SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: SUPER FURRY ANIMALS – LOVE KRAFT

SUPER FURRY ANIMALS 
LOVE KRAFT
STRANGE TOWN RECORDS

Super Furry Animals formed in Wales in 1993 and released their debut album, Fuzzy Logic. The band slowly built a fanbase with positive reviews from critics over the years. In 2005, they released their now-classic album, Love Kraft. The album was not only a commercial success but also loved by critics. While it may not have been their most successful, it is one of their most loved albums, so it only made sense for the band to release a 20th anniversary version of it. The name of the album, while being a nod to writer H.P. Lovecraft, is the name of a sex shop in their home town of Cardiff.

The original album of this re-release opens with “Zoom!” The track provides an indication of what 1967 Pink Floyd might sound like in 2005. It works on many levels, musically and lyrically. It is also no accident that the album ends with the melodic and melancholic (and somewhat Beatley) “Cabin Fever,” as the two songs bookend Love Kraft perfectly. Intended as a collection of love songs, the band explored various aspects of the emotion and, in their own distinct way, came up with a truly unique album.

The line-up for the album was Gruff Rhys (lead vocals, guitar), Huw Bunford (lead guitar, vocals), Guto Pryce (bass guitar), Cian Ciaran (keyboards, synthesizers, various electronics, occasional guitar, vocals), and Dafydd Ieuan (drums, vocals). Unlike their previous albums, the songs were written by the entire band, which gives way to the different sounds and styles one hears throughout the album.

Fans and collectors will enjoy the new remastered sound, but more importantly, the bonus disc is perhaps the main attraction. The band has included a number of demos, as well as four previously unheard songs. “Bedw Arian” is one of the strongest songs, while others like “Palo Alto” give the listener an opportunity to experience how the album might have sounded. While listening to the demos, it is a different-sounding album; equally interesting, but an entirely new vision or sound of the album. They are not radically different from the album, but the additional four songs would have impacted the track order and sound of the album.

This might be the perfect album to use in regard to introducing someone to this truly unique band, as Love Kraft is an album that shows off the band’s strengths and their ability to create art rock, 2000s style. It is no surprise that Paul McCartney worked with the band and employed them to help with his Liverpool Sound Collage, as they have that melodic sense of The Beatles, but at the same time, their own style is superimposed over the music. This is a brilliant re-release that fans, new and old, will definitely enjoy.

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