Current Musical Obsession: Neon Neon
As you will surely come to know, I am a huge fan of Welsh band Super Furry Animals. After years of releasing new music, SFA took a "break" in 2010 to work on solo projects. While frontman Gruff Rhys (who can totally call me) has made some lovely tunes solo, his work with Detroit musician Boom Bip is really my cup of tea.
Neon Neon has released two biographical albums. The first, "Stainless Style" is based on the life of automobile visionary John DeLorean. It was "Trick For Treat" that got me hooked, a song about expecting sex for cocaine, but my god it's fun, with Har Mar Superstar squeaking the hook and Spank Rock making not one but two Back to the Future references amongst the filth. While most of the songs focus on a point in DeLorean's life, "Luxury Pool," featuring Fatlip, is literally a brief bio in rhyme if you don't have the patience. But I find it to be a strong album throughout, my favorite of the two.
Their second release, "Praxis Makes Perfect," is based on the life of Giangiacomo Feltrinelli, Italian publisher and communist. While the first single "Hammer & Sickle" is catchy and probably more commercially accessible than any song on "Stainless Style," it took me a bit longer to appreciate the less dancey album, but I came around in time. For me, it's not as solid as the first album, but the live show, which I've only had the pleasure of seeing online, more than makes up for it, staging scenes from Feltrinelli's life in different areas amongst the concertgoers. If only such acts made their way to Portland. Sigh.
Not only do I like the sound of it, it's educational- curiousity led me to read up on both DeLorean and Feltrinelli after hearing Neon Neon's interpretation of their story.
