SUPER FURRY ANIMALS

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZHtTFwp2UFQ

Gruff Rhys is best known as the frontman of the Welsh psych-rock band Super Furry Animals, but this time of year I tend to remember him as the songwriter behind some of the most disturbing Christmas songs ever written. Rhys has been performing solo for quite awhile, and back in 2011 he released the Atheist XMAS EP, a collection of delightfully morbid Christmas songs — “Slashed Wrists This Christmas” is a personal favorite. This time around, Rhys is moving in a less seasonal direction, though his new track “Set Fire To The Stars” embodies some of the same darkness. The track will be featured in the forthcoming biopic Set Fire To The Stars about the life and work of the Welsh poet Dylan Thomas, starring Elijah Wood. The title of the film and the track is lifted from Thomas’ poem “Love In The Asylum.” Rhys also wrote the movie’s jazzy score and recorded it with a band including Portishead collaborator Jim Barr.

Went to his solo American Interior show last night in Cardiff. Fantastic performance from Gruff and the songs sounded great acoustically. He was also extremely funny when relating the story of John Evans' journey.

http://diymag.com/2015/01/05/gruff-rhys-co...se-married-2-me

The year’s barely begun, but Welsh hero Gruff Rhys already has his heart set on one specific occasion: Valentine’s Day.

A new release, ‘Married 2 Me’, is scheduled for 14th February this year. It sees Gruff collaborating with Super Furry Animals bandmate Dafydd Ieuan in a track with The Earth, featuring Dionne Bennett on vocals.

It’s the first time Gruff and Ieuan have put their name to a release since 2010’s Super Furries number ‘Dark Deays / Light Years’.

‘Married 2 Me’ is a digital release only, out via Strangetown Records.

Last year saw Gruff Rhys releasing his latest solo album ‘American Interior’.

Seems fairly significant considering Gruff has not collaborated with anyone from SFA since DD/LY came out.

Here's the track:

http://soundcloud.com/strangetown-records/the-earth-married-2-me

This surfaced on their Facebook today:

http://i.imgur.com/iFNilUK.jpg

And everyone is now abuzz with speculation.

ain't that old, though? Looks 'Rings' era.

Looks like a mixture of DD/LY, RAtW and Fuzzy Logic. Could be a tour poster or something less exciting like promotional material for their biography.

I can't believe people are getting such a hard-on over this.

Just realised that Love Kraft is going to be 10 this year. Fuck!

If they were about to bring out a new album I would be very exited.

Any news is good news.

That Gruff was just in the studio with Daf is a nice sign there's no bad blood.

Love Kraft full album tour plz

Can't see that happening. Isn't the biography out next month or something?

It's some new Pete Fowler art.

Ric Rawlins (author of biog) has just posted "if it's about that (the book) it's news to me!"

It does have elements from at least three of their eras (I see Fuzzy Logic, RAtW and DD/LY), so it could possibly be some sort of greatest hits artwork. Still hopeful it means a new album.

It's going to take a lot more than this to convince me that there's a new SFA album on the way, I'm afraid. In fact, the only thing that will convince me is if they actually come out an announce it. Speculation over a Facebook image is just lunacy, really.

Any news is good news.

That Gruff was just in the studio with Daf is a nice sign there's no bad blood.

― afriendlypioneer, Thursday, January 15, 2015 7:46 PM (1 hour ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

I thought the "bad blood" was between the members of the band who aren't Gruff and their former manager?

If they were about to bring out a new album I would be very exited.

― Kitchen Person, Thursday, January 15, 2015 7:42 PM (1 hour ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

I'd be curious enough to give it a listen at the very least if they choose to release something. If I'm to be honest, though, I'm not exactly desperate for a new SFA album. I've kinda got used to them being inactive, truth be told.

The font reminds me of Love Kraft as much as Fuzzy Logic.

It sucks they don't get along with Gruff's management because Turnstile has done a great job promoting Gruff's albums.

I was kind of hoping they'd handle an inevitable SFA release.

Yeah... I mean even just casually observing, I can tell that albums like Hotel Shampoo and especially American Interior have been receiving more promotion than Dark Days/Light Years ever got. In fact, I'd say that the way that American Interior was promoted at least almost resembled how SFA albums used to be handled.

Another new image uploaded five minutes ago.

I believe that one comes from the biography.

Yup!

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51xRCPwrkeL._SY344_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg

Love Kraft tour confirmed
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XME_p9oN9zk&feature=youtu.be

Thought as much.

That YouTube toolbar had me wondering "What's a Frook?"

