Ice Hockey Hair
Encyclopedia
Ice Hockey Hair is an EP
by the Welsh alternative rock
band Super Furry Animals
, released in 1998. The record contains four songs which the band felt did not fit in with either their previous album, 1997's Radiator
, or its follow-up Guerrilla
. The title track refers to an alternative name for the mullet hairstyle. The EP's opening song, "Smokin'", was commissioned by British
television station Channel 4
for a programme about sloth
presented by Howard Marks
. "Ice Hockey Hair" was later included on 'greatest hits' compilation Songbook: The Singles, Vol. 1
, issued in 2004, while "Smokin'" appeared on 1998's B-side
and rarities compilation Out Spaced
.
The EP received mostly positive reviews, being awarded 'single of the week' by the NME
, and appearing at number two in the magazine's single of the year
list for 1998. The record also appeared in the 1998 single of the year lists issued by both the Melody Maker
and Select. Promotional music video
s were issued for both "Ice Hockey Hair" and "Smokin'" and are included on the DVD
version of Songbook.... The former was directed by Daf Palfrey while the latter was directed by Peter Gray.
, "Smokin'", was commissioned by British
television station Channel 4
for a programme about sloth
presented by Howard Marks
as part of a series on the seven deadly sins
. The band went into Grassroots, a community recording studio
in Cardiff
, in June 1997 and looped
a sample of the Black Uhuru
track "I Love King Selassie", playing along and writing "Smokin'" "completely spontaneously". According to singer Gruff Rhys
the song is "really light and up" as a result of being recorded in the summer. The track's lyrics refer to smoking cannabis
, with Rhys stating that it "seems ridiculous that you can't do what you want with a plant that grows naturally" in reference to the drug's illegal status in many countries. Rhys has claimed that he does not consider the track to be subversive however—it is about the band's own drug use and he doesn't "expect everyone who buys the record to do the same. They'd be quite sad if they did".
Chief lyric writer Rhys has stated that, whereas he might "empty parts of [his] emotional state" into some songs, Ice Hockey Hair's title track was written in the "instant pop music" tradition. The track was originally called "The Naff Song" as the band felt it "had so many naff, cheesy things about it" before being renamed "Ice Hockey Hair" following a conversation with a Swedish
football player who said that having 'ice hockey hair', an alternative name for the mullet hairstyle, was a really naff thing to do in his home country. Rhys has described the song as a "Badfinger
-style power ballad" and claimed that it is about "someone who's sunk so low they're asking advice off a women with ice hockey hair". The track was recorded at Orinonco Studios, London
.
The band felt that "Ice Hockey Hair" and "Smokin'" were "light relief" and needed to be released so that they could concentrate on their next album, Guerrilla
, with Rhys stating that the "EP was a good chance to do something in isolation, because the tracks on it won't fit in with the new album, and they didn't fit in with the old one". The EP is completed by "Let's Quit Smoking", a remix
of "Smokin'", and "Mu-Tron", a largely instrumental track named after the Mutron
guitar effects pedal
and written by keyboardist
Cian Ciaran
.
, 7"
and cassette
on 25 May 1998 and reached number 12 on the UK Singles Chart
. The CD version of the EP has four tracks while the 7" and cassette feature only "Ice Hockey Hair" and "Smokin'". A 12" vinyl release of
Ice Hockey Hair was issued in June 1998 and includes all four songs from the CD version albeit in a different track order. The proverb "Decadence may not be seen as a wholly negative process neither should it be viewed as a terminal state. It's a stage in the process of regeneration and renewal" was to have been featured on Ice Hockey Hair sleeve but the band eventually decided against the idea as they felt the phrase was too long. "Ice Hockey Hair" was included on the band's 'greatest hits' compilation Songbook: The Singles, Vol. 1
, issued in 2004, while "Smokin'" was included on 1998's B-side
and rarities compilation Out Spaced
. The Wildhearts
recorded a cover
of "Ice Hockey Hair" for their 2008 album Stop Us If You've Heard This One Before, Vol 1.
The Melody Maker
called the Ice Hockey Hair EP "brilliant, predictably freakish weirdness" and described it as a cross between The Beach Boys
and techno
while guest reviewers Therapy?
claimed to like "Smokin'" better than "Ice Hockey Hair" which they thought was "full-on smoker
music". Vox
stated that Ice Hockey Hair proved the band's "placid casual grasp of the concept of genius", describing the title track as a "gooey, melted mix of Queen
, ELO
, Pavement
and [...] Techno Animal" and "Smokin'", which they felt was the EP's stand-out song, as "deranged disco delirium". The NME
felt that the EP showed the Super Furry Animals had fulfilled their early promise and was the result of the band having "ideas like most people have cups of tea", awarding Ice Hockey Hair 'single of the week' in their 23 May 1998 issue. The magazine called "Smokin'" "compact disco" and stated that "Mu-Tron" was an "ugly name for a beautiful song". "Ice Hockey Hair" was described as a combination of Queen, ELO, Wings
and "mad techno squalling" which sounds like "Elton John
's glitter-coated grand piano" falling from the sky. Allmusic described the Ice Hockey Hair EP as "another fun, cool group of songs from a band that can seemingly do no wrong" which bridges the gap between the "spaced-out rock" of 1997's Radiator
and the "pop/rock electronic experimentation" of 1999's Guerrilla. The website did take issue with the short length of the record however, suggesting that the Super Furry Animals' music works best "in large doses of pop/rock gem upon pop/rock gem".
