Super Furry Animals

Super Furry Animals have rarely stumbled. In 11 years, each of their albums has tapped into a seemingly endless pool of ideas, sounds and creativity, which made their last effort, 2005’s disappointing Love Kraft, an anomaly. But thankfully, the Furries have bounced back with Hey Venus!, one of their most cohesive and pleasurable albums to date. Recorded with David Newfeld of Broken Social Scene, album eight is a true return to form, recalling the joyful innocence and enthusiasm of the Welsh outfit’s earlier work. It’s jam-packed with sunny melodies, orchestral flourishes, synthed-out keys and all the great sonic ornaments SFA regularly deliver. Yet this brief 36-minute record also takes a less manic, more streamlined approach, where soulful melodies and smart songcraft are the focus, not spaced-out explorations or glitch-y experiments. And by keeping things simple, the sonic reward is an upbeat, hook-heavy album that never bites off more than it can chew. It simply delivers what all good pop records should: good songs and good times. "The Gateway Song” perhaps describes Hey Venus! best: "Once you get hooked, you can’t get enough.”