The Slumbering Lungfish Dybbuk Hostel and All-Night Boulangerie

I'm back home. Here are three albums I got recently that I wish I had brought on the trip:

The Dresden Dolls, self-titled album

One guy, one girl. She plays piano and sings, he plays drums and sometimes guitar. Very theatrical music. Impossible to discuss without using the word "Brechtian," even if you have no clear idea who Bertholt Brecht was.

The Decemberists, Castaways and Cutouts

This came out two years ago, and I only just got around to hearing it, thanks to Colette. From what I can tell, the world is currently divided into people who have never heard of the Decemberists and people who are sick to death of hearing about the Decemberists. Being somewhat behind the times, I am in neither group. I was in the same situation fifteen years ago with The Hounds of Love. Castaways and Cutouts is melodic, ironic, melancholic, and occasionally vitriolic.

Twink, The Broken Record

This one, on the other hand, is hot off the press. I heard about it on Boing Boing and it took me three record stores to track it down even in ultra-hip Berkeley. Then I liked it so much I gave it away, and I couldn't find a second copy so I ordered it from the label. It's clips and tracks from various children's LPs of the ages, mixed and mashed and often set to a beat. Metric tons of fun. You can listen to some sample tracks at Twink's page.