Hey Venus!

Friend or foe?

Whatever people would say about labels and their mercenary relations with different bands ultimately the amount of positive effect from their activities exceeds negative to considerably greater extent. Yes, labels kill projects, but they also promote them. Were it not for their tough demands to artists and their songs the appearance of today's music world could have a completely different look and it doesn't necessarily means that this look could be better. In a word, when you listen to another good record don't forget that this is not a merit of musicians alone but of their invisible management too. If labels didn't put pressure on such a famous band as Super Furry Animals most likely this band would be known in far lesser circles today. Initially, their label persuaded them to sing in English, not in Welsh as they used to, and this was a breaking point in their career as it opened an English speaking audience for them. The band released three albums including their memorable disc Guerrilla and gradually joined the league of British alternative rock stars. This was a period of establishment of Super Furry Animals' authority, which eventually led them under the major's wing. By the way, it is significant that Super Furry Animals' first album for major label is considered to be their most polished and accessible album and actually starting from this very moment the band's sound has changed forever, the experimental breath of their music shaped into more qualitative and recognizable style.

Super Furry Animals love independence better

Super Furry Animals' new album is called Hey Venus! It is worth saying at ones – the album was released on independent label and as we already know it may serve as a peculiar marker that indicates changes in sounding. Fans of the band's early material will most likely love this changes because Hey Venus! evidently reminds of Guerrilla. However, the influence of their recent albums is tangible too. Let's put it like this, new album combines psychedelic romantic, accessibility of material and fully digestible production. Another significant fact about the album is that Hey Venus! carries a conceptual character. This is what the band's leader Gruff Rhys said about the inner context of the record: "At lot of the songs have the same central theme - following a young woman called Venus moving from a small town to a big metropolis and following her adventures. Some songs link up to that story more than others, but some were left off the record, they'll be on the next one, which we're working on already. It started off as a concept, but then we chose songs for their merit rather than their themes".

The album abounds in beautiful melodies

As far as you can see Super Furry Animals didn't let the back-story overshadow the quality of music. Almost all the tracks are potential singles. The material sounds unbelievably beautiful, positive and friendly. A highly specific tinge of The Beatles and pop psychedelia presents almost everywhere. This is pretty typical for Super Furry Animals' recent albums but the songs also have a reckless energy of their first records. Thus, for instance, the very first track The Gate Away opens the album with a cheerful tempo and rock-n-roll riff, the songs lasts for only 40 seconds but it will be enough to charge you with a fairly good share of energy. In fact, Hey Venus! is a pretty short album – only 36 minutes so the basic number of songs never exceeds tree-four minutes standard. Into The Night sounds really great, it has an interesting melody and harmony, tasty old-school rock solo and even some sort of medieval stringed instrument in the coda. Run Away sounds pretty powerful too, the song features overloaded guitars and crashing arrangement but for all that it is unbelievably tuneful. The basic value of Hey Venus! is the charming beauty of vocal melodies. Listen to Show Your Hands and you'll understand it. Rhys sounds simply magical and the song itself flows smoothly and gently. Hey Venus! is an excellent pop rock album, it has tones of great hooks and tunes and you can always hear that this is Super Furry Animals. The album will definitely suite to all fans of this band and if you are one who is still unfamiliar to it than Hey Venus! is the best record to start with.