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Gruff Rhys is known as someone who likes to push the envelope musically, but even he says he was surprised to find himself composing a jazz score for new Dylan Thomas movie – Set Fire To The Stars .

The Super Furry Animals frontman, who this week released his new solo album American Interior, was approached to provide music for the film which stars Lord Of The Rings actor Elijah Wood .

“It’s great to create a score for a film,” says the singer. “I’ve learnt a lot and it’s been a really different experience for me.”

Putting together a jazz band to meet the challenge, Gruff found himself experimenting with different sounds and styles.

“I formed a jazz group with drummer Chris Walmsley, Jim Barr who is the double bass player with Portishead, Osian Gwynedd (formerly of Big Leaves and Sybridion) on piano and Gruff Ab Arwel from Y Niwl who arranged the strings,” he recalls.

“It was really good because it’s been really varied but it means we’ve had to adopt a particular instrumentation and not veer from that.”

WATCH: Gruff Rhys sings American Interior in an exclusive WalesOnline session

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However if you’re imagining Gruff Rhys is some zoot suit wearing hepcat, think again.

“There’s only one song that is a ’50s trad jazz pastiche. They needed a song that was being played on the radio in the background. I had to pinch myself that it was really happening because that’s something I never expected to make,” he said.

Gruff being the musical auteur did his best to give the songs a twist.

“There’s also two or three songs and the theme song that are mostly instrumental, although I was trying to get a jazz band to play Krautrock instrumentals, but it ended up sounding like neither,” he laughs. “Let’s just call it free jazz.

“It’s nice to try to come up with different musical ideas that will take me somewhere I’ve never been before.”

WATCH: Gruff Rhys sings Iolo in the WalesOnline studio

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So can we expect this to be the start of many film projects culminating in a best film Oscar?

“You can’t speculate on those kind of things. They happen or they don’t. Through writing songs I’ve ended up in some really different situations, where I could never have pictured myself, so it’s definitely part of the adventure for me, but I don’t crave anything in particular. I take it as it comes.”

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