In their review of Songbook: The Singles, Vol. 1, Drowned in Sound
claimed that "Ice Hockey Hair" "could be the most perfect thing you'll ever set ears upon" while the BBC
viewed the "sublime" track as one of the record's highlights. Also reviewing Songbook..., Pitchfork Media
called the song a "non-album gem", The Washington Post
called it "gorgeous" and Allmusic referred to it as a masterpiece. Reviewing Outspaced, the Melody Maker described the "filthily funky" "Smokin'" as brilliant and Select called it one of the "joyous pinnacles" of the album, suggesting that the track was inspired by P-Funk
. The NME however, called "Smokin'" "sludgy" and suggested that it was Outspaced "fairly naff nadir".
Stylus Magazine
named Ice Hockey Hair in a list of "Ten essential singles/EPs" released by Creation Records
in a 2003 article about the label. "Ice Hockey Hair" was included in The Pitchfork 500, a list of the greatest songs released from 1977 to 2006, published by Pitchfork Media
in 2008.
* denotes an unordered list
for "Ice Hockey Hair" was directed by Daf Palfrey and appears on the DVD version of the band's 'greatest hits' album Songbook: The Singles, Vol. 1
. The video begins with silent footage of five characters, who appear in a small white rectangle in the centre of the screen against a black background. The text "I am like a film strip ... and like a child ... in a thousand lunar parks ... someone is always ... cranking the handle" appears as the video cuts between shots of each person. "Ice Hockey Hair" begins playing approximately 17 seconds into the video. Each character is again seen in a white rectangle in the centre of the screen followed by a shot of a pair of hands holding a strip of photos of that particular person during which red text is displayed showing the character's name. A women with short blonde hair and a red top, seen holding her head in her hands is introduced as "The wife", a bald man with blood on his head is "The husband" , a women in a white jacket with a blonde mullet
hairstyle is "The mistress", a man with thick-rimmed glasses, a white jacket and red polo neck sweater is "The voyeur" and finally a man in a red and black tracksuit top with a large scar running from his left eye to right cheek is "The stalker". The five characters are all seen singing along to the track individually, again framed in a white rectangle in the centre of the screen. "The wife" is twice shown ripping a photograph of her and "The husband", while "The mistress" is seen sitting on the lap of "The husband" in two shots. After 1 minute and 6 seconds the Super Furry Animals are shown playing along to the track on a rotating dancefloor surrounded by photo booths and several dancers in dark clothes. During an instrumental break in the song, at 1 minute 38 seconds, two masked men are shown playing table tennis
on another rotating dancefloor with two large fluorescent purple circles in the background. The five characters are then seen walking around the band and stepping into the photo booths that surround them. The text "Act 1: The kiss" is shown, after which footage of the Super Furry Animals playing along to the track is intercut with shots of the characters. "The husband" and "The mistress" kiss while a strip of photos is seen being passed through a pair of hands and "The voyeur" is shown using a video camera. The characters move to different photo booths and the title "Act 2: The stalking" is displayed. Shots of "The stalker" and "The wife" are then intercut with shots of the band. The characters again change booths and the title "Act 3: The murder" is shown. After quick jump cut
s between shots of the band, the masked men playing table tennis and the five characters, "The voyeur" is shown pointing his video camera at the motionless body of "The mistress" which is laid in a bathtub
covered in film stock
. More footage of the band follows before "The husband" is shown motionless of the floor, surrounded by a white tape outline. The video ends with more jump cuts between the band, the masked table tennis players and the five named characters.
