Run With The Kittens

We may have lost Ween, but fret not: Run With the Kittens are here to play, even if they're sounding more like fully-grown felines these days. The accomplished Torontonian songsmiths are aging as gracefully as a child actor who skipped the awkward stage between cute and mature, transitioning directly to respectable adult roles. This isn't to suggest that the Kittens are all sophistication and professionalism, though Letters From Camp does contain a healthy share of immaculately crafted pop and rock songs that only hint at the cheeky humour and manic genre jumping of their earlier work. Any group that drop a throbbing tribal workout with pitched-down vocals called "How Hardcore is Your Manticore?" clearly cling to the spirit of fun. Elsewhere, the prodigiously talented foursome perform subtle musical alchemy, combining rockabilly with slinky funk, highly dexterous swinging beats, sublime melodies and production that revels in sonic nuances, giving each of these 11 tracks a distinct identity while retaining an overall sense of cohesion. Run With the Kittens' best yet, Letters From Camp is nothing less than Viagra for the soul.