Cowbois Rhos Botwnnog

Cowbois Rhos Botwnnog are a three-piece band of brothers who, so they tell us, were given their name by their headmaster at primary school. Rhos Botwnnog is a tiny piece of land just north of the village of Botwnnog in the Llyn Peninsula in north Wales where the band come from and it apparently resembles an American prairie. Which means, for those not fluent in Welsh, the name translates as The Rhos Botwnnog Cowboys.

Dyddiau Du, Dyddiau Gwyn is their second album and, as with their other music, it’s written and recorded in Welsh. Listening to an album without being able to understand the lyrics can make for an interesting experience. The words are often what connect the listener to a song initially and as I don’t speak Welsh I was concerned about being able to review these tracks justly. However without the lyrics and their meaning to cling to. The melodies and instrumentation of the songs quickly come to the fore.

So it is with Dyddia Du, Dyddiau Gwyn. As the band’s name (in either language) suggests, they are heavily influenced by country, folk, Americana and surf sounds. The Cowboys make great use of a wide range of instruments on this album. A pedal steel guitar is present from opening track ‘Y Ffenest’ to the finish, bringing a laid-back quality to the album. Second track ‘Malu’r Ffenestri’ begins with a slightly unexpected but brilliant bluesy jazz piano line; piano is very much a part of Americana music but perhaps gets forgotten in favour of the banjo at the moment.

Title track ‘Dyddiau Du, Dyddiau Gwyn’ opens with a mouth organ and is the most upbeat, friendly track on the album, sounding like something of a hoe down. The country influence comes to the forefront in this song and also on ‘Os Ti’n Dod Noi’, which is the kind of ballad you would expect to have cowboys in its video. But they can shift the mood too, as they do on ‘Gan Fy Mod’, which shares the same sound but brings a spare accompaniment early on before building to an anthemic crescendo. Lead singer Iwan Hughes’ vocals are effortlessly good here and throughout ‘Dyddiau Du, Dyddiau Gwyn’. All three brothers have a rich tone to their voices and Iwan’s vocal has the right amount of rough not trying too hard mixed with smoothness. Perhaps being brothers helps as the band seem to harmonise particularly well and that is especially noticeable on ‘Ffarwel I Langyfelach Lon’.

The album closes with a very short and simple lullaby of a song entitled ‘Ll’gada Gleison’, a calming way to finish a musically and instrumentally rich album. Of course understanding the lyrics to a greater extent would enhance these songs, but in some ways the mystery of not knowing the words or their meanings is just as fascinating. - For Folk's Sake Magazine

Cowbois Rhos Botwnnog are a three-piece band of brothers who, so they tell us, were given their name by their headmaster at primary school. Rhos Botwnnog is a tiny piece of land just north of the village of Botwnnog in the Llyn Peninsula in north Wales where the band come from and it apparently resembles an American prairie. Which means, for those not fluent in Welsh, the name translates as The Rhos Botwnnog Cowboys.

Dyddiau Du, Dyddiau Gwyn is their second album and, as with their other music, it’s written and recorded in Welsh. Listening to an album without being able to understand the lyrics can make for an interesting experience. The words are often what connect the listener to a song initially and as I don’t speak Welsh I was concerned about being able to review these tracks justly. However without the lyrics and their meaning to cling to. The melodies and instrumentation of the songs quickly come to the fore.

So it is with Dyddia Du, Dyddiau Gwyn. As the band’s name (in either language) suggests, they are heavily influenced by country, folk, Americana and surf sounds. The Cowboys make great use of a wide range of instruments on this album. A pedal steel guitar is present from opening track ‘Y Ffenest’ to the finish, bringing a laid-back quality to the album. Second track ‘Malu’r Ffenestri’ begins with a slightly unexpected but brilliant bluesy jazz piano line; piano is very much a part of Americana music but perhaps gets forgotten in favour of the banjo at the moment.

Title track ‘Dyddiau Du, Dyddiau Gwyn’ opens with a mouth organ and is the most upbeat, friendly track on the album, sounding like something of a hoe down. The country influence comes to the forefront in this song and also on ‘Os Ti’n Dod Noi’, which is the kind of ballad you would expect to have cowboys in its video. But they can shift the mood too, as they do on ‘Gan Fy Mod’, which shares the same sound but brings a spare accompaniment early on before building to an anthemic crescendo. Lead singer Iwan Hughes’ vocals are effortlessly good here and throughout ‘Dyddiau Du, Dyddiau Gwyn’. All three brothers have a rich tone to their voices and Iwan’s vocal has the right amount of rough not trying too hard mixed with smoothness. Perhaps being brothers helps as the band seem to harmonise particularly well and that is especially noticeable on ‘Ffarwel I Langyfelach Lon’.

