Songbook: The Singles, Vol. 1

by

Super Furry Animals

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First off I'll admit that I am no real fan of the Super Furry Animals so indeed if you are a fan you're going to really disagree with what I think. Having said that I'll try to really review this album without the useless " Hahahaha this band really suck, you like sh***y bands if you like this band," because it doesn't really work. Normally bands usually give critics ammunition for their hatred and in " If You Don't Want Me To Destroy You " they have the perfect song. It's typical because, like practically many songs on this album it destroys a good thing when they should just leave it be. They seem to forever try to fill in every little space when it's completely unnecessary and for a supposedly " trippy " band they're distinctly untrippy. They don't even sound psychedelic at all....the sound isn't at all lively and sometimes I'm convinced I've heard the same guitar riff for the past 5 songs.

But I'll give them credit for Hermann Loves Pauline - truly a great song that they didn't try and destroy to pieces within the first 45 seconds. It is actually a great sing-a-long pop song worthy of the best in the business but they're later attempts at the pop song are nothing short of annoying. Drawing Rings Around The World is a horrible Beach Boys parody that begs belief. Also, Juxtaposed Wit U is their Barry White song and it's not much of a looker in that. Fire In My Heart was the biggest mistake in a single as it sounds absolutely dead as a song. The rest as you know, is very familiar and well, not much else to make for good listening unless you are a crazed fan ( which from experience seems to be most SFA fan )

But then these are Indie Royalty according to Mojo, Q, NME and practically any magazine you care to read and it seems such a sin to criticise their work for some ungodly reason to which many fans will lambast you for being a blasphemer and a heathen to the cause. Oh well, you can't please everybody!

Speaking of sin, this whole thing reminds me of the film, Naked Lunch, where the two writers are expressing their views. One says that he has to get things in from every angle so as to let everyone know what the feeling is supposed to be. Whereas the other writer has a more " Catholic interpretation." From listening to SFA this seem to try and get all angles but with very little perspective at all