• Preview: Animal Collective - Water Curses EP [Domino]

The hyperactive invention of last year's 'Strawberry Jam' album is still reasonably fresh in the memory, but ever the restless souls, Animal Collective return with four more fruity compositions, perhaps taking on a more considered tone to previous singles like the jubilant 'Fireworks' and 'Peacebone'. There remains a keen ear for forging an unhinged variant on pop though - even in their more experimental moments Animal Collective sound like they're hammering out a rare old tune, and both 'Street Flash' and 'Cobwebs' illustrate that perfectly. The latter in particular exhibits some intense soundscaping, at times barraging you with an orchestra of effects and electronic debris, but Avey Tare's vocal maintains an unshakable sense of melody at every turn, and the bloopy wobbleboard sounds keep the song from getting too entrenched in seriousness. The EP bids us farewell with the blissful flutters of 'Seal Eyeing', which despite its sexual-harassment-of-aquatic-mammals title is incredibly sweet, having a bit of a run-in with the melody of 'Silent Night'. While these 'B-sides' could hardly be viewed as subsidiaries, it's the jumpy, fanciful title track that's bound to be viewed as the main draw. 'Water Curses' has the ADD factor that tends to characterise the band's best singles in recent years : the more you hear it, the more it all makes sense, and you start to realize there's something approaching all-out brilliance ingrained in the fibres of its manic composition. Highly Recommended. [boomkat.com] [mp3:water curses] [video:water curses] [iguessimfloating.blogspot.com]