Love Kraft

If the acid-stoked lunacy of Welsh five-piece Super Furry Animals must be defined by a single characteristic it must be its giddiness. Distinguished throughout their career by an "anything goes" attitude in league with alt-rock experimentalists such as Radiohead and The Flaming Lips, SFA's approach reflects their all-embracing zeal for leaving practically no musical stone unturned. The group's fifth album, LOVE KRAFT, settles into a relaxed yet still trippy vibe, toning down their obligatory psychedelic excesses just a hair and introducing a palette of AM radio-styled soft rock, sun-drenched string arrangements, and even a 100-piece Catalan choir. Even if SFA's signature prog edges are smoothed over in the America-like country rock gallop of "Ohio Heat" and the Bacharach-esque orchestral pop of "Walk You Home," LOVE KRAFT contains enough small and surprising surreal pleasures to place it among SFA's best, most eccentric efforts.