Although Super Furry Animals' "Hey Venus" was released digitally in August 2007, it has just arrived on CD in the U.S., in time for a North American tour that begins tonight (Jan. 23) in Hoboken, N.J.
"We are diving into the catalog and choosing stuff that fits okay with the new 'Hey Venus' stuff," lead singer Gruff Rhys tells Billboard.com. "'Hey Venus' is for the most part quite a live band type of album, so we've been revisiting some of the moments from the back catalog that have reminded us of that."
Although they've topped charts in the U.K., SFA is little more than a cult favorite in the States. But subdued audiences have their benefits, according to Rhys.
"I think the audiences in the U.S. in our case are quite attentive, and really listen to the songs, ya know, and take everything in," he explains. "Especially in Wales, the audiences can be really inebriated. They want some sort of hedonistic ritual ... event. So it's a bit of a relief for us to come tour in the U.S."
Meanwhile, due later this year is a collaborative project between Rhys and San Francisco producer Boom Bip, "Neon Neon." Rhys describes it as a "quite backhanded, electronic pop album about the lives of John De Lorean, the car manufacturer." The intention wasn't always to write a conceptual album, though. "We wrote one song about him initially, and he ended up inspiring the whole album," Rhys says.
Here are the Super Furry Animals tour dates:
Jan. 23: Hoboken, N.J. (Maxwell's)
Jan. 25: Brooklyn, N.Y. (Music Hall of Williamsburg)
Jan. 26: Philadelphia (Starlight Ballroom)
Jan. 27: Washington, D.C. (9:30 Club)
Jan. 29: Carrboro, N.C. (Cats Cradle)
Jan. 30: Atlanta (Variety Playhouse)
Jan. 31: New Orleans (The Republic)
Feb. 1: Dallas (Granada Theater)
Feb. 2: Austin, Texas (Emo's)
Feb. 5: Tucson, Ariz. (Club Congress)
Feb. 6: Solana Beach, Calif. (Belly Up Tavern)
Feb. 8: Los Angeles (Echoplex)
Feb. 9: San Francisco (Great American Music Hall)
Feb. 11: Portland, Ore. (Doug Fir)
Feb. 12: Seattle (Neumo's)
Feb. 15: Minneapolis (Varsity Theatre)
Feb. 16: Chicago (Metro)
Feb. 17: Detroit (Magic Stick)
Feb. 18: Buffalo, N.Y. (Tralf Music Hall)
Feb. 20: Toronto (Mod Club)
Feb. 21: Montreal (Cabaret)
Feb. 22: Ithaca, N.Y. (Cornell University)
Feb. 23: Boston (Paradise)
Feb. 24-25: New York (Bowery Ballroom)
"We are diving into the catalog and choosing stuff that fits okay with the new 'Hey Venus' stuff," lead singer Gruff Rhys tells Billboard.com. "'Hey Venus' is for the most part quite a live band type of album, so we've been revisiting some of the moments from the back catalog that have reminded us of that."
Although they've topped charts in the U.K., SFA is little more than a cult favorite in the States. But subdued audiences have their benefits, according to Rhys.
"I think the audiences in the U.S. in our case are quite attentive, and really listen to the songs, ya know, and take everything in," he explains. "Especially in Wales, the audiences can be really inebriated. They want some sort of hedonistic ritual ... event. So it's a bit of a relief for us to come tour in the U.S."
Meanwhile, due later this year is a collaborative project between Rhys and San Francisco producer Boom Bip, "Neon Neon." Rhys describes it as a "quite backhanded, electronic pop album about the lives of John De Lorean, the car manufacturer." The intention wasn't always to write a conceptual album, though. "We wrote one song about him initially, and he ended up inspiring the whole album," Rhys says.
Here are the Super Furry Animals tour dates:
Jan. 23: Hoboken, N.J. (Maxwell's)
Jan. 25: Brooklyn, N.Y. (Music Hall of Williamsburg)
Jan. 26: Philadelphia (Starlight Ballroom)
Jan. 27: Washington, D.C. (9:30 Club)
Jan. 29: Carrboro, N.C. (Cats Cradle)
Jan. 30: Atlanta (Variety Playhouse)
Jan. 31: New Orleans (The Republic)
Feb. 1: Dallas (Granada Theater)
Feb. 2: Austin, Texas (Emo's)
Feb. 5: Tucson, Ariz. (Club Congress)
Feb. 6: Solana Beach, Calif. (Belly Up Tavern)
Feb. 8: Los Angeles (Echoplex)
Feb. 9: San Francisco (Great American Music Hall)
Feb. 11: Portland, Ore. (Doug Fir)
Feb. 12: Seattle (Neumo's)
Feb. 15: Minneapolis (Varsity Theatre)
Feb. 16: Chicago (Metro)
Feb. 17: Detroit (Magic Stick)
Feb. 18: Buffalo, N.Y. (Tralf Music Hall)
Feb. 20: Toronto (Mod Club)
Feb. 21: Montreal (Cabaret)
Feb. 22: Ithaca, N.Y. (Cornell University)
Feb. 23: Boston (Paradise)
Feb. 24-25: New York (Bowery Ballroom)
Up for Discussion