The album closes with a very short and simple lullaby of a song entitled ‘Ll’gada Gleison’, a calming way to finish a musically and instrumentally rich album. Of course understanding the lyrics to a greater extent would enhance these songs, but in some ways the mystery of not knowing the words or their meanings is just as fascinating. - For Folk's Sake Magazine

I have always been against people signing in English if it isn’t their mother tongue because often the emphases and pronunciations leave a great deal to be desired. So I cannot castigate Cowbois Rhos Botwnnog for performing this entire album in their native Welsh – I do wish they has seen fit to issue a translation into English though because they sound as though the lyrics will be well worth listening to!

Musically this is wonderful; a mix of Country, Folk and indie with some superb playing and heartfelt vocals that hit the same sort of spot as Neil Young when he isn’t berating the world.
‘y ffenast’ is a beautiful and reflective piece with Iwan singing in a keening and pure voice. You wouldn’t believe that his fellow band mates – his brothers – Aled & Dafydd last played in a heavy metal outfit Eryr but here they are playing with real finesse and subtlety.
The title number is a country romp with harmonica and slide steel guitar and once again Iwan’s voice, delicate and just keeping its own above the music and ‘gan fy modi i’ is deliciously melancholy with a huge and thunderous drumbeat emphasising the doomy atmosphere.
‘ffarwel i langyfelach lon’ is the track I found myself going back to time and again with atmospheric guitars and a lonely and barren landscape in the music and when the vocals come in there is a folk tinge to their sound – probably the most complete song on the album and already on my iPod.

Production is by David Wrench and he has done a great job in keeping Iwan’s voice in the forefront.

At the end of it all it doesn’t matter to me whether they are singing in English, Welsh, Urdu or gibberish if the whole package works and makes me want to listen to them; singing in their native language is obviously important to these boys – these cowboys - and it enables them to create an album that really hits home. Diolch bechgyn. - music-news.com

I have always been against people signing in English if it isn’t their mother tongue because often the emphases and pronunciations leave a great deal to be desired. So I cannot castigate Cowbois Rhos Botwnnog for performing this entire album in their native Welsh – I do wish they has seen fit to issue a translation into English though because they sound as though the lyrics will be well worth listening to!

Musically this is wonderful; a mix of Country, Folk and indie with some superb playing and heartfelt vocals that hit the same sort of spot as Neil Young when he isn’t berating the world.
‘y ffenast’ is a beautiful and reflective piece with Iwan singing in a keening and pure voice. You wouldn’t believe that his fellow band mates – his brothers – Aled & Dafydd last played in a heavy metal outfit Eryr but here they are playing with real finesse and subtlety.
The title number is a country romp with harmonica and slide steel guitar and once again Iwan’s voice, delicate and just keeping its own above the music and ‘gan fy modi i’ is deliciously melancholy with a huge and thunderous drumbeat emphasising the doomy atmosphere.
‘ffarwel i langyfelach lon’ is the track I found myself going back to time and again with atmospheric guitars and a lonely and barren landscape in the music and when the vocals come in there is a folk tinge to their sound – probably the most complete song on the album and already on my iPod.

Production is by David Wrench and he has done a great job in keeping Iwan’s voice in the forefront.

At the end of it all it doesn’t matter to me whether they are singing in English, Welsh, Urdu or gibberish if the whole package works and makes me want to listen to them; singing in their native language is obviously important to these boys – these cowboys - and it enables them to create an album that really hits home. Diolch bechgyn. - music-news.com

Country Music in Welsh, Dan James delves further

Its country music in welsh and it’s exceptionally well done. I should add that there is something in this for me as a confirmed “folkie” with hints of Bob (Dylan) on the title track dyddiau du, dyddiau gwyn (dark days, light days). Why this is third track in I don’t know as it is clearly the most radio friendly. There is an emotional fragility to Iwan Hughes’ lead vocals which is really engaging and adds to the atmospheric quality of these songs. Aside from the upbeat title track, this album has an anthemic and reflective quality and is loaded with emotion. For me I get a real sense of the sheer remoteness of Rhos Botwnnog home to the Cowbois of the title.

There is some great guitar work throughout with some subtle use of string bending and background feedback, bolstered by the truly excellent pedal steel guitar of Euron Jones which transforms the track dyddiau du, dyddiau gwyn into a sure fire country hit. Stand out tracks for me were the title track and O! nansi for general upbeat country bounce, and ffarwel I langyfelach lon and gan fy mod i for their truly widescreen atmospheric qualities. This album reminds me of one of my favourite American bands Nels Andrews & the Sunday Shoes which I saw a couple of years ago when they were touring over here. I love the slow reflective quality of this music. The difference here is bigger choruses with added welshness. A really great album from those Rhos Botwnnog cowboys! Incidentally I should add a small apology to listeners of my folk show. I now realize “rhos” doesn’t mean “from”! - BRFM

Country Music in Welsh, Dan James delves further

Its country music in welsh and it’s exceptionally well done. I should add that there is something in this for me as a confirmed “folkie” with hints of Bob (Dylan) on the title track dyddiau du, dyddiau gwyn (dark days, light days). Why this is third track in I don’t know as it is clearly the most radio friendly. There is an emotional fragility to Iwan Hughes’ lead vocals which is really engaging and adds to the atmospheric quality of these songs. Aside from the upbeat title track, this album has an anthemic and reflective quality and is loaded with emotion. For me I get a real sense of the sheer remoteness of Rhos Botwnnog home to the Cowbois of the title.

There is some great guitar work throughout with some subtle use of string bending and background feedback, bolstered by the truly excellent pedal steel guitar of Euron Jones which transforms the track dyddiau du, dyddiau gwyn into a sure fire country hit. Stand out tracks for me were the title track and O! nansi for general upbeat country bounce, and ffarwel I langyfelach lon and gan fy mod i for their truly widescreen atmospheric qualities. This album reminds me of one of my favourite American bands Nels Andrews & the Sunday Shoes which I saw a couple of years ago when they were touring over here. I love the slow reflective quality of this music. The difference here is bigger choruses with added welshness. A really great album from those Rhos Botwnnog cowboys! Incidentally I should add a small apology to listeners of my folk show. I now realize “rhos” doesn’t mean “from”! - BRFM

The three Hughes brothers were musically weaned in the small village of Rhos Botwnnog, on the Llyn Peninsula in North Wales, on a diet of Neil Young and Gram Parsons from their parents’ album collection together with a welter of traditional Welsh folk music. These influences bear direct fruit in their Welsh/Americana form of music that resonates with mystical wistfulness, and particularly in Dyddiau Du, Dyddiau Gwyn, their second full-length album. A stark poignancy is found in many of its lyrics, such as these lines, translated from the title track: Dark days and light days, they come and go like prayers on the wind. God knows what will become of us?

There are hints of 70s influences from the likes of Poco and the Eagles on this album as well as from English folk bands from at the time such as Lindisfarne. The slower, gentler tracks have a clear strength and beauty, with their delicious harmonies and echo-laden guitars, that enhance the plaintive quality of the Welsh lyrics. Track 4, “Gan Fy Mod I”, in particular, builds to a powerful harmony-laden crescendo before Iwan Hughes’ yearning solo voice closes the piece with quiet simplicity. The Welsh traditional song ‘Ffarwel I Langyfelach Lon’ also grows in intensity, featuring a rasping lead guitar break at the midway point that fits in well with the sombre feel of this lengthy anthemic number. Some of the mid-tempo songs are lighter in tone and contrast well with the Orbison-esque quality of the richer ballads.

Cowbois Rhos Botwnnog consists of Iwan Hughes (vocals, guitar, piano), Aled Hughes (vocals, bass), and Dafydd Hughes (drums), augmented by local friends and musicians – Euron Jones (pedal steel); Branwen Williams (vocals, Rhodes, organ); Llyr Pari (additional guitars). Production is by the multi-talented David Wrench, who has worked previously with a wide variety of artists, including Kathryn Williams, Michael Weston King, Bat for Lashes and Julian Cope.

Cowbois Rhos Botwnnog’s debut album Dawns Y Trychfilod was released in 2007 and topped the Welsh music chart for several weeks, with the band headlining several festivals over the next three years. The maturer Americana/Roots sounds of Dyddiau Du, Dyddiau Gwyn should gain a whole new fanbase for the boys from Rhos Botwnnog. A bigger and intriguing question is whether they can they translate their success onto a wider stage. Might they follow in the footsteps of their fellow countrymen Super Furry Animals, who scored a big commercial success in the UK, hitting the UK Top 20 album charts some 10 years ago with their Welsh language CD Mwng? They may not be aiming for such pop crossover success as the Furries, but the beauty and production quality alone should ensure that this album is heard and admired well beyond the confines of their home country.

Simon Beards
(with thanks to Gerry Evans at TwickFolk for assistance with the Welsh) - Backroads Music

The three Hughes brothers were musically weaned in the small village of Rhos Botwnnog, on the Llyn Peninsula in North Wales, on a diet of Neil Young and Gram Parsons from their parents’ album collection together with a welter of traditional Welsh folk music. These influences bear direct fruit in their Welsh/Americana form of music that resonates with mystical wistfulness, and particularly in Dyddiau Du, Dyddiau Gwyn, their second full-length album. A stark poignancy is found in many of its lyrics, such as these lines, translated from the title track: Dark days and light days, they come and go like prayers on the wind. God knows what will become of us?

There are hints of 70s influences from the likes of Poco and the Eagles on this album as well as from English folk bands from at the time such as Lindisfarne. The slower, gentler tracks have a clear strength and beauty, with their delicious harmonies and echo-laden guitars, that enhance the plaintive quality of the Welsh lyrics. Track 4, “Gan Fy Mod I”, in particular, builds to a powerful harmony-laden crescendo before Iwan Hughes’ yearning solo voice closes the piece with quiet simplicity. The Welsh traditional song ‘Ffarwel I Langyfelach Lon’ also grows in intensity, featuring a rasping lead guitar break at the midway point that fits in well with the sombre feel of this lengthy anthemic number. Some of the mid-tempo songs are lighter in tone and contrast well with the Orbison-esque quality of the richer ballads.

Cowbois Rhos Botwnnog consists of Iwan Hughes (vocals, guitar, piano), Aled Hughes (vocals, bass), and Dafydd Hughes (drums), augmented by local friends and musicians – Euron Jones (pedal steel); Branwen Williams (vocals, Rhodes, organ); Llyr Pari (additional guitars). Production is by the multi-talented David Wrench, who has worked previously with a wide variety of artists, including Kathryn Williams, Michael Weston King, Bat for Lashes and Julian Cope.

Cowbois Rhos Botwnnog’s debut album Dawns Y Trychfilod was released in 2007 and topped the Welsh music chart for several weeks, with the band headlining several festivals over the next three years. The maturer Americana/Roots sounds of Dyddiau Du, Dyddiau Gwyn should gain a whole new fanbase for the boys from Rhos Botwnnog. A bigger and intriguing question is whether they can they translate their success onto a wider stage. Might they follow in the footsteps of their fellow countrymen Super Furry Animals, who scored a big commercial success in the UK, hitting the UK Top 20 album charts some 10 years ago with their Welsh language CD Mwng? They may not be aiming for such pop crossover success as the Furries, but the beauty and production quality alone should ensure that this album is heard and admired well beyond the confines of their home country.

Simon Beards
(with thanks to Gerry Evans at TwickFolk for assistance with the Welsh) - Backroads Music

The success of Welsh language recordings outside of Wales isn't good. When people talk about Celtic music they normally mean Gaelic and even then in the general population that really means generic fantasy. It's a shame there is a real beauty in the Welsh language. It's got a harder edge, but no less expression. A band such as Cowbois Rhos Botwnnog must have a real passion and a lot of bottle to seek wider recognition for their music. "dyddiau du, dyddiau gwyn" is great sounding acoustic rock, full of life and energy that stands on merit, not rarity value. - Fatea Records

The success of Welsh language recordings outside of Wales isn't good. When people talk about Celtic music they normally mean Gaelic and even then in the general population that really means generic fantasy. It's a shame there is a real beauty in the Welsh language. It's got a harder edge, but no less expression. A band such as Cowbois Rhos Botwnnog must have a real passion and a lot of bottle to seek wider recognition for their music. "dyddiau du, dyddiau gwyn" is great sounding acoustic rock, full of life and energy that stands on merit, not rarity value. - Fatea Records

I was just thinking that an Americana album sung entirely in Welsh was something of a novelty when it occurred to me that it wasn’t really that big a deal. In fact, I doubt that Cowbois Rhos Botwnnog, with their new album “Dyddiau Du, Dyddiau Gwyn” are the only genre practitioners in Wales.

Nevertheless, this is a convincing album and provides a degree of (non scientific) evidence that Gram Parsons once trekked over the Welsh hills and valleys even if it did seem at times that Bono must have been following close behind. Despite an almost complete lack of knowledge of the Welsh language, it didn’t take long to get into this album. The sonic familiarity brought by Euron Jones’ pedal steel helped, of course, but the main selling point to me was the intense, and often laconic, voice of Iwan Hughes that exuded the world weary melancholy necessary to sell these songs with ra peak of excellence being reached on “Os Ti’n Dod Nôl”. Americana is a genre that often trips over its own insignificance but not here as Cowbois Rhos Botwnnog go large at every opportunity and I felt the urge to wave my lighter in the air on many an occasion whilst listening to this album.

