Gruff Rhys soundtracks Whale Trail

In a Bobbysix first, 25ThC reviews an iphone app! Very 21st Century. Before you cynically suggest we are being sponsored to write about it, shut your face. We're not. We were actually drawn to it because its accompanying sounds are created by one of our heroes...

This colourful and beautifully animated game for the iphone is a crazily addictive affair and I literally have not been able to stop playing it in every free minute since I bought it at the bargain price of 69p.

The premise is to pilot Willow the Whale as he flies through the sky collecting multicoloured bubbles and stars whilst avoiding the dark black clouds which serve to electrocute him. Once Willow has collected 7 stars he enters the frenzy mode for a short time which attracts all surrounding bubbles to him and also allows him to fly through the clouds, zapping them as he goes. The game is controlled very simply with one finger, and a press of the screen causes Willow to fly up and - if held - do a loop the loop. The purpose is also simple - stay alive as long as possible and score as many points as you can. The only problem is as soon as you die you want to play again and again and again to try and beat your high score. It is also part of Apple's game centre so you can pit your score against the world's best.

The game has been designed by Neil McFarland of award winning digital design studio Ustwo. Gruff Rhys of the Super Furry Animals provides the music and the voiceover, in Welsh. He has just released the track Whale Trail as a double-A side digital and 12" vinyl backed by Space Dust from his recent album Hotel Shampoo. Neil's previous collaborations with Gruff include artwork for Super Furry Animals' Juxtaposed With You single and animations for the band's Rings Around The World and Phantom Power DVD Albums.

Buy this game now and then try and put it down!

Review by 25ThC.

Gruff Rhys - Hotel Shampoo

Gruff Rhys might be better known as the frontman of brilliant and barmy Welsh psych-folk veterans Super Furry Animals but he is also growing quite the reputation as a solo artist. Excitingly, his third record, named after and inspired by his unfortunate habit of hoarding mini shampoo bottles and other complimentary hotel products whilst on tour, might just be his best yet.

Quintessentially Gruff Rhys, Hotel Shampoo opens with the kaleidoscopic Shark Ridden Waters, which sets the tone for the rest of the album, as a perky melody bounces along while the Welshman delivers a whimsical vocal. Next, Honey All Over cleverly contrasts a downbeat tale of failed love with plinky-plonky instrumentation and a gentle, catchy chorus. “Cos maybe she dug you/But she never loved you,” he sings softly. Spirits are lifted by Sensations in the Dark, a mariachi romp through brass, while, elsewhere, there is a cute duet with El Perro Del Mar and also subject-matter which deals with heavyweight issues such as eco politics and inequality. Of course, it’s all done in the typically leftfield way that you would expect from one of the creative forces behind Super Furry Animals, as faint touches of electronica mix with plenty of folky elements, some underplayed experimentation and lyrics that are equally fanciful and emotive.

Gruff Rhys' voice is as warm and unique as ever, as Hotel Shampoo manages offer many diverse, interesting elements while still being coherent and sounding like an album rather than a collection of songs. By the time strings soar through At The Heart Of Love at the back end of proceedings, you should have long-since fallen in love with this charming record.