SFA to Have a Busy 2005

Crack open your English-to-Welsh dictionaries and look up the words for "holy shit," because 2005 will see a slew of activity from your favorite Welsh rockers, Super Furry Animals. As previously reported, the band is currently in the final stages of mixing its seventh full-length album, the follow up to 2003's excellent Phantom Power. The untitled album has been said to have a more orchestral sound than previous efforts, and while no firm details have been revealed, the group is reportedly planning for a spring release.

Meanwhile, the Furries will spend the first part of the new year engaged in plenty of extra-curricular activities, both individually and as a group. Frontman Gruff Rhys is set to release his first solo album, the Welsh-language Yr Atal Genhedlaeth (which translates to: The Stuttering Generation). Rhys has been tinkering with the disc since the summer of 2003, and if the title didn't get you excited enough for the January 31 release date, we recently got a hold of the official tracklist (with translations, no less), which features 10 Gruff originals plus a cover of a traditional Welsh song. You say rhaglunieath, I say:

01 Yr Atal Genhedlaeth (The Stuttering Generation)
02 Gwn Mi Wn (Yes I Know)
03 Epynt (A Mountain in Wales)
04 Rhagluniaeth Ysgafn (May My Destiny Be Light)
05 Pwidin Wy 1 (Egg Pudding 1)
06 Pwidin Wy 2 (Egg Pudding 2)
07 Y Gwybodusion (Experts)
08 Caerffosiaeth (Sewage City)
09 Ambell Waith (Remembering)
10 Ni Yw Y Byd (We Are the World)
11 Chwarea'n Troi'n Chwerw (When Play Turns Sour)

Rhys also contributed to the upcoming album from Boom Bip. The disc, entitled Blue Eyed In The Red Room, is set for a February 21st release, and features Rhys on the track "Do's And Dont's".

Finally, as previously reported, February 15 will see the UK release of the Super Furry Animals entry in the ongoing DMC Records compilation series Under The Influence. Like a mixtape from a cool and famous friend, previous discs have featured artists such as Morrissey, Paul Weller, Bob Geldof, and Ian Brown slapping together a selection of favorite songs that have impacted their own approach to music. SFA's eclectic collection features artists as diverse as the Beach Boys and Underworld, and yeah yeah, we already did the tracklist, but here's a reminder:

01 The Beach Boys: "Feel Flows"
02 Datblygu: "Casserole Efeillaid"
03 The Undertones: "My Perfect Cousin"
04 The MC5: "Kick Out The Jams"
05 Gorky's Zygotic Mynci: "Christina"
06 Sly & The Family Stone: "Family Affair"
07 Humanoid: "Stakker Humanoid"
08 Underworld: "Rez"
09 Bizet: "Pearl Fishers"
10 ELO: "Telephone Line"
11 Dennis Wilson and Rumbo: "Lady"
12 Meic Stevens: "Ghost Town"
13 Dawn Penn: "You Don't Love Me (No No No)"
14 Joey Beltram: "Energy Flash"
15 Hardfloor: "Acperience"

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