which appears on the cover of the Ice Hockey Hair EP
. The logo fades out and the camera pans
through a crowd of dark figures wearing beret
s towards a women who is standing behind a long, black table. The women is wearing a short sleeved black dress and has a blonde bob
haircut. Her arms and face are illuminated in the otherwise dark room and she is shown walking backwards down the table, giving coloured cards to each of the figures wearing berets. The women walks up and down the table observing the crowd as they each use the piece of card they were given to make an origami
animal. As each person completes a model animal the women gives them a new piece of coloured card. Approximately 2 minutes into the video the women returns to a central position behind the table and looks down at one of the beret wearers. The camera cuts
to show him screwing up a piece of green card into a ball which turns into an origami crane
and flies away as he opens his hands. The rest of the figures in berets are shown from behind, bowing their heads before the camera cuts to a close up view of several origami animals on the table. These animals also begin to move, and interact with each other until a large red animal arrives. The camera cuts to a close-up
of the red animal's head with smoke shown coming from its nose. The next shot shows the origami animals stationary on the table as the camera pans up to the beret wearers who are looking straight ahead while smoke moves across from the right. The women walks up and down the table giving the beret wearers new pieces of card as they complete more and more origami animals. As the video draws to an end she rapidly piles up the origami animals into a heap in the middle of the table. When all the animals have been collected into the pile the beret wearers bow their heads and the women puts her arms around the pile and smiles at the camera. In the final shot the women places her hands on the table and stares at the camera as the video fades out to show the same Super Furry Animals' 'SFA' logo which appeared at the very beginning.
Artwork
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
by the Welsh alternative rock
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
band Super Furry Animals
Super Furry Animals
Super Furry Animals are a Welsh rock band that lean towards psychedelic rock and electronic experimentation. Since their formation in Cardiff, Wales in 1993, the band has consisted of Gruff Rhys , Huw Bunford , Guto Pryce , Cian Ciaran and Dafydd Ieuan Super Furry Animals are a Welsh rock band...
, released in 1998. The record contains four songs which the band felt did not fit in with either their previous album, 1997's Radiator
Radiator (album)
Radiator is the second album by the Super Furry Animals. It peaked at #8 on the UK charts. In 2005, it was reissued with a bonus disc of other tracks from the time....
, or its follow-up Guerrilla
Guerrilla (album)
Guerrilla is the third studio album by by Welsh rock band the Super Furry Animals. The record was released on 14 June 1999 by Creation Records and peaked at number 10 in the UK Album Charts. Guerrilla was conceived as a commercial 'pop' album and was produced by the band themselves, as regular...
. The title track refers to an alternative name for the mullet hairstyle. The EP's opening song, "Smokin'", was commissioned by British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
television station Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
for a programme about sloth
Sloth (deadly sin)
In the Christian moral tradition, sloth is one of the seven capital sins, often called the seven deadly sins; these sins are called sins because they supposedly destroy the charity in a person's heart and thus may lead to eternal death.-Definition:Sloth is defined as spiritual or emotional...
presented by Howard Marks
Howard Marks
Dennis Howard Marks is a Welsh author and former drug smuggler who achieved notoriety as an international cannabis smuggler through high-profile court cases, supposed connections with groups such as the CIA, the IRA, MI6, and the Mafia, and his eventual conviction at the hands of the American Drug...
. "Ice Hockey Hair" was later included on 'greatest hits' compilation Songbook: The Singles, Vol. 1
Songbook: The Singles, Vol. 1
Songbook: The Singles, Vol. 1 collects all of the Super Furry Animals singles released between 1996 and 2004 as well as B-side "Blerwytirhwng?" . Songbook... was released in the UK in October 2004, debuting at #18 on the UK album charts...
, issued in 2004, while "Smokin'" appeared on 1998's B-side
A-side and B-side
A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...
and rarities compilation Out Spaced
Out Spaced
Out Spaced is a 1998 B-Sides and Rarities album by the Super Furry Animals. First editions of the album came in rubber case shaped like a breast....
.
The EP received mostly positive reviews, being awarded 'single of the week' by the NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
, and appearing at number two in the magazine's single of the year
NME single of the year
Every December, British music magazine NME compiles a list of what it considers the best single or track of the year. It was started in 1975. The list is usually published in one of the issues sold before Christmas – in 2006 it was published in the issue for December 9...
list for 1998. The record also appeared in the 1998 single of the year lists issued by both the Melody Maker
Melody Maker
Melody Maker, published in the United Kingdom, was, according to its publisher IPC Media, the world's oldest weekly music newspaper. It was founded in 1926 as a magazine targeted at musicians; in 2000 it was merged into "long-standing rival" New Musical Express.-1950s–1960s:Originally the Melody...
and Select. Promotional music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
s were issued for both "Ice Hockey Hair" and "Smokin'" and are included on the DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
version of Songbook.... The former was directed by Daf Palfrey while the latter was directed by Peter Gray.
