Gruff Rhys of Super Furry Animals has announced his ninth solo album, Dim Probs, which be his first for Mogwai’s Rock Action label after four albums for Rough Trade. It’s out September 12 and is sung entirely in Welsh.
“Dim Probs is a result of spending the last few years preparing a compilation album of ’80s private press Welsh language electronic music cassettes with friends,’ Gruff says. “The compilation itself may never come out, but some of its machine textures are ingrained in this record… counter-balanced by the fact that I wrote it all with my cheap Swedish catalogue acoustic guitar as main instrument.”
Gruff made the album at producer Ali Chant’s studio with contributions from his touring band (Kliph Scurlock, Osian Gwynedd, Huw V Williams and Gavin Fitzjohn) plus Cate Le Bon and H. Hawkline. The cover art is by Pete Fowler who did most of Super Furry Animals’ design work (and some of his solo work) over of the years.
The songs may be in Welsh, but Gruff’s melodicism needs no translation as first single “Chwyn Chwyldroadol!” — which features Le Bon and Hawkline — makes very apparent. “‘Chwyn Chwyldroadol!’ is a meditation on existentialism & the beauty of domestic garden weeds – comparing them to some 1970s Welsh language folk and hard rock bands like Ac Eraill and Shwn,” says Gruff.
As for the song’s video, Gruff says, “My neighbour Ryan Eddleston had picked up a canister containing a few spare hundred feet of 35mm film going spare from the critically panned Robert De Niro and Al Pacino’s 2008 American detective thriller Righteous Kill, some of which was apparently shot in nearby Newport. He shot me on that film picking weeds in the garden on a portable 1960s Arriflex camera favoured by the French New Wave and Coppola that was lent by another neighbour Sam, who used to sing in The Poppies. Sam developed it frame by frame in his bath and Dylan Goch edited it on a laptop in his kitchen round the corner. I love the video they made. My only worry is that one day Robert and Al might come looking for their film stock – they look hard as nails on the cover.”
Watch the video below.
Gruff recently wrapped up his American Interior 10th anniversary tour and will tour Wales in September. All dates are below.
Dim Probs
1) Pan Ddaw’r Haul I Fore
2) Cân I’r Cymylau
3) Saf Ar Dy Sedd
4) Taro #1 + #2
5) Dos Amdani
6) Chwyn Chwyldroadol!
7) Cyflafan
8) Dim Probs
9) Adar Gwyn
10) Gadael Fi Fynd
11) Slaw
12) Acw