They also just dropped this on their Facebook

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JtBqAFiRGpw

Which is Cian's new band.

Pretty clever of them to use a new SFA image to promote other projects.

Well, it would certainly would be a way of grabbing attention when everyone but the seriously dedicated/obsessed has fallen asleep over an ever-increasing pile of substandard solo ventures.

I saw the Gulp LP on a few year end lists, even heard a song on a show the other day. The other guys haven't done too well, Gruff aside. I still think Cian's first was pretty good, but obviously I'd take an SFA album over all this stuff.

http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/jan/24/howard-marks-inoperable-cancer-mr-nice

Howard Marks, the notorious former dope smuggler known as Mr Nice, has told the Observer he has been diagnosed with inoperable bowel cancer.

“I’ve come to terms with it in my own way – which for me was about learning how to cry,” Marks, 69, said this weekend. “It’s impossible to regret any part of my life when I feel happy and I am happy now, so I don’t have any regrets and have not had any for a very long time.”

Marks, a long-time campaigner for the legalisation of cannabis, has already received messages of support from his wide-ranging group of friends. Artist Tracey Emin, the journalist Peter Hitchens, Sir Richard Branson, broadcaster Zoe Ball and DJ husband Norman Cook have all sent best wishes this weekend. Hitchens has praised Marks as a “principled defender of free speech” despite taking an opposing side on the legalisation debate. Cook and Ball have described him has “a ray of sunshine in our lives”.

http://pbs.twimg.com/media/B8L-8VECQAARrM5.jpg

Ric, the author of the band bio, doing a Q&A on Reddit:

http://redd.it/2uywi6

I've read half of the biography, which is now available through Amazon (ebook only). It is a nice, brisk read. I think Ric hits all the high points and corrects/confirms stories about the band's early days. For instance, Bunf and Gruff really did meet on the roof of a train. SFA did start out as more of a rave collective than a rock 'n roll band. There's also an anecdote about how their name came about; I'm skeptical that it's true, since I've heard at least three other stories. It's also interesting to read about Rhys Ifans's days with the band. He was kind of their mascot in the beginning. I never liked him much, to be honest.

The Howard Marks event has an amazing cast list now: John Cooper Clarke, Cerys Mathews, Gruff Rhys, Alabama 3, Don Letts as well now.

the whole of Sfa will be there, aside from Guto. I'd expect some kind of sfa set if it weren't for that. Of course they'd be extremely out of practice. There's some good stuff on the band's relationship with Howard Marks on the new biography.

So the book came out today.

It also got a 3/10 from the NME.

http://www.nme.com/reviews/super-furry-animals/15939?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=superfurries

I don't think it's bad at all. It isn't definitive and I would've loved to have read more about their songwriting and production process, but I don't know there's anyone out there that's interested in telling that story.

I bought it as an ebook but haven't finished it. There is something very flat about the writing style which deadens the interest for me.

In case interested, apprently SFA & Rhys Ifans are playing from 11.30 - 12.30 on the 27th.

From what I understood, SFA can't play because Guto is currently touring with H. Hawkline. All the associated acts are playing, however. Maybe I'm out of the loop, though. I'm sure it wouldn't be terribly hard to get Guto there.

Hmm...I just saw what you're talking about. I wonder if it could be. How I wish I could go.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VLSOz5cI1H0

Well interestingly enough, someone uncovered that they're listed as an artist on Domino. The author of the bio also hinted at more SFA activity this year, though he excluded a reunion. My guess: reissues or a film.

They're definitely getting at something...

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B-n6yNQUsAAlf8S.jpg

someone just posted this on another forum:
http://www.dominorecordco.com/artists/super-furry-animals/

I was thinking it seems a little soon for reissues, but I guess that nice batch of 2-disc reissues was a decade ago now. I could do with nice reissues of the last four albums though.

did those reissue just get released with no fanfare, reviews etc? don't remember hearing anything about them at the time

I think they were only American reissues, since we never got some of those early albums as non-imports. I remember, at the very least, Pitchfork doing some reviews at the time. They all came out in a fairly short span in like 2005-2006.

Here's the Pitchfork review from June of 2005:

http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/11835-fuzzy-logic-radiator-out-spaced-guerilla-mwng/

yeah reissues would be cool

Sony released the two discs in the U.S.

Research and sleuthing has led some people to find Domino has SFA listed as a current act, so I'm hopeful.

Vinyl reissues would be nice. I'm still missing Out Spaced and Rings but I refuse to pay upwards of $100 for them.