It’s been three years since Gruff Rhys’ Hotel Shampoo, and he’s been busy. His newest album, American Interior, is more than just an album; it is a multimodal story. The album is accompanied by a book, a documentary film, and an app. The premise behind all of this is quite interesting and goes way back. Essentially, Rhys’ album tells the story of his distant relative, John Evans. Evans left Wales in the 1700’s to discover “a mythical tribe of Welsh speaking First Nation Americans” Rhys traced Evans’ steps to make his own discoveries about his relative’s involvement with American history and his final resting place. As for the mythical tribe, I guess we’ll just have to watch the documentary. Rhys’ multimodal project is a narrative for Evans’ adventures, and Rhys includes an artistic manifestation of Evans in his own performances.
Appropriately, Rhys’ album, American Interior, captures that bizarre history and adventurous story of Evans’ life. The album opens with “American Exterior,” a short intro with a robotic rhythm that seamlessly transitions into “American Interior.” In a sense, the exterior becomes interior as Rhys’ pulls us into his story. We can see Rhys’ combination of spacey and indie rock in his music video for “American Interior.” Throughout the video, Rhys sports a large fox hat and travels through a black and white landscape with his sidekick, Evans, in his artistic form looking rather serious. Pops of color give the video a psychedelic style.
Quickly following “American Interior” with energy is “100 Unread Messages,” which describes Evans’ arrival to America and traces his journey from Philadelphia to the western frontier in search for the lost tribe. The track has a classic country guitar style that embodies the adventure behind Rhys’ art. The style reoccurs in tracks like “Year of the Dog.” Other tracks give a road trip feel and adopt an 80’s pop-rock sound, such as “The Last Conquistador,” opening with a Napoleon Dynamite rhythm. “Lost Tribes” follows with the same style.
Shortly after, Rhys incorporates classical elements into the album with a piano and violins in “Liberty (Is Where We’ll Be)” and “lolo.” “Allweddallau Allwedol” keeps up the energy with lyrics that sound like a tribal language, of course adding to the lost tribe theme. Rhys speeds up and slows down, within tracks and throughout the album in general. Like his journey, there are breaks, lulls, and times of progress. The album ends with “Tiger’s Tale,” which comes back to the classic country style that reminds us of a road trip. The instrumental track is slower than the rest of the album’s high energy, but completes the album on a hopeful and successful note, as if to say Rhys’ distant relative did not fail at his search, but rather opened a door for creativity and stories.
Anyone who’s traced back their family line knows it’s a very personal experience, and you usually find out the most unlikely things about your long lost relatives and maybe uncover some secrets (or don’t). Rhys’ project is a collage and a tribute to Evans and what he stands for, adventure and risks.
5/5
Nikki grew up in an imitation German town in Georgia by the name of Helen. It wasn’t until middle school that she started to get interested in the arts: painting, music, and writing. She wrote in her diary, sketched in art class and listened to regretful music. By high school, her tastes became a little more refined. She found Fiona Apple, Lou Reed and Giant Drag, and they remain her favorites in college. She was accepted to the University of Georgia in 2012 and is currently majoring in English. Upon moving to Athens from a town with more trees than people, Nikki was a bit overwhelmed. However, there is certainly no lack of inspiration in Athens, and she appreciates its love for the arts and its service as a platform.