Unlimited Streaming
Listen to this album in high quality now on our apps
Start my trial period and start listening to this albumEnjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription
SubscribeEnjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription
Digital Download
Purchase and download this album in a wide variety of formats depending on your needs.
Gwenno Saunders used to be best known as one of the Pipettes, and if she had vanished after they broke up, she would still have something really cool on her CV. With the release of her first solo album, Y Dydd Olaf, Gwenno (as she's now known) makes a name for herself outside of the group in a big way. The record was inspired by the 1976 sci-fi novel House of the Twilight, is sung entirely in Welsh except for one song sung in Cornish, and hits a sweet spot between the exotic electronic pulse of Broadcast, the candy-sweet pop hooks of Stereolab, and the experimentalism of classic electronic pioneers like Delia Derbyshire. These elements add up to something unique and impressive, especially when Gwenno's sugary vocals are poured on top. Even when the lyrics detail serious political issues, which non-Welsh speaking listeners will have to take on faith, Gwenno's voice sounds like it would melt butter, which is a classic way to get people to listen to what you are saying. Ask Stereolab. Even if the lyrics sail right over the listener's head, they will be caught like flies in a web by the rich and enveloping textures full of wonderfully old-sounding keyboards she and producer Rhys Edwards conjure up. Sometimes relaxed and dreamlike, sometimes insistent and driving, Gwenno and Edwards are expert at crafting songs that sound like they were made in a laboratory by vintage robots, while at the same time having a warmly beating heart. The best songs are those that feel like hit songs from some imagined era when the '60s and '80s were mashed together in a futuristically sleek collision ("Chwyldro," "Fratolish Hiang Perpeshki") of subtle guitars and shiny synths. The tracks that come off like close relatives to the best work of Saint Etienne ("Golau Arall") have a slightly off-kilter spookiness lurking behind the sunny bounce ("Calon Peiriant") or soar high in the sky with absolutely beautiful choruses ("Amser"). Gwenno is firmly in charge of her sound and presentation from the beginning, and Y Dydd Olaf is wonderfully assured throughout. Any one of the bands she calls influences should be proud to have inspired her; she's made an album that's worthy of being mentioned in the same breath as all of them.
© Tim Sendra /TiVo
You are currently listening to samples.
Listen to over 100 million songs with an unlimited streaming plan.
Listen to this playlist and more than 100 million songs with our unlimited streaming plans.
From 12.49€/month
Gwenno, Composer, MainArtist - Rhys Edwards, Producer, MixingEngineer
2015 Heavenly Recordings under exclusive license to PIAS 2015 Heavenly Recordings under exclusive licence to [PIAS]
Gwenno, Composer, MainArtist - Rhys Edwards, Producer, MixingEngineer
2015 Heavenly Recordings under exclusive license to PIAS 2015 Heavenly Recordings under exclusive licence to [PIAS]
Gwenno, Composer, MainArtist - Rhys Edwards, Producer, MixingEngineer
2015 Heavenly Recordings under exclusive license to PIAS 2015 Heavenly Recordings under exclusive licence to [PIAS]
Gwenno, Composer, MainArtist - Rhys Edwards, Producer, MixingEngineer
2015 Heavenly Recordings under exclusive license to PIAS 2015 Heavenly Recordings under exclusive licence to [PIAS]
Gwenno, Composer, MainArtist - Rhys Edwards, Producer, MixingEngineer
2015 Heavenly Recordings under exclusive license to PIAS 2015 Heavenly Recordings under exclusive licence to [PIAS]
Gwenno, Composer, MainArtist - Rhys Edwards, Producer, MixingEngineer
2015 Heavenly Recordings under exclusive license to PIAS 2015 Heavenly Recordings under exclusive licence to [PIAS]
Gwenno, Composer, MainArtist - Rhys Edwards, Producer, MixingEngineer
2015 Heavenly Recordings under exclusive license to PIAS 2015 Heavenly Recordings under exclusive licence to [PIAS]
Gwenno, Composer, MainArtist
2015 Heavenly Recordings under exclusive license to PIAS 2015 Heavenly Recordings under exclusive licence to [PIAS]
Gwenno, Composer, MainArtist - Rhys Edwards, Producer, MixingEngineer
2015 Heavenly Recordings under exclusive license to PIAS 2015 Heavenly Recordings under exclusive licence to [PIAS]
Gwenno, Composer, MainArtist - Rhys Edwards, Producer, MixingEngineer
2015 Heavenly Recordings under exclusive license to PIAS 2015 Heavenly Recordings under exclusive licence to [PIAS]
Gwenno, MainArtist - Malcolm Neon, Composer, Producer, MixingEngineer
