Since the Super Furry Animals hiatus, keyboard player/electronics wizard Cian Ciarán has kept himself busy. He regularly shows up as a DJ at various events and gigs, he formed the brilliant Zefur Wolves with his girlfriend (I featured them in a much overlooked Welsh Wednesday post back here), and he's released two solo records.
The first of these solo offerings, 2012's 'Outside In', was very much a laid-back, woozy summer record, though Cian imbued it throughout with various socio-political messages. The opening lyric, for instance, is "Whatever happened to all the people who give a fuck?" The following year, he cranked it up a gear. 'They Are Nothing Without Us' was altogether angrier and more confrontational. The guitars are very much to the fore and Cian's lyrics are more vicious. In Sewn Up, Cian rails against the cost of capitalism:
"You morally corrupt fucking murderers
And you think you've got it / All sewn up in your little back pocket
But I won't help you fatten your wallet / And I hope that you choke on your profit."
Both albums are really, really good listens and confirms that Super Furry Animals is a band stuffed to the brim with brilliant musicians and songwriters. Gruff Rhys may be the more famous of the bunch, but Cian may just edge things for me on the strength of his non-SFA output.
Here's the super-psychedelic video that has bugger all to do with the song...
Thanks for keeping up with the post-SFA. Have never heard this Cian stuff. Still loving American Interior though.
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