“All the songs can be connected…” implies Super Furry Animals bassist Guto Pryce. “And each one is a postcard from a girl called… Venus!”
Otherworldly femme fatale analogies aside, SFA’s eighth official album in eleven years is downright down-to-earth. “The songs for this album were chosen simply because we could record them quickly and play them live” reveals Pryce. “We’re always happy to be together in the studio, there’s always uncharted territory to explore.”
Recorded at Mirval Studios in France and Rockfield Studios in their native Wales, the band (Pryce, Gruff Rhys -vocals/guitar, Cian Ciaran - keys/effects, Dafydd Ieuan -drums, Huw Bunford -guitar) collectively describe Hey Venus as “twelve autonomous songs ranging in styles from country and contemporary rock music to orchestral psychedelic pop.”
Is their self-assessment justified? You be the judge. “Let The Wolves Howl At The Moon” is a lilting Americana waltz that beckons Gram Parsons and his Burrito Brothers. If contemporary rock is indeed a hybrid of bombast and glam, “Into The Night,” with a lead break Brian May would kill for, fits the bill. For orchestral psychedelic pop, look no further than “The Gift That Keeps Giving” - a Burt Bacharach meets Brian Wilson mid-tempo rocker buoyed by Pryce’s bouncing bass ala Sir Paul circa Sgt. Pepper.
The men behind the Animals this time out were producer David Newfeld and engineer Chris Shaw, who also twiddled the knobs for the band’s triumphant Rings Around The World release. Bringing their symphonic visions to fruition was arranger Sean O’Hagan, noted for his work with The High Lamas. Recalls Pryce “we loved the work David had done with Broken Social Scene. It had an exciting vibe to it.” As for knowing when the band had nailed a particular track, it was easy. “When we saw Dave dancing along as the song was going down, we knew we had the right take.”
In these troubled times for the album format, Pryce and his mates remain unfazed. “Well it could mean the end of dodgy album filler tracks” laughs the bassist. “We still release physical singles in the UK and our b-sides wind up as bonus tracks internationally. A lot of effort and debate went into the sequencing of Hey Venus. Whether people listen to the long player or just individual tracks is a bit out of our hands, but that’s no reason for an album such as this not to have a certain flow.”
SFA album fans will be pleased to see that the band adheres to the grand tradition of wrapping their work in provocative album art despite the small canvass a jewel box affords - though the album will also have a limited vinyl edition. Hey Venus’ veneer was commissioned to cult Japanese artist Keiichi Tanaami who was given free reign to create the cartoons and images which compliment the music within.
Boasts Pryce “we’re honored that such a psychedelic heavyweight agreed to create the cover of Hey Venus. We didn’t have any input; we simply gave him a brief outline of the themes of the songs.”
--Tom Semioli
Hey Venus! is now available in vinyl and digital formats. The compact disc is available through Rough Trade.
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