Rating:   4 Ratings     12345  

Ffa Coffi Pawb Am Byth Empyrean Records

      This music is basic, but just good quality rock and roll. Consider it your Rock101 lecture class-- opening doors and opportunities to many bigger artists. Musically, FCP vary in style. They touch on indie forefathers The Stone Roses’ simplicity and intensity diversion, with an off-the-wall layer of The Happy Mondays.

      It’s hard to describe a band that’s definitely in a league of their own, especially when it’s near impossible to sing along correctly without butchering the Welsh language. The plus is that even despite the words, the album is fantastic. Laid out as an easy-going jam session, Am Byth provides smooth riffs and mellow lyrics. In each song, the drumline carries quite well from beginning to end, and could almost pose as evidence that Oasis pinched off the neighbourly predecessors for their debut album, Definitely Maybe. No instrument is overshadowed; they are equally represented, bringing forth a classic rock feel.

      Having formed in Bethesda, North Wales in 1986, FCP had quite the wild ride back in their hey-day. Their name, which roughly translates to ‘Everybody’s Coffee Beans’ sounds innocent enough. Say it fast enough in Welsh, and it becomes ‘Fuck off everybody’. This little stab at the public caused an uproar with radio airplay and ultimately got the group banned from the media. Fortunate enough to gain a strong enough fanbase despite the ban, they released three albums through Welsh label Ankst before disbanding in 1993.

      The group was fronted by Gruff Rhys (guitar), Dafydd Ieuan (drummer), Rhodri Puw (guitar) and Dewi Emlyn (bass). Both Rhys and Ieuan continued on to be part of SFA. Puw became part of Mynci and Psycho VII and Emlyn later toured with various well-known Welsh bands, including those of his former bandmates.

      Although all the tracks seem to be equal in standing, there are a few gems worth listening to first. "Sega Segur" took it a step further by offering raw guitarwork and incomprehensible hypnotic vocals. "Mynd I Lawr" actually resembles something off of a Libertines’s album, but in its own right is also a key tune. On "Dwi'n Troi Ryn FFRWTH," Rhys’ voice evolves to baritone, and darkens the track with his soulful bellowing. Don’t be lead astray by demo promises-- "LLosgi ‘N Nhy I Lawr" is less than a minute in length, and so staticy and scratched up that it should have ended up lost with the alleged master tapes. There’s even a track that sounds all too familiar like an old Nintendo game theme.

      Am Byth is a great grouping of classic, pre-’90s rock. Straight out of its element but created into something any culture can relate to--- all because of a solid rock focal point. This was the time where every icon seemed to need to prove themselves, and FCP not only did that, but they proved with Am Byth that they were wise beyond their years. The album’s title, which means "forever," stands true, as it’s something that both long-time fans and curious newcomers can enjoy for years. Ffa Coffi Pawb were before their time over a decade ago-- but the music world may have finally caught up to them in order to be completely appreciative.

-Arie Musil 03/25/05