OUT SPACED

"Out Spaced" is definetly one of the best rarities collections I have ever heard. Maybe it is because they picked all the best tracks or maybe it is because Super Furry Animals aren't capable of writing stinker tracks! Perhaps both! "Out Spaced" is the longest and most challenging Super Furry Animals album but also is a highly rewarding listen. This album collects together some of the early EP tracks, b-sides and unreleased tracks. I hope they release another rarities collection for the bands later work too.

This album shows off some of their proggiest moments. "Dim Brys Dim Chwys" shows off some lovely heavy experimental work and is quite a lengthy composition. The album opens with the legendary assault on governments and leaders, "The Man Don't Give a F***". This track was actually a non album single! Its quite odd how a song with more sware words than Eminem can turn to have such a warm, positive pop vibe. This track has become one of their live favourites, where they often expand this 5 minute track into a 20+ minute featuring rave, techno, drum and bass and solo sections! The new 20 minute version was also released as a single to accompany the 2004 singles collection and has to be a record for one of the longest A-sides ever released.

"Smokin'" is the ultimate stoner rock track that even tackles questioning the meaning of life! This track is full of some rather humorous and stereotypical basslines, lyrics and spacey atmosphere that mock stoner rock bands of the 70's such as Pink Floyd. Altogether a great and daring track. Somehow the video for this track was allowed to be released onto the music channels without getting banned for encouraging people to smoke drugs!

"Dim Bendith" carries on some more melodic moments wrapped up in slow, long compositions with great build ups. The multi layered instruments really bring out a huge atmosphere on this song and most of the album. "Arnofio/Glo in the Dark" is one of the best tracks. This track is a great partnership between the bands slow gloomy songwriting, pushing the atmospheric textures even furthur. This track then excells into some brilliant rockin' guitar work that takes a while to build up to.

"Guacomole" is an odd rocker about sleep deprivation. Though it is still a standout track that kind of mimic's "Chupacabras" from "Radiator". This shows off some of the more psychadelic rockers that were present on "Fuzzy Logic". "Pam V?", "Fix Idris" and "Blerwytirhwng?" are great tracks from the first 2 EP's which still show off the songwriting might of Super Furry Animals. The best of these is "Blerwytirhwng?" which has been expanded by 6 minutes to end in a loop of a star wars lightsaber battle for some reason. This just adds to the crazyness of these Welsh psychadelics. "Pass the Time" and "Carry the Can" are brilliant b-sides that deserve great mention and it is surprising that they didn't make it as album tracks or even singles.

"Out Spaced" is brilliant because it succeeds in showing off all the different sides of Super Furry Animals, including their strong art rock and prog moments. This album is definetly worth finding and is a special release as you get to here some of those hard to find tracks. Even though most collections of rarities are only for hardcore fans, i don't see any reason why this album shouldn't be one of the first albums you hear by this band as it really does show off some of their best songs.