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Mwng

 

Review

The very fact that Super Furry Animals had the courage to release Mwng, an all-Welsh-language album, is proof that the group is the great eccentric band of its time. Unfortunately, many critics and listeners may dismiss Mwng as a stunt or a wacky joke, which is condescending -- especially in light of what a terrific album this is. It doesn't matter that many listeners will not understand the lyrics, since the music is terribly effective in its own right. Ironically, Mwng is more of a pop album than its predecessor, Guerrilla, which often took fascinating detours into electronica-inspired pure sound. Mwng has more than its fair share of evocative sonic textures -- it's easy to get lost not just in the surface sound but what's buried beneath the melodies -- yet it's also a concise, sharply written psychedelic pop record. These are smart, melodic, catchy songs graced with inventive, clever arrangements. Super Furry Animals have tempered their harder rocking in favor of expanding their prog, psych, and pop inclinations. There are still numbers that rock, but they're unconventional, taking wonderful left turns and being blessed with arrangements that are welcoming, but never predictable. Fuzztone guitars and floating keyboards vie for space in the mix, vocals swoon in reverb, horns sound equally eerie and enthusiastic, and instruments are compressed so they no longer sound normal. Even when it skirts with psych-pop convention, with sitars popping up in the mix, it sounds fresh. Mwng is simply intoxicating with its richly melodic songs and dreamlike flow. This is an otherworldly record not because it is sung in Welsh, but because the music is fully realized and visionary. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide

Tracks

Track TitleComposersPerformersTime
Drygioni Super Furry Animals Super Furry Animals (1:23)
Ymaelodi Â'r Ymylon Super Furry Animals Super Furry Animals (2:57)
Y Gwyneb Iau Super Furry Animals Super Furry Animals (3:54)
Dacw Hi Super Furry Animals Super Furry Animals (4:18)
Nythod Cacwn Super Furry Animals Super Furry Animals (3:46)
Pan Ddaw'r Wawr Super Furry Animals Super Furry Animals (4:29)
Ysbeidiau Heulog (Lyrics) Super Furry Animals Super Furry Animals (2:51)
Y Teimlad Super Furry Animals Super Furry Animals (4:40)
Sarn Helen Super Furry Animals Super Furry Animals (4:18)
Gwreiddiau DWFN Mawrth Oer AR y Blaned Neifion Super Furry Animals (7:57)

Credits

Greg Haver (Engineer), Stuart Hawkes (Mastering)
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Wikipedia: Mwng
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Mwng
Studio album by Super Furry Animals
Released 15 May 2000 (UK)
20 June 2000 (US)
Recorded Ofn, Llanfaelog. 2000
Genre Britpop
Length 40:30 (without bonus tracks)
59:16 (with bonus tracks)
Label Placid Casual PLC03CD
Producer Gorwel Owen and Super Furry Animals
Professional reviews
original release: (7.9/10) link
2005 reissue: (8.2/10) link
Super Furry Animals chronology
Guerrilla
(1999)
Mwng
(2000)
Rings Around the World
(2001)
Singles from Mwng
  1. "Ysbeidiau Heulog"
    Released: 1 May, 2000

Mwng (Welsh: Mane) is an album by Super Furry Animals. The album is sung entirely in Welsh and is claimed to be the most successful Welsh language album ever[4]. It reached Number 11 in the UK Album Charts[5]. The album was released on the Super Furry Animals' own Placid Casual record label—according to guitarist Huw Bunford the group had offered the record to former label Creation Records shortly before they went out of business but were told they didn't want it.[6]

As a result of its success, it was mentioned in Parliament by Paul Flynn and Elfyn Llwyd.[4]

The album was recorded over a weekend session in Cardiff and at producer Gorwel Owen's house. Gruff Rhys is quoted as saying that the whole album only took "a couple of weeks" to complete.[7]

"Y Teimlad" ("The Feeling") is a cover of a Datblygu song.

