GUERRILLA

The UK's Super Furry Animals always struck me as significant to Alternative Rock and Power Pop, so when I discovered they were here on ProgArchives that was exciting. Certainly, the melding of "Alternative" music and Pop has been happening since the birth of progressive music as a niche part of the Pop canon (the mid-to-late-60s), and SFA weren't the first to approach these styles for their generation. And from my memory, their third LP, Guerrilla, is far fuller with experimentation and brings a diverse allotment of genres and moods than what came before.

Don't be too keen to check your volume, as the opener, "Check It Out", begins out of a sea of silence, broken before the first minute, to what I would describe as something happily owing to Psych Pop. The bass and straight drum rhythm bounce accordingly, as these elements collide with minor-key guitar crunch. Pre-second verse, we are greeted with bright flutes (perhaps performed most convincingly on Moog). This is a strong track and its progressive elements come in the form of sonic depth in the least. The track closes out seemingly prematurely, with the quieting of the airwaves, until a few seconds later, a funny, little electro-Jazz thing closes out the number officially. Interesting choices, to be sure. Breaking the silence in a more definite way, "Do or Die" is to follow, a straight-ahead Alt Rock number, hearkening back to synth-heads like Game Theory. Strong, though simple melodies and infectious riffs can be found herein. Our heads are then turned back to the psych-soak pastoral of "The Turning Tide", Gruff Rhys's warm, throaty vocals matched with Rhodes, acoustic guitar and piano, and a small string ensemble to boot. Lovely.

The mood shifts most suddenly into a vaguely Caribbean cadence on "Northern Lites". Charming vocals sing great melodies (best thus far). The small ensemble of strings from the previous track is replaced by a crew of horns. This is more in line with Brian Wilson than sharing any commonality with much from the Symphonic Prog of old and has nothing to do with the Post-progressive Rock of Radiohead and their ilk. "Night Vision" buzzes into my earbuds, evoking punky Garage Rock, though the backing vocals are broadly... R'n'B? I have no idea what it is haha. Frankly, a corny song to me. The electronic droning in the latter half before the choral return was a nice choice. Perhaps overall, this may appeal to fans of Ween. I'm struck with a similar feeling at the start of "Wherever I Lay My Phone (That's My Home)", as a scurrying, almost rapping group of sampled, distorted voices introduce another lighthearted number. Certainly, Rhys's vocals are also rap-like, not to be confused with any atonal deliveries from whitey (i.e. Punk, at large). I hope they had fun, anyway haha. "A Specific Ocean" follows, with cool, downtempo beats and simple instrumentation, a sort of 1-minute interlude.

I struggle to call "A Specific Ocean" an interlude in the sense that it's tying things together, but it does break things up. Next is "Some Things Come from Nothing", at least following in a chill vibe not dissimilar to that interlude. As we get two minutes in, I'm definitely resonating with the title. The instrumentation is sparse and more focused on the electronic. Very full mix on this one, despite its minimalism. On this note, this is one of a few decisions they made which just feel like a mark against the album as a whole. To follow, and most suddenly, "The Door to This House Remains Open" is somehow based on a jam sesh on the Rod Stewart classic "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy?" haha. Pretty remarkable. This is a full embrace of technology in what I would consider a sonic triumph. Definitely understand (limitedly) the Boards Of Canada comparison, but it broadly has a Drum'n'Bass approach to the rhythm section, with sharp, rolling drums and deep, droning bass.

Back to Alt-Rock optimism, "The Teacher" is another straight-ahead song with not so much in the way of surprises, but does have solid melodies and is strengthened by varied percussion and a repeated, tone-setting organ crescendo. Next, we are lulled back to bed with the soft, heartfelt "Fire in My Heart", a Rootsy ballad. Definitely some strengths here, again praise due to the mix. "The Sound of Life Today" is an even shorter interlude, a scurrying of light synth lines, readying us for the dreamy start to "Chewing Chewing Gum". Vocal harmonies drift in and out of the mix until they remain in strength, only fortified by the building drums, simple but true. Another tune that literally sprouted out of near-nothingness. Grateful for my Psychedelic education (in more than one way), as the reward of this number comes fullest with time. Interestingly, this reminded me of offerings from Sweden's Beardfish. Finally, "Keep the Cosmic Trigger Happy" comes with a 10+ minute track length. This is a return to the bright Psych Pop of the album's start. I could see others drawing parallels to Queen as well. It's a playful song, which only offers more and more, thank god for the technology, I say. Of course, no surprise now, the 10-minute length was a farse, the song closing around 3 minutes, and so I wait... Just kidding. The hilarious thing about this must-be hidden track, a reprise of "Chewing Chewing Gum", lasts so brief, it feels like a huge joke has been played on me. Respect.