Super Furry Animals “Rings Around the World” (2001)
Sound! Music! Super Furry Animals!
I really enjoyed the interesting Brit-rock of the SFA’s “Fuzzy Logic”
album earlier from this list (see day 809) so was eager to see what this
album would have to offer. As it happens, the answer is “Everything!”
The Furries had originally planned on releasing a double album. Lead
vocalist Gruff Rhys was all about excess and wanted to make an epic,
cinematic album. They eventually pared it back to a single album, but
maintained the musical gluttony (of which I approve).
The album offers up a bit of everything, with the title track boasting
early surfer-era Beach Boys vocal harmonies. “[A] Touch Sensitive” is
string-backed trip-hop. “No Sympathy”
starts as a mellow alt-country track that picks up some Queen-esque
vocal harmonies on the choruses, then seems like it’s going to end with a
folky 60s vibe but that suddenly glitches out into off-the-wall techno!
“Receptacle for the Respectable”
features Paul McCartney eating carrots and celery in time with the
melodic Wilson-esque music and ends with what sounds like a run of
death metal vocals. AKA inBn ukurspteb seBqaauthet ae r rapocechkk bysa
olpnlogapd!!!!!!!!!!!!
Vocal harmonies and strings abound, definitely helping give the album
that desired cinematic feel. Those elements combined with the
genre-hopping left me with a big smile on my dial while I was listening
to this. It's an especially daring outing as it was the group’s major
label debut following the dissolution of Creation Records. It would
have been easy enough for them to play it safe.
