The eclectic Seattle crew, Critters Buggin, blend avant-garde jazz, electronica, samples, experimental post-rock, and a stew of other influences into a sound that’s difficult to describe, much less categorize. Amoeba, their fourth recording for Loosegroove (a label co-founded by Pearl Jam’s Stone Gossard), continues to defy easy pigeonholing, veering between electronic funk, moody ambient soundscapes, and wild experimentation. Not everything works, and the band tries so many things that the whole project can sometimes seem incoherent, but that also makes the record exciting and unpredictable, and ultimately a satisfying listen. – Steve Huey