Recording and themes
The first track on the EPExtended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
, "Smokin'", was commissioned by British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
television station Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
for a programme about sloth
Sloth (deadly sin)
In the Christian moral tradition, sloth is one of the seven capital sins, often called the seven deadly sins; these sins are called sins because they supposedly destroy the charity in a person's heart and thus may lead to eternal death.-Definition:Sloth is defined as spiritual or emotional...
presented by Howard Marks
Howard Marks
Dennis Howard Marks is a Welsh author and former drug smuggler who achieved notoriety as an international cannabis smuggler through high-profile court cases, supposed connections with groups such as the CIA, the IRA, MI6, and the Mafia, and his eventual conviction at the hands of the American Drug...
as part of a series on the seven deadly sins
Seven deadly sins
The 7 Deadly Sins, also known as the Capital Vices or Cardinal Sins, is a classification of objectionable vices that have been used since early Christian times to educate and instruct followers concerning fallen humanity's tendency to sin...
. The band went into Grassroots, a community recording studio
Recording studio
A recording studio is a facility for sound recording and mixing. Ideally both the recording and monitoring spaces are specially designed by an acoustician to achieve optimum acoustic properties...
in Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
, in June 1997 and looped
Music loop
In electroacoustic music, a loop is a repeating section of sound material. Short sections of material can be repeated to create ostinato patterns...
a sample of the Black Uhuru
Black Uhuru
Black Uhuru are a Jamaican reggae group formed in 1972, initially as Uhuru . The group has undergone several line-up changes over the years, with Duckie Simpson always maintaining group control and ownership...
track "I Love King Selassie", playing along and writing "Smokin'" "completely spontaneously". According to singer Gruff Rhys
Gruff Rhys
Gruffydd Maredudd Bowen Rhys is a Welsh musician, performing solo and with several bands, including Super Furry Animals who obtained mainstream success in the 1990s. He also most recently formed the electro-pop outfit Neon Neon with Boom Bip. Their album Stainless Style was nominated for the 2008...
the song is "really light and up" as a result of being recorded in the summer. The track's lyrics refer to smoking cannabis
Cannabis (drug)
Cannabis, also known as marijuana among many other names, refers to any number of preparations of the Cannabis plant intended for use as a psychoactive drug or for medicinal purposes. The English term marijuana comes from the Mexican Spanish word marihuana...
, with Rhys stating that it "seems ridiculous that you can't do what you want with a plant that grows naturally" in reference to the drug's illegal status in many countries. Rhys has claimed that he does not consider the track to be subversive however—it is about the band's own drug use and he doesn't "expect everyone who buys the record to do the same. They'd be quite sad if they did".
Chief lyric writer Rhys has stated that, whereas he might "empty parts of [his] emotional state" into some songs, Ice Hockey Hair's title track was written in the "instant pop music" tradition. The track was originally called "The Naff Song" as the band felt it "had so many naff, cheesy things about it" before being renamed "Ice Hockey Hair" following a conversation with a Swedish
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
football player who said that having 'ice hockey hair', an alternative name for the mullet hairstyle, was a really naff thing to do in his home country. Rhys has described the song as a "Badfinger
Badfinger
Badfinger were a British rock band consisting originally of Pete Ham, Ron Griffiths, Mike Gibbins and Tom Evans, active from 1968 to 1983, and evolving from The Iveys, formed by Ham, Griffiths and David "Dai" Jenkins in Swansea, Wales, in the early 1960s. Joey Molland joined the group in 1969,...
-style power ballad" and claimed that it is about "someone who's sunk so low they're asking advice off a women with ice hockey hair". The track was recorded at Orinonco Studios, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
The band felt that "Ice Hockey Hair" and "Smokin'" were "light relief" and needed to be released so that they could concentrate on their next album, Guerrilla
Guerrilla (album)
Guerrilla is the third studio album by by Welsh rock band the Super Furry Animals. The record was released on 14 June 1999 by Creation Records and peaked at number 10 in the UK Album Charts. Guerrilla was conceived as a commercial 'pop' album and was produced by the band themselves, as regular...
, with Rhys stating that the "EP was a good chance to do something in isolation, because the tracks on it won't fit in with the new album, and they didn't fit in with the old one". The EP is completed by "Let's Quit Smoking", a remix
Remix
A remix is an alternative version of a recorded song, made from an original version. This term is also used for any alterations of media other than song ....
of "Smokin'", and "Mu-Tron", a largely instrumental track named after the Mutron
Mutron
Musitronics, often shortened to Mu-tron, was a manufacturer of electronic musical effects active in the 1970s. Their product line focused on filtering and processing effects derived from synthesizer components...
guitar effects pedal
Effects unit
Effects units are electronic devices that alter how a musical instrument or other audio source sounds. Some effects subtly "color" a sound, while others transform it dramatically. Effects are used during live performances or in the studio, typically with electric guitar, keyboard and bass...
and written by keyboardist
Keyboard instrument
A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
Cian Ciaran
Cian Ciaran
Cian Ciaran is the keyboard player in the band, Super Furry Animals.Ciaran is the brother of Dafydd Ieuan . He plays keyboards, electronics and occasional guitar, drums, steel drum and vocals...
.
