Super Furry Animals
What, exactly, makes the British so damn good at creating quality pop? For nearly 50 years they've been churning out the kind of pop music that can be played without shame; sophisticated yet appealing, complex but never haughty. They are masters of a good riff, a catchy groove, a solid chorus. Ever since the Beatles laid down the first bars of "Love Me Do" it's been the Brits wearing the melodic pop crown.
Maybe it's the inferiority we Americans feel at having a native genre usurped and one-upped that explains the remarkable fact that a band as talented as the Super Furry Animals has yet to walk the red carpet on these shores, has yet to top the charts, ride the limos, fight off the groupies and laugh all the way to the bank.
It's a crying shame, but never mind, because this time around they won't be ignored.
Rings Around the World is an eclectic mix of infectious Beach Boy harmonies, smooth Bacharach melodies, suede and whiskey country rock, hi-tech electronica, rock anthems and hypnotic deep bass grooves. The schizophrenia you'll feel on first listen ("This is one band? This is one album?") can be hugely overwhelming, and there are times when their broad range can feel like a kind of gaudy showmanship. But hold tight and listen. On further exploration you'll find that beneath SFA's many worn-on-the-sleeve influences (and their remarkable facility with any genre they choose to tackle) is a voice uniquely their own. After time spent with Rings it will become apparent that the album's fantastic diversity is less egotism and showoff antics than a genuinely enthusiastic display of the band's unabashed love of music. SFA are like kids in the pop/rock candy store, sampling all the man behind the counter has to offer.
The album moves from the dreamy, heartfelt opener "Alternate Route to Vulcan Street" to the surf ballad "Sidewalk Serfer Girl" to the dark electro groove of "(A) Touch Sensitive" to the lovely lope of "Run! Christian, Run!" There are a few weak spots in the mix, the bit-too-kitschy soft rock of "Juxtapozed with U" and some occasional lyric lows, but this is nitpicking. SFA are near perfect, and that ain't easy.
In addition to their chops in the studio (the production, by the way, is flawless) they pull out some neat vocal and guitar tricks and some well-placed nostalgic nods too, enlisting none other than Paul McCartney to crunch carrot percussion on "Receptacle for the Respectable" (the same instrument he played for Brian Wilson on Smile's "Vega-tables") and coaxing a lovely little piano riff from John Cale on "Presidential Suite" (the band's whimsical take on Clinton's dalliance with Ms. L).
In addition to 20 tracks (Americans get seven extra) of lovely, impeccably played music, the lucky listener can become lucky viewer with the simultaneously released Surround Sound DVD, which features short films by various artists based on an SFA song of their choice. The result is much more than music video; it is experimental art, filmic whimsy and daring cinematic exploration all rolled into one. In addition to the visuals, the DVD also offers remixes from KID606 and the High Llamas.
That SFA have not only their peers' but their mentors' allegiance is no surprise. These boys know what they're doing, and they do it with pitch-perfect ease and an uncanny ear for melody, strolling the fine line between easily digested pop hit and deeply moving pop masterpiece with the skill of a Ringling Brothers' tightrope walker.
The band, on their newest American outing, is dressing to impress. They have arrived fully formed and ready to come, see and conquer, which won't be difficult. One listen means full surrender.