Gruff Rhys - American Interior

He may not have reclaimed the mainstream success of Fuzzy Logic in the mid 90s, but Rhys’ critical acclaim seems to only grow to the extent that, to produce something relatable to that time would be a step back. His last solo record, Hotel Shampoo, won the Welsh Music Prize, while another side project, Neon Neon, was nominated for the Mercury Prize in 2008.

But here we are in 2014, and Rhys himself is showing no sign of letting up. Furthermore, Rhys has started exploring the paths of the concept album, following Neon Neon’s Praxis Makes Perfect release in 2013, which was based on the life of influential Italian publisher Giangiacomo Feltrinelli.

He follows a similar path in American Interior, but starts is journey from a different angle which is both closer, and at the same time, further from home. In what’s been described as a multi-platform project (film, album, book, and app), Rhys explores the eventful journey of John Evans, a supposedly distant relative that left Wales for the US in the 1700s to track down a mythical tribe of Welsh speaking Native Americans.

The album itself starts with “American Exterior”, a 30-second electronic introduction that bleeds into the building beginnings of the album’s title track. From here, we’re off, swimming in Rhys sublime, fantastical songwriting that has earned him previous successes. And it’s much of what you’d expect - there’s splashes of previous solo efforts all over the place, from the swirling violins of Candylion, the pounding drums of Yr Atal Genhedlaeth to the more in-depth and structural nature of Hotel Shampoo.

The structural nature is a surprising continuation considering this album’s premise, but it certainly works in its favour. The collection of songs all clock in around three or four minutes in length, so there’s no less individualist distraction. He mixes up styles too, taking a Cash-like picking style to deliver some falsetto flourishes in “100 Unread Messages” to provide one of the strongest pop songs, with trademark piano flourishes, in any of his previous solo outings.

Elsewhere, the record is punctuated by bleeps and electronic beats - as his melodies float atop his musical landscapes. Between “Allweddellau Allweddol” and “The Swamp”, Rhys moves the record into some narrative purpose as it skips, hops, crawls and sprints through the second half. From the repetitive rolling of “IoIo” to the gentle instrumental of closing track “Tiger’s Tale”, Rhys, once again, delivers a hugely impressive record that is unlikely to alienate anyone from casual listener to long-term dedicatee.