While 2009’s highly acclaimed “Merriweather Post Pavilion” found Animal Collective crafting beautiful, sonically lush pieces of music, the recently released “Centipede Hz” shows the band isn’t always capable of producing the year’s best album. Most songs on “Merriweather” were intricate without being crammed together, complex without being overwhelming. But the issue with “Centipede Hz” is that its songs are far too dense, hitting the listener square in the face with a wall of sound. The opening track, “Moonjock,” is a shining example. The song would be pretty damn good if it had less going on. But “Centipede Hz” isn’t a complete waste. Songs such as “Wide Eyed” successfully create a catchy hook that doesn’t get buried by every other sound. Unfortunately, most of the songs get too carried away and lose their focus, creating a noisy, disappointing mess of an album.

Grade: C+