What's The Time, Mr. Wolf?

The Noisettes What's the Time Mr. Wolf might have a charming cover, invoking a sort of Flaming Lips playfulness. But inside the cover is a virtual mash-up, where the Yeah Yeah Yeahs collide feverishly with Sons and Daughters, losing the former's spooked mystery and the latter's raw blues but gaining a full-tilt forward heave. Shingai Shoniwa's voice is alternately scoured and sharp and then a chirp and a squall, lilting through lines like this, "ain't no honey from this bee... I'm stung you've got a hold on me" with a dancing acoustic guitar line, shuffling drums, and dub-tinged bass that colors the apparent lightness of "Count of Monte Christo" with a menacing glow. In the wake of "Count," the trio goes on a big, fast pounce for "Sister Rosetta," exploding for the refrain into an old-school punk rock maelstrom that's effervescent, like much of their debut album. --Andrew Bartlett