previously high tempo and is a mixture of loud guitars and chilling vocals. This is another of my favourite tracks from the album and features a repetitive but catchy chorus. The song follows a standard verse - chorus - verse - chorus format and is stunningly simple but effective. My favourite part from the track is the whining guitar which starts at 1min 37 seconds which tails off into the chorus.
Track 9 - Mario Man
This track starts slowly with an intro played on the keyboard interspersed with bits of quiet guitar. It is a short introduction, which is quickly overlaid with Gruff’s quietly (slightly spoken) vocals
The blim holes in my shell suit Joined into an absolute And fell apart one day They stitched me up in Everton Then took me to a surgeon Lost on penalties
The intro ends when the drums enter to start the chorus and the guitars take centre staged drowning out the keyboard intro. The chorus then recedes and the keyboard returns. The vocals as with the majority of tracks are slightly echoic. Towards the end of the song there is a thirty-second guitar solo which leads into the final chorus of the song and is a particular favourite of mine.
Track 10 - Hangin’ with Howard Marks
This song starts with a short guitar intro, which is followed by the introductions of the drumbeat. The guitars then morph into a wailing solo which starts the song off perfectly. About thirty seconds into the song the solo tails off and Gruff comes in with his trademark lazy vocals (again heavy on the echo). This song is unique in that in some parts the guitars die down and you can clearly hear Guto Price’s bass line plodding along in time with the drums. The chorus has chugging guitars, which lead into another catchy chorus.
Track 11 - Long Gone
This song starts quietly with Gruff singing in a high pitched voice (for him) which is eventually joined by the other instruments including violins. Compared to other songs on the album this track has a distinctly subdued feel but still manages to be engaging. The song peters out towards the end into an abstract mix of guitars and garbled spoken words. Not a great song but worthy of its place on the album.
Track 12 - For now and ever
A perfect song to finish the album with and ends the high album on a high note. The guitars chug along and a catchy beat that has you tapping your toe as the Furries wrap the album up. Contains an obscure reference to the weather lady Sian Lloyd in the first verse:
It’s been a funny kind of day Sian Lloyd says the sun will come and play
The song features what sounds like a trumpet but could be some other brass instrument, the track finishes with the lyrics “We’ll be together for now and ever” accompanied by erratic trumpet (?) playing.
Overall I would give this album 9/10 and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys Indie based guitar music. For those of you who are into more mainstream pop/rock this may not be for you. The songs are sometimes eclectic and erratic but this is what makes the Super Furry Animals stand out from the rest. To find out more visit their website:
www.superfurry.com
This album is available from www.101cd.com for £7.99.
