Album Review: Dim Probs by Gruff Rhys

Former Super Furry Animals man celebrates the Welsh language while taking in rich influences and instrumentation from countries far and wide Followers of Gruff Rhys will know that Welsh language albums inherit a special place in his discography - and so it is with Dim Probs. Given the world climate it is brave to be releasing an album whose translated title is No Probs, but Gruff’s revelation that it was written at a low personal ebb shows the underlying positivity that continues to run through his music. It is clear that Dim Probs was not made with a pillow over its head, nor with fingers stuck in its ears.

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It takes only the first thirty seconds of 'Pan Ddaw'r Haul I Fore', the opening track of Gruff Rhys' ninth solo album, to be reminded of his greatness, reliability and relentless unpredictability. Like much of his previous work, whether with Super Furry Animals, solo or in his many collaborations, the greatest strength throughout is Rhys' voice, which often goes relatively unheralded amid the elaborate arrangements, excellent songwriting or eccentricity that have characterised his career to date. But it is the one constant, a north star that congeals the disparate elements of his work: an instantly recognisable, soothing and melodic instrument.

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