There were indications and foreshadows of what's here on Pang!, the new album from Gruff Rhys, way back on the "Northern Lites" single some twenty years ago. That cut saw Super Furry Animals and front-man Rhys bring new elements to the Welsh group's sonic palette, with an embrace of Latin percussion that served the material well and seemed a natural choice for the band. On this new solo album, out on Friday via Rough Trade, the musician continues to meld Welsh-language pop with decidedly non-Welsh musical styles.
Working with South African electronic producer Muzi, and associated African musicians, Gruff Rhys has taken some real risks with his material here. Pang! is, in stylistic terms, the boldest release he's been associated with yet, and one that runs the risk of surprising those who were expecting something closer to Fuzzy Logic. While the lyrics are in Welsh (mostly), the melodies and hooks are those of Afro-pop and bossa nova, from the sun-dappled "Bae Bae Bae" to the peppy title track. While "Ara Deg (Ddaw’r Awen)" sounds a tiny bit like the earliest Welsh-language tracks from the Furries, other numbers here, like "Taranau Mai", ride past on the sort of percussive currents the Furries rarely touched.
For whatever electronic layers and effects Muzi has used on this record, the tunes on Pang! retain a wonderfully organic vibe, one that makes this feel like a folk album in some ways, even as Gruff is crooning in Welsh over Afro-beat and jazzy hooks. I mean, there are few other artists who would attempt something like "Annedd Im Danedd", a song that sounds like a marching band playing bits of "Penny Lane" while a guy coos in Welsh. It's utterly unlike anything else you're going to hear this week, or year, and only Gruff Rhys could pull something like this off and have it work so well. But Pang! is the kind of release that maintains an easy, natural vibe, even as the musicians are taking huge chances in blending disparate genres together at a wild, creative clip.
Pang! is out on Friday via Rough Trade.
More details on Gruff Rhys via the official Facebook page, or his official website.
[Photo: Rough Trade]