Y Dydd Olaf
by Gwenno
  • Record Label: Heavenly
  • Release Date: Jul 31, 2015
Metascore
83

Universal acclaim - based on 13 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 13 out of 13
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 13
  3. Negative: 0 out of 13
Buy Now
Buy on
  1. The Line of Best Fit
    Jul 31, 2015
    85
    Y Dydd Olaf is a marvellously magical mixture of elation, anger and sorrow and is very lovely indeed.
  2. Under The Radar
    Oct 29, 2015
    80
    This deft balance between the accessible--via enthrallingly optimistic electronica-and the inaccessible--dense sci-fi themes; some lyrics in Cornish, a language spoken on a remote U.K. isle—is highly creative, and makes Y Dydd Olaf one of the most unique, curious, and downright fun albums of 2015.
  3. musicOMH.com
    Aug 17, 2015
    80
    Despite the heavy topics, Gwenno brings a lightness of touch to everything on the album--her vocals are both light and breezy, and sometimes sound full of wonder, as if she can’t wait to explore this weird dysoptian future that she’s singing about.
  5. NOW Magazine
    Aug 6, 2015
    80
    Y Dydd Olaf’s beautifully layered sounds and rhythms convey a tightly conceived sonic world full of endless ideas, even if you can’t understand the lyrics.
  6. Q Magazine
    Aug 4, 2015
    80
    This is a record that demands what's left of your time. [Aug 2015, p.107]
    All this publication's reviews
  7. Clash Music
    Aug 4, 2015
    80
    It's glittering and electronic, its lyrics and title inspired by Owain Owain's dystopian science fiction novel, and its melodies underpinned with discordant notes and bric-à-brac sonic oddities--but it shares a similarly subversive edge to that record.
  8. Mojo
    Jul 31, 2015
    80
    At once spooky and playful, romantic and angry. [Sep 2015, p.89]
    All this publication's reviews
  9. Record Collector
    Jul 31, 2015
    80
    It’s a fabulous voyage that delights at every unexpected turn.
  10. Uncut
    Jul 31, 2015
    80
    Seldom is the personal married to the political in such an enchanting fashion. [Aug 2015, p.75]
    All this publication's reviews
  11. AllMusic
    Jul 31, 2015
    80
    Gwenno is firmly in charge of her sound and presentation from the beginning, and Y Dydd Olaf is wonderfully assured throughout.
  12. Drowned In Sound
    Jul 31, 2015
    80
    This is music that the listener can plunge into and summon up her own images and sense from.
  13. Pitchfork
    Jul 31, 2015
    80
    Y Dydd Olaf is a crucial minority language record, but Saunders' beguiling melodies and execution also make it one of the best British debuts of 2015.
  14. The 405
    Jul 31, 2015
    70
    It all adds up to a pretty remarkable reinvention and album of leftfield synth-pop that is dark and mysterious enough to beguile in any language.

Awards & Rankings

62
#62 Best Album of 2015

User Reviews

All reviews »

There are no user reviews yet.