There are other members, dammit!

I'm not oblivious to the fact that this blog is turning into a bit of a Gruff love-in. Which isn't a bad thing, of course, but it wasn't what I intended it to be. There are four other members of the Super Furry Animals and I'm well aware that the Furries wouldn't be the same without all them. So I thought I'd dedicate a few posts to somebody not Gruff-shaped (shock! horror!)

Now as SFA have been off doing their own things for a little while, there have been quite a few side projects popping up. There's Gruff's solo work and Neon Neon, Cian's been doing work with Acid Casuals and Daf, of course, is touring with The Peth. Each member brings something different to the Furries so even avid Furry fans are not going to find something that turns them on in all the side projects. Personally I've always been attracted to SFA because of their lyrical inventiveness and their musical experimentation. Gruff was always key to me because I love his lyrics, the way his mind works, and that's why I love his solo work and work with Neon Neon. He also, I think, writes great hooks and melodies absorbing influences from all over (I say that like I know what it means). That's why he's important to me... and straight away I'm talking about Gruff again...

The other member of the Furries that I identify with is Bunf (you thought I'd forgotten him didn't you?). Now, Bunf has always come across to me as a very serious-minded musician and I admire him for that. When he released his free to download Soundscapes on superfurry.com I thought "this is a man I can relate to". He has very artistic, experimental sensibilities. I'm a sucker for Brian Eno and, in particular, the work of Luc Ferrari. 'Ambient music', for want of a better term, appeals a lot to me. And I adore Bunf's Soundscapes and the atmospheric quality of them. They're very DIY, very organic, with Bunf using field recordings of airports, cities, backstage areas etc during his time on tour with SFA. They're like an aural artists bookwork. And I love them! Before I explode in a shower of buzz words I better tell you where you can download them;

You can, of course, download them for free from superfurry.com but I would suggest you go to This Winki's blog (great name, great blog) as the author has combined them into one downloadable album complete with artwork for you to enjoy.

Groovy.