– THE PEACEFUL PROTEST –

Super Furry Animals frontman and figurehead of the so-called “Cool Cymru” movement Gruffudd Maredudd Bowen Rhys is back with a Pang! (I’m proud of that one).

That’s right, Rhys’ sixth solo album – named as such – has been announced and a song – also of the same name – has been released to celebrate this fact.

Recorded in his native Wales, the album was produced and mixed by electronic artist Muzi and the South African’s Boom Shaka influence can be heard all over this track and accompanying song Bae Bae Bae.

I’m very much a fan of song titles with exclamation marks in them, I’ve decided. It’s actually quite rare – far rarer than they are in emails or social media posts – and yet the medium of song should be the perfect place for such melodramatic syntax.

After all, when done well, lyrics are the places whereupon we share all the most important things – our dearest loves, our deepest pains and our darkest regrets.

And so it is with Pang! “It started life as a folk reel” explains Rhys, “and soon expanded into a ‘list’ song, listing various reasons for pangs; hunger, regret, twitter, pain, bad design etc.”

… like I say, all the most important things.

But it’s the production that really takes a front seat here. The subtle brass contributions of Gavin Fitzjohn on the chorus, the rolling drums throughout of Kliph Scurlock and the half-hidden flute melodies of Kris Jenkins.

It all adds up to a piece that is as jazzy as it is gentle, as syncopated as it is serene. And that is something worth getting a little melodramatic about.

The LP, Pang! will be out on 13 September through Rough Trade Records.

MORE FROM THIS WEEK’S MIX

NAILAH BLACKMAN: SWEET AND LOCO
BATTLES: TITANIUM 2 STEP
OSCAR JEROME: GRAVITATE
JAZZMEIA HORN: GREEN EYES

P.S. You can find all of the tracks reviewed above in the 45 Revolutions per Minute playlist below or click to access the 45 RPM Playlist on Spotify itself.

If you like what you hear (or even if you don’t), please engage in dialogue with me @45rpm_Reviews on Twitter. And, if you’d like to receive updates weekly, please subscribe to the email list to get these recommendations sent to your inbox weekly.

– SV –