Super Furry Animals

About

Also known as: SFA, Super Furry Animal, super furry animals

Super Furry Animals carved out one of the most distinctive corners of 1990s British rock, blending indie, psychedelia, power pop, electronics and plenty of Welsh weirdness into a sound that never sat still. The Cardiff five piece, fronted by Gruff Rhys, signed to Creation Records after Alan McGee caught them at a London gig in 1995, joining a roster that included Primal Scream and Teenage Fanclub. Their debut album Fuzzy Logic arrived in 1996 and set the template: melodic but restless, funny but sincere. Over nine studio albums they racked up more UK top 40 hits than any act that never broke into the top 10, a stat that says a lot about how the mainstream kept almost catching up with them. Billboard called them one of the most imaginative bands of their time, and NME once argued they were the most important band of the preceding 15 years. Their early EPs were sung entirely in Welsh, one of them holds a Guinness record for the longest EP title ever, and fan favourite The Man Don't Give a Fuck was built around a Steely Dan sample that took years to clear. Not many bands can say all of that.