If you’re jonesing for some rare songs by the velvet voiced Cian Ciaran, check this out. Apparently these were languishing in the vaults of a Welsh radio station until someone decided to up them to the net. I’m amazed he hasn’t released an album of songs like this yet: Acid Casuals - Hyfryd Iawn Acid Casuals - Canlyn Arthur
Excellent album. Always good when multiple members of a band release quality material of their own. Shows the strengths of the band.
Gruff has posted a couple of photos of the two vinyl versions of the new record on Instagram. Gruff Rhys (@gruffingtonpost) • Instagram photos and videos
This is what he's said about it: "I'd made a note of the name after driving past a sign when I was on tour in 2014," says Rhys. "Cut to a few years later and the studio where I recorded the album was being knocked down just a week after I finished to make way for a 'luxury' apartment development. I was looking for a name that evoked the Tower of Babel - people building towers to reach an idea of heaven (but maybe creating a kind of hell - I'm an atheist by the way!) In any case I had written Babelsberg down and when I listened to the songs together, it finally made sense why I'd done that."
OK.... for anyone familiar with Babelsberg - largest district of Potsdam and an early center of European cinema - this isn't necessarily obvious but it makes sense!
My deluxe copy of 'Babelsberg' has shipped. Let's hope there's something in the package to prevent it being bent. Although, it's the U.S postal service what am I worried about?
recieved my Babelsberg deluxe vinyl today. It was well packaged, in a mailer type of box, which was in another box with bubble wrap and paper thingies. The sleeve is certainly a thing of beauty, but impossible to store. Anyhow, the record sounds good upon first listen. No pressing defects on my copy. And musically, I like it, but it is surely different from his previous solo efforts and/or SFA. It's a grower, I think.
He’s playing an acoustic set right now in Rough Trade Bristol but I’m missing it to at my 2 yr old’s nursery garden party. I think I made the right choice but would have been great to see him. The new single reminds me of Lee Hazelwood. The only time I’ve seen him live was with Neon Neon (I’m hoping they do another record, those albums are my favourites of his)
Glad I checked here, didn't even know about the limited sleeve and I'm a huge Gruff/SFA fan. I was just able to purchase a copy on the Rough Trade US site for anyone still interested. I think it's only sold out on the UK site it seems. I was thinking the same about it not being practical to sleeve or store, but it's Gruff so I'll have to worry about that later and just enjoy it, I'd be more bummed if I didn't get a copy.
I received my Deluxe Vinyl yesterday, but it wasn't double-boxed like yours, and the mailer box got a bit banged up. Annoyingly enough, my deluxe sleeve had big creases in it, but they were only on one side! I believe it got creased up in manufacture. Have written to Rough Trade and hope they will help. Album sounds warm and melodic on first hearing.
Just spotted this thread (haven't read through it all, sorry) but it's pleasing to see so much global love for SFA: Rings Around the World indeed! I've been a fan of SFA from pretty much the beginning, seen them a play a few times and have all their albums. However I've never got around to picking up their various solo projects which is strange and embarrassing to me FWIW a number of the boys live in Cardiff and I see Gruff around on quite a regular basis (I think he lives in my neighbourhood). His wife is half-Thai and owns a Thai fusion restaurant about a 10 minute walk down the road from where I live. Her family also own a Thai restaurant in the city centre. I remember working for the same company (briefly) as the then-girlfriend of Cian. I can't remember her name but she was pretty and reminded me of a young Fay Dunaway
sorry to hear that, hope that rough trade will help you out. It is a very delicate sleeve. I took the record out and placed it in a generic sleeve and put the outer sleeve out of harms way i.e. my two year old
Thanks, Beaker73! You are right about it being delicate, but on my copy the lyric side is flawless. The creases are all on the other side, which is why I think it happened during manufacture. Storing this is a bit of a bear. Can't put it in the record racks, and somewhere safe in our house is a tall order lol.
Have not kept up with the SFA's in so long. I did see the "Rings Around The World" tour at the old Tabernacle in Atlanta. Guess it was 2002 if I recall. Great show, right in front of stage. The one with McCartney on celery and carrots on one song.
No idea where to store this thing. Maybe I'll make a gatefold out of it. Anyway, here's a recent AMA from Gruff: I’m Gruff Rhys, my new album Babelsberg is out now. Ask Me Anything! • r/Music