I’ll give the band credit for steadfastly resisting the commercial common sense of including a song in English or even providing an English translation for the lyrics. No matter, for passion is universal and something that you can’t fake. Cowbois Rhos Botwnnog have put that into this album.


Review by: Bluesbunny

Rating:
* * * * - Bluesbunny

I was just thinking that an Americana album sung entirely in Welsh was something of a novelty when it occurred to me that it wasn’t really that big a deal. In fact, I doubt that Cowbois Rhos Botwnnog, with their new album “Dyddiau Du, Dyddiau Gwyn” are the only genre practitioners in Wales.

Nevertheless, this is a convincing album and provides a degree of (non scientific) evidence that Gram Parsons once trekked over the Welsh hills and valleys even if it did seem at times that Bono must have been following close behind. Despite an almost complete lack of knowledge of the Welsh language, it didn’t take long to get into this album. The sonic familiarity brought by Euron Jones’ pedal steel helped, of course, but the main selling point to me was the intense, and often laconic, voice of Iwan Hughes that exuded the world weary melancholy necessary to sell these songs with ra peak of excellence being reached on “Os Ti’n Dod Nôl”. Americana is a genre that often trips over its own insignificance but not here as Cowbois Rhos Botwnnog go large at every opportunity and I felt the urge to wave my lighter in the air on many an occasion whilst listening to this album.

I’ll give the band credit for steadfastly resisting the commercial common sense of including a song in English or even providing an English translation for the lyrics. No matter, for passion is universal and something that you can’t fake. Cowbois Rhos Botwnnog have put that into this album.


Review by: Bluesbunny

Rating:
* * * * - Bluesbunny

It’s often easy to forget that in every corner of every town, county or in this case, principality hides an impressive – and usually unassuming – band, seemingly born fully formed into a world of their own recording. I can’t lay claim to discovering North Wales’ exceptional Cowbois Rhos Botwnnog, whose debut album Dawns Y Trychfilod came out back in 2007, but I can say that at last, my ears have been well and truly awed by their sublime songwriting.
Everything from the neat Sweetheart Of The Rodeo country slides that slip over this album’s title track to the moving ‘Os Ti’n Dod Nôl’ display a maturity and attention almost too perfect for a band so young. At times they fall victim to one too many moments of introspection, but when the best of them come as naturally as ‘Gan Fy Mod’ and the celebratory highs ring like The Flying Burrito Brothers (‘O! Nansi’), what more can you really ask for?

Richard S Jones - Shindig! Magazine

It’s often easy to forget that in every corner of every town, county or in this case, principality hides an impressive – and usually unassuming – band, seemingly born fully formed into a world of their own recording. I can’t lay claim to discovering North Wales’ exceptional Cowbois Rhos Botwnnog, whose debut album Dawns Y Trychfilod came out back in 2007, but I can say that at last, my ears have been well and truly awed by their sublime songwriting.
Everything from the neat Sweetheart Of The Rodeo country slides that slip over this album’s title track to the moving ‘Os Ti’n Dod Nôl’ display a maturity and attention almost too perfect for a band so young. At times they fall victim to one too many moments of introspection, but when the best of them come as naturally as ‘Gan Fy Mod’ and the celebratory highs ring like The Flying Burrito Brothers (‘O! Nansi’), what more can you really ask for?

Richard S Jones - Shindig! Magazine

Americana from the Lleyn peninsula, you say? Sounds ace. The utterly lush Malu'r Ffenestri wouldn't be out of place on any of Neil Young's early 70s albums, Iwan Hughes' voice possessing a world-weary tenderness that would perfectly soundtrack any Welsh road movie. They can do bar room rock (O! Nansi), gentle introspection (Gan Fy Mod i), even stadium folk rock (Os Ti'n Dod 'Nol). And the bass player also plays "cosmic banjo". Nice. Another impressive release from an always interesting label. PJ

* * * * - Buzz Magazine

Americana from the Lleyn peninsula, you say? Sounds ace. The utterly lush Malu'r Ffenestri wouldn't be out of place on any of Neil Young's early 70s albums, Iwan Hughes' voice possessing a world-weary tenderness that would perfectly soundtrack any Welsh road movie. They can do bar room rock (O! Nansi), gentle introspection (Gan Fy Mod i), even stadium folk rock (Os Ti'n Dod 'Nol). And the bass player also plays "cosmic banjo". Nice. Another impressive release from an always interesting label. PJ

* * * * - Buzz Magazine