{"id":2041,"date":"2018-04-12T09:11:43","date_gmt":"2018-04-12T08:11:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.shindig-magazine.com\/?p=2041"},"modified":"2018-04-12T09:11:43","modified_gmt":"2018-04-12T08:11:43","slug":"gruff-rhys-frontier-man","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/shindig-magazine.com\/?p=2041","title":{"rendered":"Gruff Rhys &#8216;Frontier Man&#8217;"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Not only does GRUFF RHY have a new album out on June 8th (<em>Babelsberg<\/em>, Rough Trade) but he&#8217;s\u00a0also\u00a0the cover star of\u00a0<em>Shindig!<\/em> #79 (out May 3rd). Thomas Patterson and I travelled to Cardiff to spend a day with the psychedelic bard (see below photos), where Gruff discussed the making of the new album and\u00a0entertained us. Here&#8217;s &#8216;Frontier Man&#8217; the brand new video<\/strong><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Gruff Rhys - Frontier Man (Official Video)\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/7Y6VLjIKwqQ?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019d made a note of the name after driving past a sign when I was on tour in 2014. Cut to a few years later and the studio where I recorded the album was being knocked down just a week after I finished to make way for a \u2018luxury\u2019 apartment development. I was looking for a name that evoked The Tower Of Babel &#8211; people building towers to reach an idea of heaven (but maybe creating a kind of hell &#8211; I\u2019m an atheist by the way!) In any case I had written Babelsberg down and when I listened to the songs together, it finally made sense why I\u2019d done that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><em>Babelsberg<\/em> is the fifth album by Gruff Rhys, his first record for Rough Trade since 2007\u2019s classic <em>Candylion<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-2042\" src=\"http:\/\/www.shindig-magazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/image003-1024x1020.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"450\" height=\"448\" srcset=\"https:\/\/shindig-magazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/image003-1024x1020.png 1024w, https:\/\/shindig-magazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/image003-150x149.png 150w, https:\/\/shindig-magazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/image003-300x299.png 300w, https:\/\/shindig-magazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/image003-768x765.png 768w, https:\/\/shindig-magazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/image003-100x100.png 100w, https:\/\/shindig-magazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/image003-200x199.png 200w, https:\/\/shindig-magazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/image003-450x448.png 450w, https:\/\/shindig-magazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/image003-600x598.png 600w, https:\/\/shindig-magazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/image003-900x897.png 900w, https:\/\/shindig-magazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/image003.png 1609w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 450px) 100vw, 450px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The album\u2019s 10 tracks were initially recorded in early 2016 in a whirlwind three day session that took place before producer Ali Chant\u2019s studio was demolished. The band he gathered for the record were his regular drummer Kliph Scurlock (ex-Flaming Lips) and multi-instrumentalists Stephen Black (Sweet Baboo) and Osian Gwynedd. The \u00a0tracks then hibernated for 18 months, awaiting orchestral scores by Swansea based composer Stephen McNeff and the incredible work of the 72 piece BBC National Orchestra Of Wales.<\/p>\n<p>The result is a 10 song gazetteer of modern times, each track set to timeless, indelible melody. Amazingly, for a collection of songs written over two years ago, each one seems to pull very sharp focus on the times we\u2019re living in.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-2043\" src=\"http:\/\/www.shindig-magazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/image002-784x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"460\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https:\/\/shindig-magazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/image002-784x1024.jpg 784w, https:\/\/shindig-magazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/image002-230x300.jpg 230w, https:\/\/shindig-magazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/image002-768x1003.jpg 768w, https:\/\/shindig-magazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/image002-100x131.jpg 100w, https:\/\/shindig-magazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/image002-150x196.jpg 150w, https:\/\/shindig-magazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/image002-200x261.jpg 200w, https:\/\/shindig-magazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/image002-300x392.jpg 300w, https:\/\/shindig-magazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/image002-450x588.jpg 450w, https:\/\/shindig-magazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/image002-600x783.jpg 600w, https:\/\/shindig-magazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/image002-900x1175.jpg 900w, https:\/\/shindig-magazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/image002.jpg 1230w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 460px) 100vw, 460px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Over the course of<em> Babelsberg<\/em>\u2019s 40-something minutes, Gruff manages to perfectly document our troubled and troubling times with humour, grace and always addictive melody. In a career that\u2019s spanned three decades, two languages, multiple bands, offshoots, collaborations and one boundless imagination.