Release and reception
Ice Hockey Hair was released on CDCompact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
, 7"
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
and cassette
Cassette single
A cassette single is a music single in the form of a Compact Cassette.- History :...
on 25 May 1998 and reached number 12 on the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
. The CD version of the EP has four tracks while the 7" and cassette feature only "Ice Hockey Hair" and "Smokin'". A 12" vinyl release of
Ice Hockey Hair was issued in June 1998 and includes all four songs from the CD version albeit in a different track order. The proverb "Decadence may not be seen as a wholly negative process neither should it be viewed as a terminal state. It's a stage in the process of regeneration and renewal" was to have been featured on Ice Hockey Hair sleeve but the band eventually decided against the idea as they felt the phrase was too long. "Ice Hockey Hair" was included on the band's 'greatest hits' compilation Songbook: The Singles, Vol. 1
Songbook: The Singles, Vol. 1
Songbook: The Singles, Vol. 1 collects all of the Super Furry Animals singles released between 1996 and 2004 as well as B-side "Blerwytirhwng?" . Songbook... was released in the UK in October 2004, debuting at #18 on the UK album charts...
, issued in 2004, while "Smokin'" was included on 1998's B-side
A-side and B-side
A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...
and rarities compilation Out Spaced
Out Spaced
Out Spaced is a 1998 B-Sides and Rarities album by the Super Furry Animals. First editions of the album came in rubber case shaped like a breast....
. The Wildhearts
The Wildhearts
The Wildhearts are a British rock group originally formed in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. The band's sound is a mixture of hard rock and melodic pop music, often described in the music press as combining influences as diverse as The Beatles and 1980s-era Metallica...
recorded a cover
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of "Ice Hockey Hair" for their 2008 album Stop Us If You've Heard This One Before, Vol 1.
Stop Us If You've Heard This One Before, Vol 1.
----Note: The tracks "AC Rocket," "Everyday Formula," and "The Judge" are not included in the legal download-only version of the album, or on the audio streaming service Spotify...
The Melody Maker
Melody Maker
Melody Maker, published in the United Kingdom, was, according to its publisher IPC Media, the world's oldest weekly music newspaper. It was founded in 1926 as a magazine targeted at musicians; in 2000 it was merged into "long-standing rival" New Musical Express.-1950s–1960s:Originally the Melody...
called the Ice Hockey Hair EP "brilliant, predictably freakish weirdness" and described it as a cross between The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys are an American rock band, formed in 1961 in Hawthorne, California. The group was initially composed of brothers Brian, Dennis and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine. Managed by the Wilsons' father Murry, The Beach Boys signed to Capitol Records in 1962...
and techno
Techno
Techno is a form of electronic dance music that emerged in Detroit, Michigan in the United States during the mid to late 1980s. The first recorded use of the word techno, in reference to a genre of music, was in 1988...
while guest reviewers Therapy?
Therapy?
Therapy? is an alternative metal band from Northern Ireland. The band was formed in 1989 by guitarist–vocalist Andy Cairns from Ballyclare and drummer-vocalist Fyfe Ewing from Larne, Northern Ireland. The band initially recorded their first demo with Cairns filling in on bass guitar...
claimed to like "Smokin'" better than "Ice Hockey Hair" which they thought was "full-on smoker
Cannabis smoking
Cannabis smoking involves inhaling vapors released by heating the flowers and subtending leaves of the Cannabis plants, known as marijuana. Alternatively, the cannabis plant flowers may be finely sifted producing kief, a powder especially rich in the oil-glands or trichomes which contain the...
music". Vox
Vox (magazine)
Vox was a British music magazine, first issued in October 1990. It was published by IPC Media, and was later billed as a monthly sister-magazine to IPC's music weekly, the NME....
stated that Ice Hockey Hair proved the band's "placid casual grasp of the concept of genius", describing the title track as a "gooey, melted mix of Queen
Queen (band)
Queen are a British rock band formed in London in 1971, originally consisting of Freddie Mercury , Brian May , John Deacon , and Roger Taylor...
, ELO
Electric Light Orchestra
Electric Light Orchestra were a British rock group from Birmingham who released eleven studio albums between 1971 and 1986 and another album in 2001. ELO were formed to accommodate Roy Wood and Jeff Lynne's desire to create modern rock and pop songs with classical overtones...
