Gruff Rhys’ Seeking New Gods

Best known as the frontman of pioneering Welsh act Super Furry Animals, Gruff Rhys is, without question, one of his generation’s great pop minds. Easily straddling the disparate worlds of electronica, garage rock and saccharine ‘60s revival over the course of his career, his eighth solo album, Seeking New Gods, sees the quiet tenor weaving all three genres into a musical vision quest that explores the mythology of Mount Paektu, a volcano said to hold magic properties along the North Korea-China border. The summit ascent begins with the reflective send-off “Mausoleum of My Former Self,” bolstered by horn fanfare that immediately gives way to self-doubt on the Todd Rundgren-esque “Can’t Carry On.” Any trepidation about the journey is summarily dispatched as the climb continues on the striding “Loan Your Loneliness,” commanding psych rocker “Hiking in Lightning” and highlight “Holiest of the Holy Men,” on which Rhys’ showcases one of the record’s most delicate melodies that repeatedly crescendoes to thrilling effect. The free-jazz incorporating “The Keep” and magnificent romp of “Everlasting Joy” provide one last push to the mountaintop, upon which the purifying fusion of piano and swirling electronica of “Distant Snowy Peaks” provides a satisfying conclusion. For those searching for the power of the divine, Seeking New Gods isn’t a bad place to start, representing Rhys’ finest and most focused work in almost a decade.

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If you like Seeking New Gods, check out:

• Out of the Blue by Electric Light Orchestra

• The Pet Parade by Fruit Bats

• Plastic Beach by Gorillaz

• Stainless Style by Neon Neon

• The Hermit of Mink Hollow by Todd Rundgren