Mix one part Animal Collective, one part MGMT and two parts mainstream radio pop and what you have is a delicious concoction named Miike Snow. Taking its name from Japanese film director Takeshi Miike, the long-anonymous pop trio of American Andrew Wyatt and Swedish producers Christian Karlsson and Pontus Winnberg have already cemented themselves as the top psychedelic pop-rock installment of 2009. Their self-titled debut is a largely minimal blend of growling and chirpy synth melodies, resonant vocals and punchy drum lines. While I may be a sucker for the newest catchy pop track, the production team of Karlsson and Winnberg, also known as Bloodshy & Avant, deserve credit for their incessant, driving pop hooks. Given their experience writing and producing for the likes of Kylie Minogue, Madonna and Brittney Spears, it stands to reason why Miike Snow is such an irresistibly captivating album.

By now, everyone is sure to have heard their first single, “Animal,” and perhaps the follow-up, “Burial,” but the true depth of Miike Snow’s freshman release is exhibited in the remaining nine tracks. “Cult Logic” projects an epic chorus similar in stature to that of Animal Collective’s “My Girls,” complete with background loon calls. “Black & Blue” plays like an electro-pop throwback to Curtis Mayfield’s “Move On Up,” and on a more heartfelt note, “Silvia” is an introspective piano ballad driven by Wyatt’s emotionally transparent vocals. No longer must we recognize Miike Snow solely as the jackelope logo they once hid behind. It makes one wonder why they hid their identity in the first place: with a sound so beautiful and unique, who would object to the infectious beats created on their debut album?

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