POSTS TAGGED : Sen Segur

BarryGruff’s Albums of 2015 So Far……

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I’m not exactly the best at keeping you and the site up-to-date with album reviews, to be honest, it’s the old enemy time. Discovering the hours to scribble some thoughts about this album or that has become rather elusive, but thankfully finding time to listen to albums, and music in general, is less of an issue.

Here are a list of my most listened and loved records of 2015 so far with Spotify links and playlists for overall albums of 2015. There are plenty of playlists on Spotify and Soundcloud and on the blog too. Oh, and with regards to albums *cough, cough*, you can still download GruffWuff, a 19 track compilation celebrating 5 years of BarryGruff, for FREE from bandcamp, *cough, cough*.

Top 24 albums of 2015 so far…

01. Czarface – ‘Every Hero Needs A Villain’

02. H. Hawkline – ‘In The Pink Of Condition’

03. Villagers – ‘Darling Arithmetic

04. Blur – ‘The Magic Whip’

05. Ghost Culture – ‘Ghost Culture’

06. Boxed In – ‘Boxed In’

07. Django Django – ‘Born Under Saturn’

08. Girlpool – ‘Before The World Was Big’

09. Stealing Sheep – ‘Not Real’

10. The Charlatans – ‘Modern Nature’

11. Courtney Barnett – ‘Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit’

12. Gaz Coombes – ‘Matador’

13. Hot Chip – ‘Why Make Sense?’

14. Applescal – ‘For’

15. Public Service Broadcasting – ‘The Race For Space’

16. Jamie xx – ‘In Colour’

17. Sen Segur – ‘Films’

18. Zefur Wolves – ‘Zefur Wolves’

19. Faith Healer – ‘Cosmic Troubles’

20. Mowbird – ‘One-Offs’

21. Joanna Gruesome – ‘Peanut Butter’

22. Fort Romeau – ‘Insides’

23. Rozi Plain – ‘Friend’

24. Pale Honey – ‘Pale Honey’

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Introducing: Effin

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Last month we said goodbye to Welsh psych wonders, Sen Segur, who called time on the band after a five and a half year stint of sharing supremely engaging modern psych-pop tunes with us.

Every cloud has it’s silver lining is would see. While obviously their demise was not welcome news, from the ashes of Sen Segur comes Effin, a new musical project from Gethin Davies. With Effin, Davies embraces a fusion of lo-fi-indie and garage rock, bound together with a haze of melodic bliss and a sort of dogged loose non-conformity and relaxed aura, to reveal subtly addictive songs. The first material from the new project is a pair of singles, ‘Farwell’ & ‘Tria Eto’. ‘Tria Eto’ revolves around a gentle acoustic strum, soft percussion and a soothing combo of mellow meandering, free flowing melodies and Welsh language lyrics. This wispy, airy vibe is married with some rockabilly/surf rock flavours for a very pure, warm and wonderful laid-back sound. ‘Farewell’ meanwhile, is an almost entirely instrumental track, driven by a rumbling bassline of intent and interspersed with some well placed grainy riffs, that veer off toward more psychedelic surf territory, for a harder edged lo-fi-indie and garage blend. Two wholly addictive songs that combine melodic bliss with realness and a free-flowing creativity. Effin brilliant.

Hopefully there’s plenty more where that came from but for now, you can check out ‘Farwell’ & ‘Tria Eto’ below now. If you’re in the neighborhood, there are some shows lined up around Cardiff too, check the dates here.

Sen Segur Call It A Day With Parting Gift: Debut Album ‘Films’

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Wonderful Welsh psych wonders, Sen Segur, have, after five and a half years of making, recording and performing music, called time on the band.

Performing in both Welsh and English, the four-piece – Benjamin Ellis, Sior Amor, Dafydd Evans & Gethin Davies – released a slew of great releases, constituting of fun and supremely engaging collection of modern psych-pop. Something of a pop music recycling plant, Sen Segur borrowed from some of the finest sounds of past decades and but transcended their influences in a rather simple manner: by consistently producing really great songs and crafting their own unique cosmic concoction of modern psych-pop.

This pretty miserable news has been slightly more palatable by this: as a parting gesture, Sen Segur have released their debut LP, Films. It’s an excellent record and nice way to bow out, encapsulating everything that made (sniff) Sen Segur so charming and wonderful. The many facets of their wonderful lo-fi-indie-psych fusion are to be found swirling in a cloud of dizzying splendor. Take the gently swaying beauty of ‘Cylion’, the blissfully playful and cheery psych-pop of ‘Films’, slightly more spaced-out ‘Gwreiddyn’, emotive and idyllic folk of ‘Yn Dy Fyd Heddychlon’ and urgent post-punk grunt meets psychedelic surf rock of ‘Salwn Siawns Olaf’. Each track is very different, yet somehow very similar. Sen Segur’s sound is sparkling with enough ingenuity and charm, so as to make the past seem like an undiscovered country, and one well worth a visit too. A bittersweet but fitting way to bow out, with this, genius odd-ball wizardry.

It’s always a shame to see a really good band depart the stage but hopefully we hear from them sooner rather than later (albeit separately), and hopefully they’ll find success in whatever they turn their hand to. For now? You can sample some choice cuts below and Films is available to buy/stream here.

 

Recordiau Cae Gwyn Presents ‘Cynefin Cae Gwyn’

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Independent Welsh label and home to Dan Amor, Mr Huw and Sen Segur, Recordiau Cae Gwyn, has released Cynefin Cae Gwyn, a free digital compilation album of artists from the label.

It features new material from more established acts/artists, some brand new projects as well as some exciting collaborative ventures. Over a stylistically diverse 12 tracks touching on folk, subtle electronica, indie and psychedelic, we’re treated to splendid sampler of the stellar talent they’ve brought together. What’s even more impressive is the fact that all the featured artists are from, or have close links with the village of Penmachno, North Wales. There’s lots of great tunes on offer here, from the beautiful instrumental acoustic strum of Ben Marshall’s ‘Tonnau Gwanwyn’, to the bright and snappy indie inclusion of ‘Ffiniau’ from Mr Huw and the utterly cool organ led psych groove of Huw Owen & Dan Amor’s ‘Cyfandirol’. It might be free to download but the standard remains supremely high – a thoroughly worthwhile compilation and a testament to all involved with the label.

It’s rather difficult to whittle it down to a few tracks but you can sample some personal choice moments from the compilation below. And if you’re liking that? The album is available as a free digital download from here.

 

Introducing: Sen Segur

Sen Segur

Sen Segur are quite the pop music recycling plant. These Welsh psych-rock wonders – Benjamin Ellis, Sior Amor, Dafydd Evans & Gethin Davies – melt down bit ‘n pieces from past decades of the ’60s, ’70s, ’80s & ’90s, and press it all into something new and rather exciting.

Performing in both Welsh and English, the four-piece already have a number of releases under their belt, constituting to a fun and supremely engaging collection of modern psych-pop. Sen Segur’s own reserved dreamworld of odd ball wizardry is one of psychedelic playfulness, splotches of spaced out throwbacks and straight-up riffs which spills over into our dimension to produce lovely, soft and dizzying psych pop songs. When they find their groove, as they do with their latest singles ‘Love Zebra’ & ‘Get On Up (And Get Back Down)’, it is a blissfully enjoyable experience. Sen Segur have happened upon a sound sparkling with enough ingenuity and charm, to make the past seem like an undiscovered country, well worth taking a trip to. Oh yes. This is great stuff indeed.

All aboard for the wondrous and imaginative world of Sen Segur? You can listen to and download some choice cuts below.