Welsh Wednesday #7

Pric by Super Furry Animals

OK, time to bring out the big guns. Super Furry Animals are one of the best known and best loved of Welsh bands, which is odd considering their penchant for experimentation and rather quirky tunes. Although they formed in Cardiff, only two members of the band hail from the capital originally - Guto Price and Huw Bunford. Brothers Cian Ciaran and Dafydd Ieuan[1] are from the North West Wales city of Bangor, while Gruff Rhys and fellow original member-turned Hollywood actor Rhys Ifans were born and raised in Haverfordwest on the Pembrokeshire peninsula in the far southwest.

Throughout this series so far I have endeavoured to present a few of the slightly lesser-known names of the Welsh scene, but the Furries are bordering on royalty as far as I'm concerned, so rather than one of their many 'hits', you're getting something a little more esoteric. Pric is not a rude word, but is Welsh for stick. It is also the title of the closing track on the Furries' last album (to date) 'Dark Days/Light Years'. I love that repeated rolling bassline throughout, it just has an irresistible incessant groove to it. In fairness, the whole album has that kind of warm groovy feel, it's a shame the band is more remembered for the poppier songs than the more interesting psychedelia they do so well.

Pric is written and sung by Cian, and the full version includes four minutes of ambient electronic noise at the end. I've clipped this as it doesn't really add anything to the song. It still runs for six minutes regardless. There'll be plenty more SFA-related posts as this series progresses because they are/were[2] a simply fucking awesome band.

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[1] Pronunciation guide for non-Welsh speakers: Cian Ciaran = kee-an keea-ran; Daffydd Ieuan = dav-eth yie-yan; Gruff Rhys = griff reess; Rhys Ifans = reess ee-vans. The other two are easy: Guto = goo-toe; Huw = hue. Their surnames are pronounced as in English.
[2] The band went on 'hiatus' following the release of 'Dark Days/Light Years' in 2009 with each member undertaking side projects galore. No word on them getting back together any time soon. *sad face*