Fierce and fiery, alien and nostalgic in one gasp, Animal Collective's ninth album is an amalgamation of the most gratifying idiosyncrasies and musical themes from throughout their exceptional catalog. Though every bit as listenable as the group's 2009 masterpiece Merriweather Post Pavilion, Centipede Hz veers somewhat from that record's focus on distinct grooves and delightfully-layered vocals. It sees the band returning to a more polished version of the organically unbridled and tempestuous path that they traveled for so many albums before. Album standouts "Rosie Oh," "Today's Supernatural," and "Monkey Riches" are therapeutic aural thrashings that find Animal Collective at their technical and imaginative best.
★★★★ (out of 5 stars)
