Mogwai.

If Godspeed You Black Emperor and Mr. Bungle woke up next to each other after a night of hard drinking, nine months later their beautiful love-child would be named Mogwai. I must admit to being late to the party with these guys. Though they've been around for over ten years, their new album, Mr. Beast, is the first album I've heard of theirs. Listening to this disc fills me with the need to acquire their entire back catalog.

Tracks filled with precise layers of roaring fuzz guitar, punctuated by slow, atmospheric songs with dreamscape lyrics prove that these guys know how to build a climax, both within the structure of a song, and within the context of the album itself. About half of the tracks are instrumental, but when the lyrics are there, they're potent:

What happened after the storm?/Was everyone ok?/I tried to call again/I think they've gone away

The lead sings with a voice of shaky, preternatural calm, invoking feelings that people must feel when they're not sure if a loved one has survived a major disaster.

This album is a must-buy.

Dresden Dolls.

I went in to my local music shoppe get the new Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs album and there it was, sitting on the shelf before my very eyes. My heart jumped into my throat. The Dresden Dolls have released a new CD, and it is good.

The last album was a bit lop-sided in its arrangement, but this one does not suffer from that problem. There isn't a song as good as 'Girl Anachronism' here, but the entire album is notably smoother, and still filled with the venomous lyrical brilliance that only the Dresden Dolls can bring.

I can't wait to see these guys in July.