CD of The Week

"What have we done?" is the nagging question that Avey Tare and Panda Bear pose in "Amanita," the colossal closer on Animal Collective's seismically anticipated new album Centipede Hz. I imagine they found themselves faced with that same question in the aftermath of their instantly iconic 2009 release Merriweather Post Pavilion. Somehow, after a decade of utterly challenging yet esoterically appealing albums, they stumbled into indie ubiquity and all the buzz and backlash that come with it. "My Girls" can still be the best or worst thing you've ever heard, depending on who you ask. Its success left a lot of people wondering just what they would do next, as if their next move was ever close to predictable before. In what could be deemed "typical" Animal Collective fashion, this follow-up album offers more questions than answers. If anything is certain after listening, it's that the band has no intention of settling on any signature sound, whether it suits them or not.

Those looking for another "Girls" or even a "Peacebone" are going to be hard sells. The opening clatter of "Moonjock" manages to effectivelyIn Utero everything Merriweather laid out for the group in five minutes flat. The ostensible single that immediately follows, "Today's Supernatural," seems hellbent on showcasing an album's worth of songs and ideas all by itself. It's almost like hearing an entire concert set of songs played over top of each other. The remainder of the album, if never quite as bracing, is every bit as busy. Oddly, it also proves itself as memorable and rewarding as anything on its predecessor. "Wide Eyed," featuring returning band member Deakin on lead vocals, is an addictive, psychedelic swirl of synth squiggles. "Father Time" has a gorgeously giddy galumph that's the aural equivalent of skipping through a field. Even though Panda Bear's track's are more downplayed then usual, "Rosie Oh" and "New Town Burnout" still offer welcome reprieves from the sensory saturation around them.

Best of all is "Monkey Riches." Ironically the longest song on the record, it's also the most urgent and exhilarating. Over a boomaranging melody, Avey bellows "Why am I still looking for a golden age?" Your guess is as good as mine, especially considering that they arguably achieved that an album ago. That he and the rest of Animal Collective are still looking is a testament to their continued ambition and refusal to rest on their laurels. Catch their triumphant return to Philadelphia on Wednesday, October 3rd at The Mann Center.