, Pavement
Pavement (band)
Pavement is an American alternative rock band that formed in Stockton, California in 1989. In their career, they achieved a significant cult following, and they were called the best band of the 1990s by prominent music critics Robert Christgau and Stephen Thomas Erlewine...
and [...] Techno Animal" and "Smokin'", which they felt was the EP's stand-out song, as "deranged disco delirium". The NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
felt that the EP showed the Super Furry Animals had fulfilled their early promise and was the result of the band having "ideas like most people have cups of tea", awarding Ice Hockey Hair 'single of the week' in their 23 May 1998 issue. The magazine called "Smokin'" "compact disco" and stated that "Mu-Tron" was an "ugly name for a beautiful song". "Ice Hockey Hair" was described as a combination of Queen, ELO, Wings
Wings (band)
Wings were a British-American rock group formed in 1971 by Paul McCartney, Denny Laine and Linda McCartney that remained active until 1981....
and "mad techno squalling" which sounds like "Elton John
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
's glitter-coated grand piano" falling from the sky. Allmusic described the Ice Hockey Hair EP as "another fun, cool group of songs from a band that can seemingly do no wrong" which bridges the gap between the "spaced-out rock" of 1997's Radiator
Radiator (album)
Radiator is the second album by the Super Furry Animals. It peaked at #8 on the UK charts. In 2005, it was reissued with a bonus disc of other tracks from the time....
and the "pop/rock electronic experimentation" of 1999's Guerrilla. The website did take issue with the short length of the record however, suggesting that the Super Furry Animals' music works best "in large doses of pop/rock gem upon pop/rock gem".
In their review of Songbook: The Singles, Vol. 1, Drowned in Sound
Drowned in Sound
DrownedinSound.com or DiS is a UK based music webzine financed by artist management company Silentway . The site is an editorially independent music website.-History:...
claimed that "Ice Hockey Hair" "could be the most perfect thing you'll ever set ears upon" while the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
viewed the "sublime" track as one of the record's highlights. Also reviewing Songbook..., Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork or P4k, is a Chicago-based daily Internet publication established in 1995 that is devoted to music criticism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. Its focus is on underground and independent music, especially indie rock...
called the song a "non-album gem", The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
called it "gorgeous" and Allmusic referred to it as a masterpiece. Reviewing Outspaced, the Melody Maker described the "filthily funky" "Smokin'" as brilliant and Select called it one of the "joyous pinnacles" of the album, suggesting that the track was inspired by P-Funk
P-Funk
P-Funk is a shorthand term for the repertoire and performers associated with George Clinton and the Parliament-Funkadelic collective and the distinctive style of funk music they performed...
. The NME however, called "Smokin'" "sludgy" and suggested that it was Outspaced "fairly naff nadir".
Stylus Magazine
Stylus Magazine
Stylus Magazine was an online music and film magazine launched in 2002. It featured long-form music journalism, four daily music reviews, movie reviews, a number of different podcasts, an MP3 blog, and a text blog....
named Ice Hockey Hair in a list of "Ten essential singles/EPs" released by Creation Records
Creation Records
Creation Records was a British independent record label headed by Alan McGee. Along with Dick Green and Joe Foster, McGee founded Creation in 1983. The label lasted until its demise in 1999. The name came from the 1960s band The Creation , whom McGee greatly admired. McGee, Green and Foster were...
in a 2003 article about the label. "Ice Hockey Hair" was included in The Pitchfork 500, a list of the greatest songs released from 1977 to 2006, published by Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork or P4k, is a Chicago-based daily Internet publication established in 1995 that is devoted to music criticism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. Its focus is on underground and independent music, especially indie rock...
in 2008.
Accolades
| Publication | Country | Accolade | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Peel John Peel John Robert Parker Ravenscroft, OBE , known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey, radio presenter, record producer and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly from 1967 until his death in 2004... show, BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock... |
United Kingdom United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages... |
John Peel's Festive 50 Festive Fifty The Festive Fifty was originally an annual list of the year's fifty best songs compiled at the end of the year and voted for by listeners to John Peel's BBC Radio 1 show... |
1998 | 29 |
| Melody Maker Melody Maker Melody Maker, published in the United Kingdom, was, according to its publisher IPC Media, the world's oldest weekly music newspaper. It was founded in 1926 as a magazine targeted at musicians; in 2000 it was merged into "long-standing rival" New Musical Express.-1950s–1960s:Originally the Melody... |
Singles of the year 1998 | 10 | ||
| NME NME The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles... |
Single of the week 23 May | – | ||
| Singles of the year 1998 NME single of the year Every December, British music magazine NME compiles a list of what it considers the best single or track of the year. It was started in 1975. The list is usually published in one of the issues sold before Christmas – in 2006 it was published in the issue for December 9... |
2 | |||
| NME readers singles of the year 1998 | 1999 | 4 | ||
| Select | Singles of the year 1998 | 1998 | 7 | |
| Pitchfork Media Pitchfork Media Pitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork or P4k, is a Chicago-based daily Internet publication established in 1995 that is devoted to music criticism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. Its focus is on underground and independent music, especially indie rock... |
United States United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... |
The Pitchfork 500 | 2008 | * |
Ice Hockey Hair
The promotional music videoMusic video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
for "Ice Hockey Hair" was directed by Daf Palfrey and appears on the DVD version of the band's 'greatest hits' album Songbook: The Singles, Vol. 1
Songbook: The Singles, Vol. 1
Songbook: The Singles, Vol. 1 collects all of the Super Furry Animals singles released between 1996 and 2004 as well as B-side "Blerwytirhwng?" . Songbook... was released in the UK in October 2004, debuting at #18 on the UK album charts...
