ICE HOCKEY HAIR

Ice Hockey Hair contains two of SFA's most progressive songs back to back, book-ended by twin odes to the art of getting stoned. It's a very enjoyable listen with a wandering mind, but the title track and its instrumental follow-up actually have a little depth to them.

Mu-Tron is a short, mostly instrumental track driven by charming, echoing electric piano. The pace is kept slow, the snare is played only lightly and the noise remains outside of the red. The composition is also tranquil, lightly reminiscent of The Beach Boys, The Beatles and more importantly, Caravan. It starts and ends with a rather solemn cadence.

The song Ice Hockey Hair begins with a slightly foreshortened drum loop which feels a little jilting, but it quickly settles into a mid-paced rock song with humourous and inventive lyrics. The chorus is particularly Beach Boys-esque, featuring rock 'n' roll major to sixth playing on guitar, supporting harmonized, high vocals. The song has a celebratory reprise for an outro which is quite joyful, and a perfect opportunity for a sing-along - if you're a good singer, as Gruff Rhys backed up by most of the rest of the band is quite a vocal force under these circumstances.

The opening and closing tracks are less vital, the former featuring a looped sample turned into a druggy rock song, which doubles in tempo towards the end and starts to sound a little cosmic. The last song, "Let's Quit Smoking" is simply a silly acoustic reprise of the first which sounds like a daydream on tape.

All in all, I rate this as good but not essential, especially as the prog-related tracks in question are also available elsewhere as bonus tracks or as part of compilations.