Super Furry Animals - Phantom Power

While not as immediately catchy as 2002’s Rings Around The World, SFA’s latest effort remains one of the year’s most intriguing and expansive alt-pop efforts; while hit-or-miss at points, it offers many rewards for the open-minded listener. The disc kicks off with an extremely solid three song burst: the languid, Beatlesque opener, “Hello Sunshine,” the woo-hoo filled, Philly soul-referencing “Liberty Belle,” and the hazy, Zep gallop of “Golden Retriever.” Unfortunately, the promise offered by such an auspicious intro soon fades into a too-mellow murk of peculiarity-for-it’s-own sake; while highlights come by often, even the most inspired moments can’t maintain their spark on a track-to-track basis. Yet one can’t fault the Furries for trying. When the adventurous spirit of studio experimentalism finally congeals on the sublime outro, “Slow Life,” it’s such a perfect moment that the previous half-hour or so is forgiven. Always one to keep fans guessing, the next Super Furry Animals release could well be a return to the sugar-rush weirdness of Guerilla for all we know. But even if it maintains the odd pace set by Phantom Power, there will surely be a handful of inventive tracks somewhere on the disc that more than justify any fallow stretches in-between. [www.phantom-power.com]