REVIEWS, ‘’

• SPIN Rating: of 10

• • Listen:

    Spotify

Label:

The quality of a Super Furry Animals record usually increases in proportion to its ebullience. So with an opener titled "Crazy Naked Girls," the Welsh psych-pop band's ninth studio disc initially appears to be a career-best candidate. In reality, Dark Days/Light Years is surprisingly subdued: Affecting a newly laid-back, yacht-rock delivery, frontman Gruff Rhys presides over streamlined arrangements that emphasize rhythmic repetition rather than the wild textures and sticky melodies of yore. Flashes of fun appear -- dig the glam-Sabbath stomp of "Inconvenience" -- but most of Dark could use more color.

BUY: