It's Been A Furry Kinda Day (Fuzzy Logic - Super Furry Animals)

Member Name: Andy.mack

Product:	Fuzzy Logic - Super Furry Animals
Date:	14/11/04 (75 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Good debut album, Some great tracks, real classics

Disadvantages: Not perfect, let down in places by the odd song

I have recently renewed my acquaintance with the Super Furry Animals following the release of their Greatest Hits collection. So as soon as I discovered just how much of their work I was familiar with I decided to obtain copies of the earlier albums. The first of those earlier releases was 1996’s Fuzzy Logic. The band’s debut album that started them down the road to musical success. Although many may argue at times it’s more like musical obscurity.

They were signed up to the same label as Oasis by Alan McGee before recording this album. The band formed in 1993 following the split up of a couple of Cardiff’s underground techno and rock bands. The members of a few of these bands formed and the result is here for all to see. They released a few albums on a small Welsh Indie label before McGee snapped them up at a time when it seemed he could do no wrong. The Furries were another example of his extraordinary ability to spot talent.

Since those days the SFA have seen their popularity grow and then start to tail off a bit. Now there is more of a hardcore fan base as the SFA seem to vary their style of music. There is very much a mixture of dance and rock music in the current material from Gruff and the lads. All that is still being backed up by a solid Indie grounding and that’s what this album was all about. This was the Furries at their Indie best, although there were still slight glimpses of the bands techno and dance roots.

The album has a lot of plus points and also has just about as many negatives. It is for the most part musically quite a solid album, however there are times where it drifts a little, creating poorer quality tracks. It’s quite an impressive debut effort with the guitars really taking up most of the work, backed up by a decent drumbeat. There is a heavy influence of keyboards on a number of tracks as well but its where they add the electronic techno sound that lets the album down a bit.

There are a number of great tracks on the album and that’s down to a combination of the guitars, keyboards and drums really complimenting each other. It also has a lot to do with the lyrical content of the songs and the style Gruff has adopted for his vocals. Rather than write about serious subjects the album is more about enjoyable lyrics and random subjects, which makes it easy listening. Over the years the Furries have kept the Indie sound and from here on they started experimenting more and more with each album but this was an excellent starting point.

I think my favourite track on the album would have to be the excellent “Something For The Weekend”. It’s a fast paced track that really shows the rock/Indie/techno combo at it’s best. The lyrics are incredibly catchy and I’ve lost count of the amount of times I find myself singing along to it. I’d say the poorer side of the album is shown with “Gathering Moss”. It has quite a refreshing beat but I just don’t think it fits in with the rest of the album and that makes it a little hard to enjoy.

Overall the album is pretty good. It finishes with the exceptional “For Now And Ever”. which is the perfect end to this impressive debut. The SFA aren’t everyone’s cup of tea but they have made a name for themselves as a decent band. There are a couple of weaker tracks on the album but it’s still worth buying if you want to discover the roots of a great band. They may not be a mainstream artist but they certainly make great music and love to put on a show.

Available from play.com for £7.99

Summary: