‘Guerrilla’ was my entry point to the Super Furry Animals. At the time, I found it a fascinating record. It was made, intentionally, to mix as many musical ideas together as the band could come up with. This, perhaps inevitably, is both its charm and its curse. It’s a hugely enjoyable album, but a difficult one to pin down.
Running through the album are some fairly mainstream-style tracks. The three singles – ‘Northern Lites’, ‘Do Or Die’ and ‘Fire In My Heart’ are all a pleasure to hear. ‘Northern Lites’ in particular manages to be a good mix of the accessible and the quirky. ‘The Turning Tide’, ‘Night Vision’ and ‘The Teacher’ would have been comfortable fits on previous Super Furry Animals records. Beyond these, the album strikes out in a variety of directions, some of which are more successful than others. ‘Something Comes From Nothing’ is pleasingly hypnotic, and ‘The Door To This House Remains Open’ is well constructed. ‘Wherever I Lay My Phone’ hasn’t stood the test of time ever so brilliantly – a song based around a late 90s mobile ringtone was unlikely to date well. Still, it’s a good indication that the band were willing to give anything a try, and that’s to be admired.
Notably, the band hid a secret track at the beginning of the album. ‘Citizen’s Band’ could only be heard by rewinding the CD from the start of track 1, and doubtless lots of listeners would have missed it altogether. A shame – it’s a classic.
