Super Furry Animals - Dark Days/Light Years (2009)

01. Crazy Naked Girls
02. Mt
03. Moped Eyes
04. Inagural Trams
05. Inconvenience
06. Cardiff In The Sun
07. The Very Best Of Neil Diamond
08. Helium Hearts
09. White Socks/Flip Flops
10. Where Do You Wanna Go?
11. Lliwiau Llachar
12. Pric

Reconvened after various side projects - Gruff Rhys's Mercury-nominated Neon Neon, the Peth, Acid Casuals - these economic dark days find Super Furry Animals in buoyant mood. Their ninth album falls decidedly on the side of Light Years, re-embracing psychedelic pop with the vim of a bunch of bearded men who really aren't in showbiz for the opportunity to be papped. Standout track "Inaugural Trams" celebrates public transport with the band's customary beatific wryness and a guest rap in German from Franz Ferdinand's Nick McCarthy. Even the list of inconveniences in "Inconvenience" fails to be grumpy; rather, they galumph along groovily, spiritually very much at one with tracks called things like "Crazy Naked Girls" and "Cardiff in the Sun". -guardian.co.uk