It only took the Welsh band about eight albums, but Gruff Rhys and the band have finally released their idea of a straightforward pop album. Needless to say, in the hands of this monumentally talented group, the idea of straightforward may sound like the aural equivalent of an Escher drawing, but hearing the band leave behind the electronic gewgaws and shape shifting ideas for stabs at shimmying ‘70s T. Rex boogie (“Into The Night”), Motown soul (“The Gift That Keeps Giving”), flickering bubblegum pop (“Battersea Odyssey”) makes for some of the most gratifying work they have done in some time. And considering the peerless track record the Super Furries have kept up to date, that is really saying something about the quality of the work on this new album.
--Bob Ham
