Animal collective

New York City experimental rock band Animal Collective returns with Strawberry Jam, almost two years after the release of 2005's critically acclaimed Feels. A couple of solo attempts later, the quartet of Panda Bear, Avey Tare, Deakin and Geologist reconvenes to once again produce an album that strips pop of all of its conventions yet leaves just enough familiar sweetness to seduce the listening ear.

Listening to an Animal Collective song is like stepping into a dream world, and Strawberry Jam certainly does not disappoint those with inquisitive ears. The record manages to create soundscapes out of electronic reverb and show beauty in gorgeous guitar drone and Panda Bear's contagious, intermittent screams. "Peacebone" uses these techniques along with whimsical vocals about dinosaur bones and jugular veins against electronic gurgling that could have easily bordered on annoying without proper control.

"For Reverend Green" builds with asymmetric guitar and percussion and culminates in a chorus of screams and "whoos" that bottle up and release Avey Tare's pure, ecstatic joy. "Fireworks" is about the pleasure of simple things, and not being too caught up with yourself to appreciate "a sacred night where we watched the fireworks.. They make me feel that I'm only all I see sometimes." This back-to-back combination of the two creates a high-point for the album, which ends with the simple narrative of "Derek" a song about a childhood pet whose climactic ending seems to tie up the rest of the album perfectly.

What the quartet has created over the years is its own, distinctive sound. Nobody can argue with that. Their presentation of it, however, has been tweaked and fine-tuned by producer Scott Colburn. Strawberry Jam's layers of sound and vocals work together to masterfully convey exactly the emotions that Animal Collective intended, be they overwhelming, spiritual or surreal.