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-2044\" src=\"http:\/\/www.shindig-magazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/29511220_10156075854267209_4285458984917487652_n.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"720\" height=\"540\" srcset=\"https:\/\/shindig-magazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/29511220_10156075854267209_4285458984917487652_n.jpg 960w, https:\/\/shindig-magazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/29511220_10156075854267209_4285458984917487652_n-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/shindig-magazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/29511220_10156075854267209_4285458984917487652_n-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/shindig-magazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/29511220_10156075854267209_4285458984917487652_n-100x75.jpg 100w, https:\/\/shindig-magazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/29511220_10156075854267209_4285458984917487652_n-150x113.jpg 150w, https:\/\/shindig-magazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/29511220_10156075854267209_4285458984917487652_n-200x150.jpg 200w, https:\/\/shindig-magazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/29511220_10156075854267209_4285458984917487652_n-450x338.jpg 450w, https:\/\/shindig-magazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/29511220_10156075854267209_4285458984917487652_n-600x450.jpg 600w, https:\/\/shindig-magazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/29511220_10156075854267209_4285458984917487652_n-900x675.jpg 900w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-2045\" src=\"http:\/\/www.shindig-magazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Gruff-261-1024x683.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"720\" height=\"480\" srcset=\"https:\/\/shindig-magazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Gruff-261-1024x683.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/shindig-magazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Gruff-261-300x200.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/shindig-magazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Gruff-261-768x512.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/shindig-magazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Gruff-261-100x67.jpeg 100w, https:\/\/shindig-magazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Gruff-261-150x100.jpeg 150w, https:\/\/shindig-magazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Gruff-261-200x133.jpeg 200w, https:\/\/shindig-magazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Gruff-261-450x300.jpeg 450w, https:\/\/shindig-magazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Gruff-261-600x400.jpeg 600w, https:\/\/shindig-magazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Gruff-261-900x600.jpeg 900w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<span class=\"synved-social-container synved-social-container-share\"><a 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synved-social-image synved-social-image-share\" width=\"24\" height=\"24\" style=\"display: inline;width:24px;height:24px;margin: 0;padding: 0;border: none;box-shadow: none\" src=\"https:\/\/shindig-magazine.com\/wp-content\/plugins\/social-media-feather\/synved-social\/image\/social\/regular\/48x48\/facebook.png\" \/><\/a><a class=\"synved-social-button synved-social-button-share synved-social-size-24 synved-social-resolution-single synved-social-provider-twitter nolightbox\" data-provider=\"twitter\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\" title=\"Share on Twitter\" href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/share?url=https%3A%2F%2Fshindig-magazine.com%2Findex.php%3Frest_route%3D%252Fwp%252Fv2%252Fposts%252F2041&#038;text=New%20post%20on%20our%20site\" style=\"font-size: 0px;width:24px;height:24px;margin:0;margin-bottom:5px;margin-right:5px\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"twitter\" title=\"Share on Twitter\" class=\"synved-share-image synved-social-image synved-social-image-share\" 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Thomas Patterson and I travelled to Cardiff to spend a day with the psychedelic bard (see below photos), where Gruff discussed the making of the new album and\u00a0entertained us. Here&#8217;s [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[487,103],"class_list":["post-2041","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-music-videos","tag-gruff-rhys","tag-rough-trade"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/shindig-magazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2041","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/shindig-magazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/shindig-magazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shindig-magazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shindig-magazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2041"}],"version-history":[{"count":-4,"href":"https:\/\/shindig-magazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2041\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/shindig-magazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2041"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shindig-magazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2041"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shindig-magazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2041"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}