Enormously entertaining, witty, catchy, folk-country-psych-rock by the Cardiff-London band, with clear, upbeat comparisons to Gruff Rhys and Super Furry Animals as well as other original twists in this warm, vintage-feel new release. Their name means yellow mill in Welsh, the intro song Mill On The Hill opens up a 60s, magical pysch Strawberry Fields-esque otherworldliness, interspersed with bouncy piano-led country-rock, the narrator setting the scene: “In a land far away / Somewhere no one will find / Even if you’re an astronaut / Or a sniffing canine / There’s a magical village / With occupants galore / That bask in the beauty of song.” On next number Vitamin D, with sprightly delivery, and added country pedal steel, songwriter and lead singer Gruff Glyn’s voice immediately draws comparisons with Gruff Rhys. There’s a warmth, playfulness and mischief to the six-piece, with colourful, vivid, storytelling lyricism, highly accomplished musicianship and an easy conversation style: “And there you were / Before my eyes / Tip-toeing in tricolour flowers / Not sure of the kind / Floriculture never tickled my interest you see.” Other standouts include the easy-flowing country style of Promised Land, Fantastic Food’s gentle wit (“Excuse me - what did you just say? / No that’s not how you spell my name / You’ve got the gall and gumption / Plus the education to stick some extra / Syllables in along the way”), catchyWelsh language track Dail, the rock’n’roll catchiness of The Pigeon & The Golden Egg, all the way to initially gentler, reflective, Running On MT that then morphs into a classic Johnny Cash country stomp , and then into the final Mill On The Hill (Outro). This is definitely village to spend time in and bask in the beauty of their song. Wonderfully fun, playful, charming work, and definitely a band to also catch live. Out on Blomonj/ Kartel Music Group.
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