"I can hear everything. It's everything time." Those are the words that guide in the first glimpse of Gang Gang Dance's upcoming Eye Contact album, in the beautifully malformed shape of "Glass Jar". The "it's everything time" line would work as a near-perfect epithet for this band, who once again manage to pilfer from an array of styles and slot them together so all the ideas bounce off one another in total synchronization. But there's a distinct raising of the bar here, a sense of heightened ambition-- not many artists are fearless enough to promote a new album with an 11-minute song, but not many artists operate at the same level of aspiration as Gang Gang Dance.

Despite its length, there's no excess here. Every tiny facet feels like it's been fussed over until it's just right. It begins with a lengthy beat-less passage that leads to trickle-down synth sounds reminiscent of the balmed-out passages of Saint Dymphna. That bridge from past to present, and the slow-build nature of the track, makes it feel like you're watching the band evolve in real time. It's often dizzying; steel drum parts are set to the tug of a dubby bassline, followed by a caustic guitar workout that segues into a delirious house-influenced jam, all in the space of a minute or two. The only anchor comes in the form of Lizzi Bougatsos' peerless vocals, which add some textural heft that makes her sound like she's wandering blind, lost somewhere in the gloriously maze-like arrangement.

[from Eye Contact; out 05/09/11 in the UK and 05/10/11 in the U.S. via 4AD]