2015 Heavenly Recordings under exclusive license to PIAS 2015 Heavenly Recordings under exclusive licence to [PIAS]
Gwenno, Composer, MainArtist - Rhys Edwards, Producer, MixingEngineer
2015 Heavenly Recordings under exclusive license to PIAS 2015 Heavenly Recordings under exclusive licence to [PIAS]
Gwenno, Composer, MainArtist - Rhys Edwards, Producer, MixingEngineer
2015 Heavenly Recordings under exclusive license to PIAS 2015 Heavenly Recordings under exclusive licence to [PIAS]
Gwenno, Composer, MainArtist
2015 Heavenly Recordings under exclusive license to PIAS 2015 Heavenly Recordings under exclusive licence to [PIAS]
Gwenno, Composer, MainArtist - R.Seiliog, MixingEngineer - Rhys Edwards, Producer
2015 Heavenly Recordings under exclusive license to PIAS 2015 Heavenly Recordings under exclusive licence to [PIAS]
Gwenno, Composer, MainArtist - Rhys Edwards, Producer, MixingEngineer
2015 Heavenly Recordings under exclusive license to PIAS 2015 Heavenly Recordings under exclusive licence to [PIAS]
Gwenno, Composer, MainArtist - Rhys Edwards, Producer, MixingEngineer
2015 Heavenly Recordings under exclusive license to PIAS 2015 Heavenly Recordings under exclusive licence to [PIAS]
Gwenno, Composer, MainArtist - Rhys Edwards, Producer, MixingEngineer
2015 Heavenly Recordings under exclusive license to PIAS 2015 Heavenly Recordings under exclusive licence to [PIAS]
Andrew Weatherall, MixingEngineer - Gwenno, Composer, MainArtist - Rhys Edwards, Producer
2015 Heavenly Recordings under exclusive license to PIAS 2015 Heavenly Recordings under exclusive licence to [PIAS]
Album review
Gwenno Saunders used to be best known as one of the Pipettes, and if she had vanished after they broke up, she would still have something really cool on her CV. With the release of her first solo album, Y Dydd Olaf, Gwenno (as she's now known) makes a name for herself outside of the group in a big way. The record was inspired by the 1976 sci-fi novel House of the Twilight, is sung entirely in Welsh except for one song sung in Cornish, and hits a sweet spot between the exotic electronic pulse of Broadcast, the candy-sweet pop hooks of Stereolab, and the experimentalism of classic electronic pioneers like Delia Derbyshire. These elements add up to something unique and impressive, especially when Gwenno's sugary vocals are poured on top. Even when the lyrics detail serious political issues, which non-Welsh speaking listeners will have to take on faith, Gwenno's voice sounds like it would melt butter, which is a classic way to get people to listen to what you are saying. Ask Stereolab. Even if the lyrics sail right over the listener's head, they will be caught like flies in a web by the rich and enveloping textures full of wonderfully old-sounding keyboards she and producer Rhys Edwards conjure up. Sometimes relaxed and dreamlike, sometimes insistent and driving, Gwenno and Edwards are expert at crafting songs that sound like they were made in a laboratory by vintage robots, while at the same time having a warmly beating heart. The best songs are those that feel like hit songs from some imagined era when the '60s and '80s were mashed together in a futuristically sleek collision ("Chwyldro," "Fratolish Hiang Perpeshki") of subtle guitars and shiny synths. The tracks that come off like close relatives to the best work of Saint Etienne ("Golau Arall") have a slightly off-kilter spookiness lurking behind the sunny bounce ("Calon Peiriant") or soar high in the sky with absolutely beautiful choruses ("Amser"). Gwenno is firmly in charge of her sound and presentation from the beginning, and Y Dydd Olaf is wonderfully assured throughout. Any one of the bands she calls influences should be proud to have inspired her; she's made an album that's worthy of being mentioned in the same breath as all of them.
© Tim Sendra /TiVo
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 19 track(s)
- Total length: 01:22:58
- Main artists: Gwenno
- Composer: Various Composers
- Label: Heavenly Recordings
- Genre: Pop/Rock Rock Alternative & Indie
2015 Heavenly Recordings under exclusive license to PIAS 2015 Heavenly Recordings under exclusive licence to [PIAS]
Improve album information
Why buy on Qobuz...
-
Stream or download your music
Buy an album or an individual track. Or listen to our entire catalogue with our high-quality unlimited streaming subscriptions.
-
Zero DRM
The downloaded files belong to you, without any usage limit. You can download them as many times as you like.
-
Choose the format best suited for you
Download your purchases in a wide variety of formats (FLAC, ALAC, WAV, AIFF...) depending on your needs.
-
Listen to your purchases on our apps
Download the Qobuz apps for smartphones, tablets and computers, and listen to your purchases wherever you go.