Sadness Sets Me Free – Gruff Rhys – Album Review
by Cathy Brown

Gruff Rhys certainly can’t be accused of wasting his time, returning this week with the 25th album of his eclectic and varied career. From Super Furry Animals, through Neon Neon and in his solo career, he has proven himself the master of melodic psych-pop and Sadness Sets Me Free only adds to that reputation.

Following on from last year’s release – Seeking New Gods – Sadness Sets Me Free is less idiosyncratic than its predecessor in terms of theme, but retains Rhys’s trademark musicality, lush arrangements and unique vision.   Recorded in just three days in La Frette Studios, just outside Paris, the album features Rhys and his core band – pianist Osian Gwynedd; double bassist Huw Williams and former Flaming Lips drummer Kliph Scurlock – ably supported by Kate Staples (This Is the Kit) on backing vocals and Rhodri Brooks on pedal steel. Mostly recorded live, the songs have a loose, relaxed vibe but the added addition of the BBC Orchestra strings and horn section, means the arrangements are both intimate and epic.

The subject matter of the album is melancholy, bordering on the dark, as Rhys himself puts it these songs ‘feel melancholic or… deal with shit things’ but in his safe hands, these ‘shit things’ have never sounded so joyous.

The title track is an infectious country-inflected slice of pure pop that sounds like Squeeze at their best, while the influence of ELO is most pronounced on recent single Celestial Candyfloss.  The loss of a place to call home and the problem of gentrification explored on They Sold My House to Build a Skyscraper is done so against an infectious bossa-nova sound while the culture wars are the topic of the cinematic and celestial Peace Signs.

The heavy sentiments of Cover Up the Cover Up (corruption), On the Far Side of the Dollar (climate change) and I Tendered My Resignation (relationship regret) are leavened by sparkling arrangements, Gwynedd’s jazzy piano modulations and catchy choruses. The juxtaposition of scathing current lyrics sung over such retro musicality makes for a striking contrast.  The album closer I’ll Keep Singing wouldn’t sound out of place in a West End musical, with its swirling horn section, gospel drive and reprise of the lyrics from the opening song.

On Sadness Sets Me Free, Rhys’s vocal has never sounded so good – tender yet strong, delicate and forceful – and his more avant-garde tendencies have been reined in, making this one of his most accessible, effortless and enjoyable albums to date. This is an unhurried album of infectious tempos, effortless genre melding and assured musicianship, which unfurls with a direct, yet relaxed precision. ‘Be a beacon in the gloom’, Gruff Rhys sings ‘and keep on glowing in the dark’, the perfect sentiment to sum up this lovely album.