6 September 2008 :: there's no hiding from the nuclear apocalypse, but at least we'll all get to hang out

:: Record Review

Super Furry Animals

Phantom Power
(XL; 2003)

Rating: 85%
Combined Rating: 77%

Ever find it odd that SO MANY bands get their melodies stamped with "Brian Wilson" so frequently in music reviews? Seems like multi-harmony, golden pop simply MUST have attached to it the Wilsonian connection. But people, people, let's not overdo it. Listening to Pet Sounds or nearly any other Beach Boys albums will certainly cause a proclivity to connect an even vaguely similar sound to the twee-drenched choirboys of yore. But let's get something straight - when it comes to a great number of bands, "summer pop" need not equal "Brian Wilson" any more than "post-punk" would translate to "Ian Curtis." Cheap name-drops are a masturbatory disservice.

The brighter of you have already connected the dots and said, "Ah! So Phantom Power must be summery pop, but not so Wilson-esque as critics would have me think!" Kudos to you. Simon and Garfunkel, too, have their sensibilities woven into this album - I dare you to listen to "Piccolo Snare" and not be reminded of "Scarborough Fair" (the titles even fucking rhyme). As do a number of other 60's bands. The Beatles' pop ethic is all over Phantom Power, with its seamless meltdowns from insistent, catchy, upbeat pop-rock to gentle melancholic tones and reverb, slide guitars that sound like honey, but then droop into sighing cries. They, like the Beatles, have an impeccable talent for shifting moods and sounds within the same delightful pop tapestry. And for the most part, they keep their nuggets short and sweet.

The departure from their influences is in the Welshmen's superlative use of subtle electronic and sound tweaking, but more importantly, a consolidation of their sound, a tightening that leads to a more free-flowing confidence, and as a result, a more cohesive, collected, composed (any other complimentary c-words?) album. The Super Furry Animals are now making albums that sound like SFA albums, not Wilson homages. And really, that's how it should be. Obvious or in-your-face genre-bending and influence-grabbing is for the new guys, the eager innovators; great bands make albums that do these things without the slightest hint of doing them intentionally. SFA is six albums in now, and they understand this perfectly.

And while some of you might bemoan the toning-down from the quirky genius of Guerilla (Mwng was too much of a "songs-we-wanted-to-do-over-the-years" collection to be called a proper album), the warmth and vibrant energy of Phantom Power is assured and wonderful. Of course, Gruff Rhys has such superb songwriting skills that he makes the gorgeous melodies and fresh sounds here sound easy. Regardless, standouts like "Liberty Belle," "Sex, War, and Robots," "Venus and Serena," and the balls-out "Out of Control" are immediately head-spinningly catchy and fabulously constructed to boot, most with solid lyrics to accompany the golden guitars and Rhys' syrupy vocals.

The lyrics are of that category which manages to be simple and straightforward without sounding trite or lazy. Superb images of kids smoking like chimneys toward the sky, heartfelt pleas for a lover to "come into my life / In honesty / It's been a while / Since we had reason / left to smile," make them meaty decoration while letting the focus remain on the fairly uniformly excellent songs. Many of them are politically/socially relevant, but quietly so, so that any political themes aren't so brash as to be annoying. And it certainly doesn't hurt that they're sung in lush vocal harmonies along with Rhys' mellow croon.

Vocal harmonies are just about everywhere (yes, yes, Beach Boys influence), though they're subdued and more grin-inducing for it. Cian Ciaran, production/electronics wizard, is not so omnipresent as he was in Guerilla; here he's not front stage, but certainly a felt presence in the veins of each track. It's in "Slow Life" that he really gets free rein, and the effect - glowing, shimmering synths and ethereal wisps of sound collapsing into glorious pop - is fantastic.

The instrumentation is solid, with SFA proving that just 'cause you've got it you don't have to flaunt it too much. On "Valet Parking" the percussion isn't afraid to knock your grinning ass to the pavement, but it's not over-eager in any of the tracks. Same with the guitars - while not afraid to ("Out of Control") rip into chunky riffs or glitzy solo-augmentations, their appropriateness is flawless. And Brian Wilson would certainly be proud of the superb organization of horns and various other instruments in the bossa-nova sass of "The Undefeated."

The occasional super-languid number like "Cityscape Skybaby" might seem a little tame given the band's previous guitar-pop energy, but all in all every track here fits nicely into a generally warm, confident scheme of sound that's almost faultless. While not mind-blowingly original, Phantom Power is nonetheless reaffirmation that one can always take influences and make something personalized, fresh, and stellar out of them. Amir Nezar :: 17 August 2003 |