Devin's Music Picks for 5/24

If you're carousing your local music store this week, be sure to pick up these essential albums:

Gorillaz, Demon Days
Highly animated supergroup Gorillaz finally make their return to the music world with their second album Demon Days and it's beautiful indeed. Showing even more musical variety than its self-titled predecessor, the album flows seamlessly from pulsating hip-hop to strings-drenched choral passages. Oh, and Dennis Hopper. He's on it.

Belle & Sebastian, Push Barman to Open Old Wounds
The new compilation by the bittersweet and melancholy Belle & Sebastian finds the group putting all the tracks from their hard-to-find EPs onto one convenient two-disc collection. But by no means are these songs throwaways. On the contrary, Belle & Sebastian's EP work usually sounds just as good, if not better, than their albums. A must-buy for any fan of the group.

While I wholeheartedly endorse the Verve Remixed project, it looks like Motown's attempt, titled Motown Remixed, doesn't stack up. Just read All Music Guide's scathing review of the disc.