I had read from an article that Paul McCartney had a small cameo on Super Furry Animals’ previous work (‘Rings Around the World’) and, being a Beatles fanatic, I figured the band was worthy of a shot. When I got to the record store counter, the cashier told me that the album was “one of the best albums” he’d ever heard. He was skinny with a patchy beard, Converse All-Stars and looked like he was in his early thirties. At the time, I was a classic rock man and didn’t quite know what to make of this aging hipster’s recommendation.

The Super Furry Animals have always made cult music for the indie rock crowd. Their five-man-band aesthetic and knack for churning out hooks make them easily likeable while their often-strange lyrics, electronic excursions and general penchant for the bizarre keep them from being everybody’s cup of Welsh tea.

On their seventh album, Love Kraft, the Furries continue their evolution from the unpredictable to the beautiful. With the exception of current single “Lazer Beam,” they’ve dropped the synthetic vibrations and electronic detours of their earlier albums in favor of string arrangements and a 100-piece Catalan choir. The result is a more relaxed and hazy experience that feels like it’s gliding on the ether.

“Zoom!” begins the album with a splash. Literally. Gentle guitar leads to a barrage of imagery that sounds like something out of the SFA book of Revelations (“Saw the Virgin Mary she was crying blood/ Tears congregate into a mighty flood/ Gave her some directions to a specialist/ An eye doctor to help her cyst/ She took the wrong turn to the family planning”). Keyboards take over for a bit until the 100-piece choir brings the apocalypse to your doorstep.

For the first time, 4 out of 5 Furries each contribute and sing. Drummer Daf’s “Atomik Lust” is one of the highlights of the album. Pulsating Beach Boys keyboard provides a soothing background while Daf sings about love after a nuclear holocaust. Daf’s deep voice and John Lennon-like chorus create good vibrations until ripping electric guitars and pounding piano keys tear them apart.

“Cloudberries” is quite possibly the most beautiful song in the Furries’ catalogue. A simple melody makes its way through backwards guitar, Brazilian rhythms and something called the “Locust Death March” while Gruff sings about love triangles and hummingbirds.

The album, much like a 30-year-old record store cashier wearing Chuck Taylors and sporting a patchy beard, is difficult to pin down. It is at once the Super Furry Animals maturing and entering a whole new realm of imagination.

Guerilla may be the Furries’ electronic masterpiece and Phantom Power may showcase their serious side, but only on Love Kraft could a country tune about an unwanted pregnancy and suicide (“Ohio Heat”) precede a Gershwin-styled love song (“Walk You Home”).

—piece by Vincent Barredo