It could be that I am about to become king of the cliché, I’m not sure, but then, the Welsh language doesn’t exactly roll off my tongue, so you’ll have to forgive that. Especially when the band employ titles such as ‘Ffrwydriadau o Deimladau‘ for me to hurt both my brain and my typing fingers with. One quick visit to Google Translate later I am aware that this means ‘feelings of explosions’, which is apt for my head at least.
But back to the perhaps simple-minded comparisons I promised you before – are you having withdrawal symptoms at the lack of new material from Super Furry Animals? Underwhelmed at the second Django Django full length release? Do I sound like one of those irritating “Have you been injured at work” type television ads? Well fear not, for CaStLeS are here, to satisfy both your needs in one almighty punch bowl.
Losing the extra “f” of the album title for its opening track, what is instantly apparent is just how hymnal these songs seem. Whilst their quirky loops and rhythms may mark them out as experimentalists, there’s no escaping just how choral many of their arrangements are. In fact, this is a real asset, and sets CaStLeS apart from the rest of the pack.
‘Yn Galw‘ (literal translation simply “Call”) begins with a somehow highly appealing effect which sounds either like someone playing the melody on their teeth, or like a set of taps dripping water into bathtubs that have been finely tuned in different musical keys. ‘Tynnu Tuag At Y Diffeithwch‘ (thanks a bunch guys!) sounds like a group of workers going about their business, a monotonous, continual trudge on the weekly treadmill, but peppered with chinks of light here to give positivity in the most hopeless of situation. It really is quite stirring. Apparently that one means “Pulling Towards The Desert”, so I guess that WOULD be a long, thankless task, and maybe those glimmers of hope are the much needed bottles of water breaks as our heroes descend from their camels for five minutes. Because obviously, Snowdonia is teeming with camels. Perhaps I overthink things sometimes…
The sole number here titled in English is ‘Heed Your Desire’. This time it sounds like a relaxing drive through the mountains, away from all the hustle and bustle of city life, and not a camel in sight. “Now we are free” sings frontman Dion Hamer, suggesting that I at least managed to get something right in this review, but more importantly than that, I can very confidently confirm that Fforesteering is an excellent stab of intelligent electro-pop that demands serious consideration as your record collection’s newest arrival.
Fforesteering is released independently on 18th November 2016.
