Best known for his tenure in the hard-to-peg-down Welsh outfit
Super Furry Animals,
Gruff Rhys has a long history in British rock. Born in 1970,
Rhys played in Creation Records' Emily as well as
Ffa Coffi Pawb, but his first foray into the musical arts was at the ripe age of five, when he wrote an odd little number about a train driver who's contemplating his own death. In 1990, a chance meeting helped lead to the development of what would become
Super Furry Animals. First a left-field techno group, then later a whacked-out guitar group,
SFA got much of its character and respect from
Rhys' outlandish and obscure lyrical slants. After many critically acclaimed singles and full-lengths,
Rhys released his solo outing
Yr Atal Genhedlaeth in 2005. And in true
Gruff Rhys form, it was an entirely Welsh affair. He followed up the release with a small sampling of dates in his native homeland. When
Super Furry Animals moved to Rough Trade, the label also picked up
Rhys' solo work and released his second album,
Candylion, early in 2007. The album was released by Team Love in the U.S. shortly afterward. ~ Chris True, All Music Guide