I like Gruff Rhys

It may be hard to tell sometimes, but I actually do like music. Although Os Mutantes' self-titled album and Robert Wyatt's Rock Bottom are really the only albums ever made that are good. And "Mother" by Danzig is the only other good song. And "Mother" by John Lennon. But not "Mother" by the Police, though. And definitely not "Mother" by Pink Floyd.

Anyway, I like the Super Furry Animals. And I like Gruff Rhys. Gruff's first solo album was released with little (or no) fanfare in something like the second week of January in 2005, and like you would expect from a solo album by a member of a band that relatively few people have heard of, it sank like a stone. It was overshadowed by the Super Furry Animals' magnificent Love Kraft several months later, and in fact, I forgot it existed at all until I started thinking of ways to approach his new solo album, Candylion. Like its predecessor, it was released in early January, and sure enough, there is a Super Furry Animals album slated to come out later this year.

The real point is, Candylion is pretty damn good. Like his first solo album, it's a lot more low key and lo-fi than any SFA stuff. But unlike his first solo album, (which was called Yr Atal Genhedlaeth if you're wondering why I'm not referring to it by name) this one is actually interesting. And, thankfully, not sung completely in Welsh.

If nothing else, Candylion offers an intriguing look at what the Super Furry Animals might be like as a rootsy psychedelic band instead of the genre-hopping madmen that they are. Their last couple albums have turned down the insanity, but not as much as Candylion does. The more stripped-down approach definitely highlights Rhys' strong pop sensibilities. Most of these songs are hummable after only a couple listens.

Of course, "low key" and "lo-fi" are relative terms when dealing with Gruff Rhys. The record does feature a few sweeping string arrangements and the occasional psychedelic meltdown, and by most people's standards the sound itself is gorgeously crystal clear. But it has a spontaneous quality that most of his other work doesn't. (The Super Furry Animals' sound is a more deliberately constructed aural assault.)

Final summary, for those of you who just skipped to the last paragraph: for an album that serves as something sort of thrown-off in between "real" projects, Candylion is surprisingly good. There's always the option of turning off the 13 minute snooze-fest album closer "Skylon!" halfway through, which makes it even better. A coupla highlights for the downloaders, if you're so inclined: "Lonesome Words" and "The Court of King Arthur."