. The video begins with silent footage of five characters, who appear in a small white rectangle in the centre of the screen against a black background. The text "I am like a film strip ... and like a child ... in a thousand lunar parks ... someone is always ... cranking the handle" appears as the video cuts between shots of each person. "Ice Hockey Hair" begins playing approximately 17 seconds into the video. Each character is again seen in a white rectangle in the centre of the screen followed by a shot of a pair of hands holding a strip of photos of that particular person during which red text is displayed showing the character's name. A women with short blonde hair and a red top, seen holding her head in her hands is introduced as "The wife", a bald man with blood on his head is "The husband" , a women in a white jacket with a blonde mullet
Mullet (haircut)
The mullet is a hairstyle that is short at the front and sides, and long in the back. . The mullet began to appear in popular media in the 1960s and 1970s but did not become generally well-known until the early 1980s...
hairstyle is "The mistress", a man with thick-rimmed glasses, a white jacket and red polo neck sweater is "The voyeur" and finally a man in a red and black tracksuit top with a large scar running from his left eye to right cheek is "The stalker". The five characters are all seen singing along to the track individually, again framed in a white rectangle in the centre of the screen. "The wife" is twice shown ripping a photograph of her and "The husband", while "The mistress" is seen sitting on the lap of "The husband" in two shots. After 1 minute and 6 seconds the Super Furry Animals are shown playing along to the track on a rotating dancefloor surrounded by photo booths and several dancers in dark clothes. During an instrumental break in the song, at 1 minute 38 seconds, two masked men are shown playing table tennis
Table tennis
Table tennis, also known as ping-pong, is a sport in which two or four players hit a lightweight, hollow ball back and forth using table tennis rackets. The game takes place on a hard table divided by a net...
on another rotating dancefloor with two large fluorescent purple circles in the background. The five characters are then seen walking around the band and stepping into the photo booths that surround them. The text "Act 1: The kiss" is shown, after which footage of the Super Furry Animals playing along to the track is intercut with shots of the characters. "The husband" and "The mistress" kiss while a strip of photos is seen being passed through a pair of hands and "The voyeur" is shown using a video camera. The characters move to different photo booths and the title "Act 2: The stalking" is displayed. Shots of "The stalker" and "The wife" are then intercut with shots of the band. The characters again change booths and the title "Act 3: The murder" is shown. After quick jump cut
Jump cut
A jump cut is a cut in film editing and vloging in which two sequential shots of the same subject are taken from camera positions that vary only slightly. This type of edit causes the subject of the shots to appear to "jump" position in a discontinuous way...
s between shots of the band, the masked men playing table tennis and the five characters, "The voyeur" is shown pointing his video camera at the motionless body of "The mistress" which is laid in a bathtub
Bathtub
A bath , bathtub , or tub is a large container for holding water in which a person may bathe . Most modern bathtubs are made of acrylic or fiberglass, but alternatives are available in enamel over steel or cast iron, and occasionally waterproof finished wood...
covered in film stock
Film stock
Film stock is photographic film on which filmmaking of motion pictures are shot and reproduced. The equivalent in television production is video tape.-1889–1899:...
. More footage of the band follows before "The husband" is shown motionless of the floor, surrounded by a white tape outline. The video ends with more jump cuts between the band, the masked table tennis players and the five named characters.
Smokin'
The music video for "Smokin'" was directed by Peter Gray and also appears on the DVD version of Songbook: The Singles, Vol. 1. The video begins with a shot of the Super Furry Animals' 'SFA' logoLogo
A logo is a graphic mark or emblem commonly used by commercial enterprises, organizations and even individuals to aid and promote instant public recognition...
which appears on the cover of the Ice Hockey Hair EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
. The logo fades out and the camera pans
Panning (camera)
In photography, panning refers to the horizontal movement or rotation of a still or video camera, or the scanning of a subject horizontally on video or a display device...
through a crowd of dark figures wearing beret
Beret
A beret is a soft, round, flat-crowned hat, designated a "cap", usually of woven, hand-knitted wool, crocheted cotton, or wool felt, or acrylic fiber....
s towards a women who is standing behind a long, black table. The women is wearing a short sleeved black dress and has a blonde bob
Bob cut
A "bob cut" is a short haircut for women in which the hair is typically cut straight around the head at about jaw-level, often with a fringe at the front.-The beginning:...
