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''Mwng'' (; English: ''Mane'') is the fourth studio album by Welsh rock band the Super Furry Animals, and the first by the group to have lyrics written entirely in the Welsh language. ''Mwng'' was released on 15 May 2000 on the band's own record label, Placid Casual, following the demise of their former label Creation. The album includes the single "Ysbeidiau Heulog", and reached number 11 on the UK Albums Chart following its release—the first Welsh-language album to reach the top 20. This success led to ''Mwng'' being mentioned in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom by Elfyn Llwyd, who described the record as a celebration of a "new wave of confidence in the Welsh nation".〔 〕 The Super Furry Animals had attempted to make a hit record with a commercial sound with their previous release, 1999's ''Guerrilla''. The record's singles failed to hit the top 10 of the UK Singles Chart, so the band decided to go on "pop strike". The group had written several Welsh-language songs during sessions for ''Guerrilla'', and opted to release them as a coherent album rather than issue "token Welsh songs" as b-sides—reasoning that, if their English pop songs were not going to be played on the radio they may as well release Welsh pop songs that would not get played on the radio.〔 Singer Gruff Rhys stated that, although the decision to release a Welsh language album was not an explicitly political statement, he does feel the record is a "stand against globalisation".〔 Recording largely took place at Ofn Studios, Llanfaelog, Anglesey in 1999, with the band sharing production duties with Gorwel Owen. The "lo-fi" album cost just to make, in contrast with the "excessive expense" of ''Guerrilla'', and was recorded almost entirely live.〔〔 ''Mwng'' is an understated rock record inspired by the band's love of "Anglo-American pop culture of the 60s, 70s and 80s." The album has a "wintery persona" that is best summed up by the track "Ymaelodi Â'r Ymylon".〔〔 Rhys feels that the record marks the first time the band managed to escape their influences and clearly establish their own sound. The album's lyrics deal with a diverse set of subjects, such as the death of rural communities, old school teachers, and Sarn Helen (a Roman road built in Wales). Rhys has stated that many of ''Mwng''s songs are highly personal reflections on what were difficult years for him.〔 Rhys has also expressed the belief that the album is accessible to non-Welsh speakers, as they can pick up on the mood of the songs even if they cannot understand the lyrics.〔 Critical reception was generally positive, although some reviewers criticised the album for its "bare-boned production".〔 ''Mwng'' was included in both the ''Melody Maker'' and ''NME'' "Best album of 2000" lists, with the latter calling the record the band's best release.〔〔 ==Origins and recording== The Super Furry Animals made a conscious decision to make a commercial-sounding "pop jukebox" record with 1999's ''Guerrilla''. The band had written the album's intended singles with the hope that they would become "radio hits", and were disappointed with the limited success they received: the first single, "Northern Lites", charted just outside the Top 10 of the UK Singles Chart at number 11, while subsequent releases "Fire in My Heart" and "Do or Die" reached numbers 25 and 20, respectively.〔 The band blamed their record label, Creation, for the relative failure of the singles—particularly "Northern Lites", which they felt "could have been bigger" if the label had produced a better music video and conducted a more successful marketing campaign.〔 As a result, the group became tired of playing "chart games" and went on "pop strike", deciding to release music just "for the joy of it", with no agenda.〔 The Super Furry Animals had written several Welsh language songs while they were working on ''Guerrilla'' and decided that, rather than releasing "token Welsh songs" as b-sides and album tracks, they would issue them together as a coherent record.〔 These tracks would be augmented by "Dacw Hi", a song written by Rhys in 1987 that he had never "had a chance to do before", and a cover of the track "Y Teimlad", which the group wanted to record because of their admiration for Welsh language band Datblygu (who originally wrote and recorded the song in 1984).〔 According to Rhys, the Super Furry Animals reasoned that, if their English language pop songs were not getting played on the radio, they may as well make a Welsh language album featuring songs that would not be played on the radio.〔 Rhys has said that, although the decision to release a Welsh language album was not "an explicitly political statement", he does see ''Mwng'' as a "stand against globalisation", railing against "advanced capitalism" and the lack of interest shown in minority cultures by large companies who "just want to make money".〔〔 Rhys has also stated that his boredom with writing songs in English inspired him to write ''Mwng'', and that it is a very personal album, rather than a celebration of Welsh culture.〔 The "lo-fi" ''Mwng'' was recorded over two weeks in late 1999, and—in contrast with the "excessive expense" of ''Guerilla''—cost just to make.〔〔〔 The band chose Gorwel Owen as co-producer, having previously worked with him on their first two albums, 1996's ''Fuzzy Logic'' and 1997's ''Radiator''. The majority of ''Mwng'' was recorded with Owen at Ofn Studios in Llanfaelog, Wales. According to Rhys, the band had to play in separate rooms to avoid the sound of one instrument bleeding onto the track of another during recording due to Ofn's small size.〔 "Y Gwyneb Iau" and "Ysbeidiau Heulog" were recorded at Famous Studios in Cardiff, and were engineered by Greg Haver, while "Y Teimlad" was recorded at Real World Studios, Box, Wiltshire, and was engineered by Michael Brennan, Jr. "Sarn Helen" was recorded and engineered by keyboardist Cian Ciaran in his living room.〔 Overdubs for all songs were added at Ofn with Owen, who also mixed the album at the studio along with the Super Furry Animals. Songs were recorded almost entirely live, with the band wanting to make a "really immediate record" as a reaction against the drawn out recording sessions for ''Guerilla'' and 1997's ''Radiator'', which had taken several months and proved frustrating for the group.〔〔 The version of "Nythod Cacwn" that appears on the album is the original demo, with Rhys on drums. The band felt that, although the demo did not sound very professional, there was a warmth to it that would be impossible to recreate were the group to record the song again.〔 The album's title translates into English as "Mane". According to Rhys, the band did not have the mane of a particular animal in mind, but felt it could be "an extension of a Super Furry Animal".〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Mwng」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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