Sadness Sets Me Free

英ウェールズ発、サイケ・ポップ・バンド、Super Furry Animalsのフロントマン Gruff Rhysによる最新アルバム!

ウェールズの国民的バンドであり、ここ日本でも絶大なる支持を受けるSuper Furry Animalsのフロントマンにして、ソロ・アーティストとしても良作を連発するGruff Rhysが最新作『Sadness Sets Me Free』を〈Rough Trade Records〉からリリース!
本作は、グループやソロ活動を含む彼の35年のキャリアにおける、なんと25枚目のアルバム!Gruffとバンドメンバーは、スペインとフランスのツアー最終公演を終えた直後に、パリ郊外にあるLa Frette Studiosへと移り、わずか3日間で『Sadness Sets Me Free』をレコーディングした。さらにThis Is The KitのKate Stablesがバッキング・ヴォーカルを担当し、BBCウェールズ交響楽団によるストリングスやオーケストレーションが追加され、マスタリングはDaft Punkを手掛けたことで名高いChub Mastering。清らかなストリングスが甘いメロディーを奏ででつつも、エモさに必要なメランコリーが絶妙に加えられた先行シングル「Celestial Candyfloss」を筆頭に、Gruffが目指す「ユーフォリック・メランコリー」の世界が万華鏡のように繰り広げられる全10曲を収録!

Since striking out on his own, both when he was still a member of Super Furry Animals and after the band dissolved, Gruff Rhys has never made the same record twice, but he always imbues each song with the same kind of precise care and subdued emotion no matter the genre, setting, or sound. So much so that its always easy to spot the heart and soul of the man whether hes playing super-sweet indie pop (Candylion), exploring electronic sounds (Pang!), or delving into some riffy glam rock (Seeking New Gods). One of his most impressive experiments was Babelsberg, which pitted his subtle melodies against a large orchestra, and there are echoes of that project in 2023s Sadness Sets Me Free. The scope is much smaller and the music is less widescreen than it is quirky indie film, but the mood is quite similar. Rhys, as always, captures much of the ennui of the age with resigned vocals and lyrical concerns dealing with the frustrating indignities of the times, and his small band proves up to the task of creating musical backings that fit that mood perfectly. Its not a splashy album in the way that many of his works have been; the feeling is a little muted, even when they get funky and a little Brazilian on the dancefloor-friendly "They Sold My Home to Build a Skyscraper." Everything feels snug and a little melancholy, something thats aided by the strings and horns that sweep across the arrangements like a warm breeze. The occasional baroque country accents like tinkling piano runs and massed backing vocals that pop up from time to time also give the album a peaceful, lived-in feel, and at times Rhys comes across like a less grumpy Lee Hazlewood or, on the truly lovely ballad "I Tendered My Resignation," like a weary Glen Campbell singing some of Jimmy Webbs bleakest-ever lyrics. The album might be dialed down a few notches from his usual fare, but even so, the beguiling nature of the melodies and the beauty of the arrangements give the record all sorts of color and life. Case in point, one of the records best songs, "Celestial Candyfloss," embodies the dichotomy at work here: bubbling verses punctuated by ringing vocal harmonies, humming strings, conga drums, and Nilsson-style piano melt into half-tempo dreamlike choruses that swoon peacefully as Rhys sings lugubriously into his pillow. Much of the album follows a very similar template, and the result is that Sadness Sets Me Free is both uplifting and comforting at once. Its also just different enough from most of his other work that it feels fresh and exciting, providing more evidence that Rhys is one of the most interesting and satisfying singer/songwriters of any era. ~ Tim Sendra

スーパー・ファーリー・アニマルズのフロントマンによる約3年ぶりのソロ作。常に新しい音楽を求める彼が今作で選んだテーマは生楽器中心のクラシカルなチェンバー・ポップ。いつも以上にシンプルなメロディーとBBCウェールズ交響楽団によるストリングスの響きがとにかく美しい傑作だ。ディス・イズ・ザ・キットのケイト・ステイブルスも美声を披露。
bounce (C)赤瀧洋二