Dark Days/Light Years

Track-by-track review of the new Super Furry Animals album Dark Days/Light Years

Crazy Naked Girls – The title really says it all. Starting off with some random chatter, and turning into an electronic noise groove that’s half-sung, half-rapped like only Gruff can do. This then reveals (two minutes in) to some heavy-ass riff rock, with a bit of a glam punch to it.

Mt. - I don’t know if it’s Bunf or Cian (or Daf or Guto) Just checked Wikipedia, and it’s Cian on lead vocals. King of an acoustic glam stomper of a sort. Some nice strings at the end.

Moped Eyes – Originally called Hot Nutz this one is pretty laid-back, with a crooned chorus, and a nice groove.

Inaugural Trams - A nice poppy synth-based number, with a great sing along chorus. Nick McCarthy of Franz Ferdinand does a rap part way through. In German. Wild. It chugs along nicely (just like a tram, get it! Wait. Trams don’t chug. Never mind.)

Inconvenience – A song that wouldn’t sound too out of place on Fuzzy Logic – though definitely benefiting from the thirteen years of production experience between the two.

Cardiff In The Sun – The first epic of the album – clocking at 8 minutes. It builds slowly from a simple ticking drum machine, with additions of some guitar feedback, and a plucking bass (or bass synth, I think) ’til eventually the “Sha La La”s roll in, followed by a ghosted out singing of the title. It really just keeps building from there, and doesn’t reach it’s full power/volume/density until quite a few minutes in. It’s quite glorious, really.

Halfway through – I’ll finish this later.

The Future & the Mountains

I purchased one new CD, and one new iTunes download this week.  Sebastian Grainger & The Mountains’ self-titled album and The Juan MacLean’s The Future Will Come. Both are too new for me to write anything of substance about them, but I will say this: both are really good. Of particular note, The Juan MacLean album is currently only $5.99 on the iTunes Canada store, which if you ask me, is a steal of a deal.

Went out tonight with a few friends tonight to see Crank: High Voltage and I have to say, it was everything I expected and so much more. Ultra-violence. Crazy sex. Jump cut after jump cut after jump cut. Godzilla fight? Godzilla fight! Random cameos. General confusion and absurdity. And Dwight Goddamn Yoakam. It’s not a movie – it’s a thrill ride. And it’s awesome.

None of these are particularly critical reviews, but hey, I’m no professional. Just a guy who likes things.

Strange Overtones

A few mini album reviews:

David Byrne & Brian Eno Everything That Happens Will Happen Today – I had the good fortune of seeing Byrne in October of last year, and it was phenomenal. While the album doesn’t quite have the same emotional intensity as the live show for me (no choreography) it holds it’s own quite admirably. Though I will admit that every time I listen to Life is Long I picture the three dancers flopping about on office chairs.  Personal highlight: Everything That Happens (the song) has the feel of a hymn to modern life, with an exuberant chorus at the end of the piece.

DOOM Born Like This - It’s goood.  Not Dangerdoom good, but goood.  My hip hop/rap chops really aren’t all that great, but I knows what I likes, and I likes this.  Favourite tracks thusfar: Batty Boys (it’s friggin’ hilarious) and That’s That, mainly for the violin sample, and the terrible singing to close the track (sorry, DOOM.)

Phoenix Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix – First off, kick-ass album title.  I mean, really, that takes a certain French gall (terrible pun alert!)  The album opens with a fine headbobber titled Lisztomania and continues to wow from there.  First single 1901 lights things up with a heavy synth and some power chords, and never stops.  The seven minute plus Love Like a Sunset is a little odd/intense,but it pays off, and it’s nice to see them experimenting a little.  (Side note: they sounded great on SNL this weekend, and I just have to say, what was up with Seth Rogen throwning back to the band at the end of the show. Has that ever happened on SNL before? Because if so, I’ve never seen it. On the plus side, they played Too Young over the credits, so that’s pretty badass. Also, Phoenix was on SNL. Way to go guys!)