Music
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Review: Link2Wales / Dec '12 / Neil Crud
Bangor born, Blaenau bred Gai Toms releases his second LP, a double album. ‘A double album?’ I hear you say… Yeah…
CD1 has you imagining Gai meandering through the slag heaps of a grey Blaenau Ffestiniog to the bleak grey concrete hell of Trawsfynnyd Nuclear Power Station and poking rain sodden camp fires in the black mountains of Snowdonia playing his Joe Strummer / Dan Amor style acoustic guitar. The album weaves its wistful way with stars and circles towards the title track Bethel.
Fucking love the duet on the opening track… It’s worth the entrance fee for that alone…
CD2 is a different affair ranging from folk to a dash of hash reggae to a Jona Lewie sprinkling of christmas on Diwrnod Eliffantod, to pop tart rockesque Tan Oer or the Maffia-ish Awyr Las.
The Anweledig influence of his 90's ska band leaves its mark like a faded tattoo on the album without necessarily stamping all over it. In fact you’d be a better man than I if you can actually pin Gai down to an actual genre. The Gai’s all over shop, even chucking traditional daytime Radio Cymru jock-rock in there on Stiletos Gwydr, and 70's style US TV show theme music on Glaw Yr Haf. He is the Super Furry Ffestiniog Animal of 2012 and you should click here and buy this eclectic release and make it a welcome addition to your collection. - Link2Wales / Neil Crud
Review: Link2Wales / Dec '12 / Neil Crud
Bangor born, Blaenau bred Gai Toms releases his second LP, a double album. ‘A double album?’ I hear you say… Yeah…
CD1 has you imagining Gai meandering through the slag heaps of a grey Blaenau Ffestiniog to the bleak grey concrete hell of Trawsfynnyd Nuclear Power Station and poking rain sodden camp fires in the black mountains of Snowdonia playing his Joe Strummer / Dan Amor style acoustic guitar. The album weaves its wistful way with stars and circles towards the title track Bethel.
Fucking love the duet on the opening track… It’s worth the entrance fee for that alone…
CD2 is a different affair ranging from folk to a dash of hash reggae to a Jona Lewie sprinkling of christmas on Diwrnod Eliffantod, to pop tart rockesque Tan Oer or the Maffia-ish Awyr Las.
The Anweledig influence of his 90's ska band leaves its mark like a faded tattoo on the album without necessarily stamping all over it. In fact you’d be a better man than I if you can actually pin Gai down to an actual genre. The Gai’s all over shop, even chucking traditional daytime Radio Cymru jock-rock in there on Stiletos Gwydr, and 70's style US TV show theme music on Glaw Yr Haf. He is the Super Furry Ffestiniog Animal of 2012 and you should click here and buy this eclectic release and make it a welcome addition to your collection. - Link2Wales / Neil Crud
Discography
Gai Toms:
2012 Bethel (Double Album/CD) Sbensh
2008 Rhwng y Llygru a'r Glasu (Album/CD) Sbensh
Mim Twm Llai:
2006 Yr Eira Mawr (Album/CD) Crai
2005 Straeon y Cymdogion (Album/CD) Crai
2002 O'r Sbensh (Album/CD) Crai
Anweledig:
2004 Byw (EP/CD) Crai
2001 Low Alpine (EP/CD) Crai
2001 Gweld y Llun (Album/CD) Crai
2000 Scratchy (EP/CD) Zion Train collaboration. Crai
1999 Cae yn Nefyn (EP/CD) Crai
1998 Sombreros yn y Glaw (Album/CD/Cassette) Crai
Photos
Bio
Snowdonia mountain ballads, indie folk & country, punk/rock stomps! Just a few renditions on GT's music, mostly sung in Cymraeg (Welsh). To weave all these influences into one musical blanket, GT has coined the term - Brythonicana!
Being a rocker at heart, his slate splitting voice is well suited for the upbeat material and can also be sanded down for the more heartfelt & melodic. A true artist of the *Welsh language music scene with an AK47 repertoire shooting for artistic freedom, international acknowledgment of minority cultures and mainly... a good time!
His early solo material (Mim Twm Llai) was often compared to Welsh lang. folk / pop pioneer - Meic Stevens while his latest work is described as 'Waitsian'! By now, GT is quite comfortable in his own shoes and loves to explore new ways of composing, recording and performing.
"Foremost, being a 'folk artist' doesn't mean I compose in a 'traditional style'. Influenced by artists such as Woody Guthrie, Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash, Tom Waits, Meic Stevens, Manu Chao, Bon Iver, Tallest Man on Earth... I thrive on mixing it all up, especially from a minority culture point of view. Folk music has always been contemporary... it's an attitude, not a music style." GT
GT usually performs live with a full band or solo on guitar.
Winner of 10 BBC Radio Cymru RAP awards
Winner of Cân i Gymru 2012 (Song for Wales, S4C) with Phil Lee Jones
* The Welsh language music scene gave rise to artists such as Gruff Rhys, Cerys Mathews, Y Niwl, Cate Le Bon.
** For audio, please click the Soundcloud link below for the time being, thanks **
PS. We suffer from You Tube poverty!
Links
