- Critic score
- Publication
- By date
-
Dark Days is vibrant and alive, an ever-flowing, ever-shifting, carousel of sound--some might miss the emphasis on song, but it's a ride that's hard to resist.
-
Alternative PressThe album is a kaleidoscopic montage of stitiched-together riffs and motorik propulsion, sometimes sprawling in execution but exhilarating in its reach and reckless abandon. [Jun 2009, p.109]
-
At the risk of sounding redundant, this being Super Furry Animals, there just isn’t that much to dislike.
-
With Dark Days/Light Years, the Furries have once again proven their worth: splendid musicianship, experimentation at its most sensible meaning and those proven hooks are all on display here.
-
On Dark Days/Light Years, their ninth album, The Furries consolidate their best ideas--electro leanings, hypnotic motorik excursions, catchy, hook-driven riffs and layers of vocal melodies.
-
If it’s their lighter side that appeals, they’ve never made such a consistent pop album, and I use the term with not the slightest hint of cynicism.
-
This rethink has by no means robbed the band of its tunefulness, as the snappy 'Inaugural Trams' readily proves. But the dozen minutes of 'Pric,' which meanders charmingly around the musical map, are more representative of an outfit which is at its best wild and weird.
-
MojoGruff Rhys returns from his sabbatical to release another crush of blissed-out psychedelia, crunching beats, sun-kissed harmonies and topsy-turvy rhythms. And what a blast it is, too. [May 2009, p.96]
-
It is a pleasure to report that the latest SFA opus is a joy from start to finish.
-
So, business as usual then; SFA have made another enormously enjoyable record, but one that is unlikely to ‘do an Elbow’ and suddenly make them a serious mainstream proposition again.
-
Due to awkward, clunky sequencing, Dark Days/Light Years takes longer to reveal its charms than maybe it should. Despite this, it’s still a marvellous record and evidence that despite their increasing years, Super Furry Animals are a long way from being out of ideas.
-
Blissful and vibrant, Dark Days is a party album, but one with a soothing, trance-inducing quality. Best listened to loudly and in a communal setting.
-
This might just be their best record in a decade.
-
With a sprawling soundscape and off-the-wall lyrics, Dark Day/Light Years is a quite trip--often in more ways than one.
-
The results are as free-wheeling and inspired as the group has sounded in years-- Super-er and Furrier.
-
Without making any major alterations to their blueprint for music making, Super Furry Animals have nonetheless found a fresh and vibrant new corner of their odd little niche.
-
Q MagazinePlayfullly irreverent and magpie-like as ever, and stuffed with inspired pop weirdness and great titles. [May 2009, p.119]
-
For their ninth studio album, the Welsh quintet go heavy on vamps, riffs, and refrains; the result is their most spontaneous and blissfully lax effort since 2000's "Mwng."
-
Dark Days/Light Years is their finest collection since 2003's "Phantom Power," a purple patch perhaps inspired by the band members' dalliances in various solo projects.
-
The charm here is in hearing a veteran band who still really enjoy the process of getting in a studio and playing music together. And it’s great, still.
-
Perhaps Dark Days is not a typical pop statement. But it works like a charm.
Awards & Rankings
User score distribution:
-
Positive: 29 out of 38
-
Mixed: 6 out of 38
-
Negative: 3 out of 38
-
MrKJul 20, 2009
-
MarkSJun 21, 2009Nine albums into their crazy, neo-psychadelic, rock
-
AliGJun 16, 2009