"Ysbeidiau Heulog" ("Sunny Spells") was released as a white vinyl single in 2000 (backed with b-side "Charge") and was also featured on the bands greatest hits compilation, Songbook: The Singles, Vol. 1, in 2004.

Contents

Origins and recording

Guto Pryce has said of the album:

"We had some Welsh songs when we did Guerrilla but we thought it would be better if we put them all together instead of a token Welsh song here and there, on a b-side and maybe one or two on an album. We thought it would be nice to put them all together. 'Cos the thing with Mwng, it sounds like an album. It was recorded pretty much live in the studio, and they just go better together.[8]

The album was recorded in two weeks and cost £6000 to make.[9]

Track listing

All songs by Super Furry Animals unless otherwise stated.

  1. "Drygioni" ("Badness") – 1:23
  2. "Ymaelodi Â'r Ymylon" ("Joining the Periphery") – 2:57
  3. "Y Gwyneb Iau" ("Liverface") – 3:54
  4. "Dacw Hi" ("There She Is") – 4:18
  5. "Nythod Cacwn" ("Bee Nests") – 3:46
  6. "Pan Ddaw'r Wawr" ("When Dawn Breaks") – 4:29
  7. "Ysbeidiau Heulog" ("Sunny Intervals") – 2:51
  8. "Y Teimlad" ("The Feeling") (Datblygu) – 4:40
  9. "Sarn Helen" – 4:18
  10. "Gwreiddiau Dwfn" / "Mawrth Oer Ar y Blaned Neifion" ("Deep Roots" / "A Cold March on the Planet Neptune") – 7:57

A special edition of the album released in America also featured a bonus disc, Mwng Bach, comprising the following tracks previously released as b-sides to various UK singles issued by the band:

  1. "Cryndod Yn Dy Lais" ("Trembling in Your Voice") – 2:48
  2. "Trons Mr Urdd" ("Mr Urdd's Pants") – 4:37
  3. "Calimero" – 2:23
  4. "Sali Mali" – 4:35
  5. "(Nid) Hon Yw'r Gân Sy'n Mynd I Achub Yr Iaith" ("This (Isn't) the Song That's Going to Save the Language") – 3:53

Personnel

Band

Additional musicians

References

  1. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Mwng: Super Furry Animals". Allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:byfozfh1ehpk. Retrieved 2009-12-10. 
  2. ^ Ansell, Rachelle ([2000-05-15). "Super Furry Animals: Mwng". Drowned in Sound. http://drownedinsound.com/releases/2407/reviews/16. Retrieved 2009-08-12. 
  3. ^ Gilbert, Ben (2000-05-12). "Mwng". Yahoo! Music. http://uk.launch.yahoo.com/l_reviews_a/13882.html. Retrieved 2009-11-23. 
  4. ^ a b Llwyd, Elfyn (2000-06-06). "Early Day Motion 800". http://www.parliament.uk. http://edmi.parliament.uk/EDMi/EDMDetails.aspx?EDMID=18173&SESSION=703. Retrieved 2008-03-24. 
  5. ^ "Search Results -- Albums". http://www.everyhit.com. 2008-03-24. http://www.everyhit.com. Retrieved 2008-03-24. 
  6. ^ Foran, Sean (2004?). "Chomping celery with a Beatle: Super Furry Animals continue to get their freak on". Chicago Innerview. http://www.chicagoinnerview.com/archives/feb04_super_furry_animals.htm. Retrieved 2009-03-10. 
  7. ^ Martin, Piers (April 2008). "Album by album: Super Furry Animals". Uncut 131: 70–72. 
  8. ^ Prowse, Debs (1999). "Interview with Super Furry Animals". Welsh Bands Weekly. http://uk.geocities.com/wbwlist/sfa_int_8.html. Retrieved 2008-08-07. 
  9. ^ Sturges, Fiona (2000-05-12). "They're putting their money where their mouths are". The Independent. http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/theyre-putting-their-money-where-their-mouths-are-718276.html. Retrieved 2009-11-23. 

External links


 
 
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