(Plexi)

Fair enough, the frenzied blur of kaleidoscopic digital fuzz, the morphing rainbow lights; that, we could probably have seen coming. Like their music, the first ‘visual album’ from Baltimore’s warped-poppers, Animal Collective was always going to be coming out of left-field. But those possessed marshmallows? And the forest zombies? That, we probably weren’t expecting.

The 53-minute film (a collaboration with director Danny Perez, and featuring an original score) is an unsettling, occasionally stunning, dark and discordant rush of dreamlike stills with virtually no plot. Musically, there are two or three passages that could stand alone as acid-soaked, or even tender, blissed-out singles, and visually, it’s a David Lynch meets Chris Cunningham experiment in ways to enhance your enjoyment of their music.

Needless to say, non-fans or those who like a clear story arc will be doing a lot of head-scratching. But if you can handle a bit of head-messing, and are prepared to digest the whole album in one psychedelic swallow, it’s a treat.