A mixed bag of funky and sometimes punky art-rock.

When Ava Luna released PRPL, the lead single from Electric Balloon, some made the mistake of viewing the slow, synth R&B track as a sign that the Brooklyn art-funk group had moved away from the chaos that dominated their album. You don’t have to listen to much of Electric Balloon to know that the chaos is definitely still there, moving between seemingly unrelated genres, keeping nothing constant except an underlying funkiness and weirdness. The album starts with two no-wavey, spastic punk songs, then takes a sharp turn into a futuristic R&B territory for the next two, including the almost entirely acoustic “Aquarium.” On songs like “Hold U” and “Judy,” the group dumps both styles in favor of a heavier, more riff-driven sound. The no wave weirdness returns for the final two tracks. The album isn’t cohesive by any standard, but is no worse because of it: Ava Luna are equally experimental and gifted in every genre they move between.

RIYL: James Chance, Dirty Projectors, Rhye
Recommended Tracks: 2, 3, 9