HEY VENUS! - SUPER FURRY ANIMALS
Not as aggressively experimental as 1999’s “Guerrilla” or 2005’s “Love Kraft,” the latest from this genre-bending Welsh band is largely a smoothed-out pop record, reining in some of Super Furry Animals’ more left-field tendencies and tenderly nurturing the catchy, chart-friendly hooks of Gruff Rhys and company. “Run Away” is an uptempo number about amnesia and desertion, but it’s not as representative of the record as the nuanced “The Gift That Keeps Giving,” where the group’s penchant for sonic flourishes is used to subtle effect. Elsewhere, the waltzy “Carbon Dating” and country-inflected closer “Let the Wolves Howl at the Moon” help set a mellow tone, while mildly demonic rocker “Into the Night” and the jittery “Baby Ate My Eightball” keep things interesting.