haircut. Her arms and face are illuminated in the otherwise dark room and she is shown walking backwards down the table, giving coloured cards to each of the figures wearing berets. The women walks up and down the table observing the crowd as they each use the piece of card they were given to make an origami
Origami
is the traditional Japanese art of paper folding, which started in the 17th century AD at the latest and was popularized outside Japan in the mid-1900s. It has since then evolved into a modern art form...
animal. As each person completes a model animal the women gives them a new piece of coloured card. Approximately 2 minutes into the video the women returns to a central position behind the table and looks down at one of the beret wearers. The camera cuts
Cut (filmmaking)
In the post-production process of film editing and video editing, a cut is an abrupt, but usually trivial film transition from one sequence to another. It is synonymous with the term edit, though "edit" can imply any number of transitions or effects. The cut, dissolve and wipe serve as the three...
to show him screwing up a piece of green card into a ball which turns into an origami crane
Crane (bird)
Cranes are a family, Gruidae, of large, long-legged and long-necked birds in the order Gruiformes. There are fifteen species of crane in four genera. Unlike the similar-looking but unrelated herons, cranes fly with necks outstretched, not pulled back...
and flies away as he opens his hands. The rest of the figures in berets are shown from behind, bowing their heads before the camera cuts to a close up view of several origami animals on the table. These animals also begin to move, and interact with each other until a large red animal arrives. The camera cuts to a close-up
Close-up
In filmmaking, television production, still photography and the comic strip medium a close-up tightly frames a person or an object. Close-ups are one of the standard shots used regularly with medium shots and long shots . Close-ups display the most detail, but they do not include the broader scene...
of the red animal's head with smoke shown coming from its nose. The next shot shows the origami animals stationary on the table as the camera pans up to the beret wearers who are looking straight ahead while smoke moves across from the right. The women walks up and down the table giving the beret wearers new pieces of card as they complete more and more origami animals. As the video draws to an end she rapidly piles up the origami animals into a heap in the middle of the table. When all the animals have been collected into the pile the beret wearers bow their heads and the women puts her arms around the pile and smiles at the camera. In the final shot the women places her hands on the table and stares at the camera as the video fades out to show the same Super Furry Animals' 'SFA' logo which appeared at the very beginning.
Track listing
All songs by Super Furry Animals unless otherwise stated.- CD (CRESCD 288)
- "Smokin'" (Super Furry Animals/Michael Rose/Derrick Simpson) – 5:05
- "Ice Hockey Hair" – 6:57
- "Mu-Tron" – 3:15
- "Let's Quit Smoking" – 1:48
- 12"Gramophone recordA gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
(CRE 288 T)
- "Smokin'" (Super Furry Animals/Rose/Simpson) – 5:05
- "Mu-Tron" – 3:15
- "Let's Quit Smoking" – 1:48
- "Ice Hockey Hair" – 6:57
- 7" (CRE 288), MCCassette singleA cassette single is a music single in the form of a Compact Cassette.- History :...
(CRECS 288)
- "Ice Hockey Hair" – 6:57
- "Smokin'" (Super Furry Animals/Rose/Simpson) – 5:05
Personnel
Band- Gruff RhysGruff RhysGruffydd Maredudd Bowen Rhys is a Welsh musician, performing solo and with several bands, including Super Furry Animals who obtained mainstream success in the 1990s. He also most recently formed the electro-pop outfit Neon Neon with Boom Bip. Their album Stainless Style was nominated for the 2008...
– vocals - Huw BunfordHuw BunfordHuw "Bunf" Bunford is the guitarist in the rock band, Super Furry Animals.-Biography:...
– guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, backing vocals - Guto PryceGuto PryceGuto Dafydd Pryce is a bass guitar player in the band Super Furry Animals.The name Guto is pronounced in Welsh....
– bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick.... - Cian CiaranCian CiaranCian Ciaran is the keyboard player in the band, Super Furry Animals.Ciaran is the brother of Dafydd Ieuan . He plays keyboards, electronics and occasional guitar, drums, steel drum and vocals...
– keyboardsMusical keyboardA musical keyboard is the set of adjacent depressible levers or keys on a musical instrument, particularly the piano. Keyboards typically contain keys for playing the twelve notes of the Western musical scale, with a combination of larger, longer keys and smaller, shorter keys that repeats at the...
, backing vocals - Dafydd IeuanDafydd IeuanDafydd Ieuan is the drummer with the band, Super Furry Animals and The Peth. He currently lives in Cardiff with his wife Debbie, and their two children Cai and Lleucu....
– drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, backing vocals
Artwork
- Pete FowlerPete FowlerPete Fowler is a Welsh artist best known for his artwork for the Welsh band Super Furry Animals. He is a freelance illustrator and "monster creator" inspired by Japanese art, folklore, myths, psychedelia and super nature...
– illustration - Simon Corkin – design
Singles chart position
| Chart | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
12 |