ALBUMS OF THE DECADE: PHANTOM POWER (2003)

2003 saw the release of Think Tank, the not-as-bad-as-everyone-thinks-seventh-album by Blur, Outkast’s magnum opus Speakerboxxx/The Love Below (seriously, Andre 3000’s half alone almost made it an album of the decade), and the excellent Fever To Tell. I have a huge amount of affection for the first Yeah Yeah Yeah’s album and it was a tough decision, but ultimately Karen O and co. were pipped to the post. It was a close call, but AGCS’ best album of 2003 is Phantom Power by Super Furry Animals.

No, don’t laugh. Because while they may dress up in Yeti costumes and drive a pink “techno-tank” around festivals, beyond the jokes and costumes Super Furry Animals have been making consistently innovative and exciting music for years. If 2001’s Rings Around The World saw the band trying a bit too hard, burying their charm under unnecessary electronics and glossy overproduction, it was on the follow up Phantom Power where SFA finally realised their full potential.

To single out individual tracks for mention seems wrong, as there isn’t a weak song on the record. Despite this, I’m still going to highlight the brilliance of The Piccollo Snare, a much more subtle and effective anti-Bush polemic than any American Idiot bullshit. In fact the whole album has a political edge but even on songs where the messages are most overt, like Liberty Belle and Out of Control, it never feels like the band are trying to cram their opinions down your throat.

As well as these more political tracks are some genuine ballads in the shape of Cityscape Skybaby and Hello Sunshine, and in Golden Retriever and The Undefeated SFA provide the playful pop hits fans have come to expect. The icing on the cake, though, is final track Slow Life, which manages to combine techno, harmonica solo’s and a befuddling chorus of “Rocks are Slow Life” to create a seven minute manifesto for the band. It’s a fitting end to a truly great record, and just one of many reasons why Phantom Power is a deserving Album Of The Decade.

Jed. x