Phantom Power (2003)

The Super Furries know their pop history, steeping themselves in Burt Bacharach trumpets, Philly soul ballads, and the fine whine of a Grand Ole Opry pedal steel. It's a good thing, too, because the luminous orchestrations and harmonies counterbalance bleak observations about radiation poisoning, holy wars, and ''pretty pictures of starvation.'' But the Welsh quintet's concept-album ambitions are undercut by inherent goofiness, especially when the band parodies Robert Johnson (''Golden Retriever'') and Iron Maiden (''Out of Control'').