Super Furry Animals - Phantom Phorce

would be an effective tongue twister to help give an impression of the Super Furry Animals’ new remix compilation ‘Phantom Phorce’. Just as much as trying to say the phrase over and over again would present a garbled stream of battled speech control - compelling and at times amusing despite not really meaning anything - listening to ‘Phantom Phorce’ presents last year’s acclaimed ‘Phantom Power’ in a new monged-out, re-worked form, occasionally hitting the spot but often getting too lost in warped (yet still fundamentally exciting) sidetracks and mispronunciations.

This is no bad thing – that is, if a ten-minute, heavily electronic re-interpretation of former single ‘Hello Sunshine’, complete with the inclusion of a tinny demo loop from a £15 toy keyboard, sounds like your cup of tea. While some people may not revel in the idea of listening to, amongst other things, the sound of a man making demonic giraffe noises in his throat, it certainly does make fascinating listening for those with an interest in the band, familiar with their uniquely inspirational and wholly unconventional take on, well, everything.

Each track is remixed by a guest producer, resulting in a diverse array of styles spanning all corners of oddness. Remixes by Killa Kella, Four Tet and the Beastie Boys’ mate, Mario C, stand out particularly in terms of re-imagining and accessibility – they at least carry elements of the original tracks from which they derive, something which seems to elude a couple of the more obscure offerings on the disc.

The decision to interlude each track with a commentary from Kurt Stern, the supposed producer of ‘Phantom Power’, is both a curse and a blessing. On the one hand it provides a vague source of amusement the first time you hear it, on the other it instantly kills the desire for repeat listening, as his vocal comments have somewhat naively been mixed into the beginning and ends of the tracks they surround, spoiling the individual songs when listened to in seclusion.

Despite its flaws, ‘Phantom Phorce’ is a still a fascinating listen, for the first couple of times at least. Although not recommended for the wider audience, it’s well worth the investment for the die-hard SFA fans that need a stopgap purchase before the release of their next album. Remix albums are always shady money-spinning affairs, so it’s a relief to listen to one that at least tries to serve a purpose, despite not totally fulfilling its potential.