Very rarely do bands have a flawless catalog but the Super Furry
Animals seem to be a rare exception. And with their newest release Phantom
Power that record remains in tact. Hell, even the album that they recorded
in their native Welsh language kicked ass, even if I couldn't understand a word
of it. And their B-sides album is better than most bands top notch albums.
But it seems that with Phantom Power, Super Furry Animals have finally
nailed down a flat out masterpiece. SFA have always been influenced by the
weirdness of Syd Barrett era Pink Floyd, odd electronica, and psychadelic
era Beatles but now they have thrown in California Sunshine to boot.
Phantom Power is so overly powerful that songs such as "Sex, War & Robots"
make you wonder what it would be like if Ringo Starr had fronted the
Byrds, and the Piccolo Snare gives Gruff Rhys's David Gilmour-like
voice a chance to see what it would have sounded like to front a band like
Love or Jefferson Airplane. Even when singing about tennis stars Venus &
Serena Williams in the aptly titled "Venus & Serena," SFA make a melodious
symphony from electronic workings, and some of the best harmony vocals you
will ever hear. No sound or style is left unturned on Phantom Power, it has
it all. But never do these collages of sound feel forcefed. In a world of
overused and overdone, SFA are truly one of a kind. Phantastic.