Strawberry Jam, the new disc by New York’s premier art-rock weirdos (they’re actually covered with jelly in photos we saw), might be the indie album of the year. Cutting away swaths of ambient sound and Rainman-esque phrase repetitions, the band gets to the melodic heart of their exuberant sound. But trust us, seeing them live is more important than hearing the CD.
Strawberry Jam. Animal Collective. Domino. Sept. 11.