Tool‘s forthcoming album 10,000 Days leaked two days ago. Don’t ask me where to obtain it, I haven’t looked. I remain optimistic that despite the leak fans will still be flocking to buy the album on its release at the beginning of May, exactly 5 years after Lateralus. I myself have already pre-ordered a copy (music, unlike movies and videogames, can actually be a lot cheaper when preordered online, often becoming more expensive later if successful). When a band create sufficient goodwill coupled with a reputation for producing albums of a consistently high quality, people are more than happy to hand over their cash. I won’t pay for a CD that contains a few good songs amidst mediocre filler, but I trust Tool to deliver the high aural quality I expect. That’s rare given the current state of the music industry — the last album I was confident enough to preorder was A Perfect Circle‘s eMOTIVe. I guess there’s something about knowing Maynard James Keenan is involved in the process that just puts me at ease.

The official site has been updated with a teaser introduction featuring music from the opener and first single Vicarious. I am tempted to obtain the single to whet my appetite before the album’s release but am actually quite happy to avoid the low quality leaked MP3’s until I hold the CD in my hands in a little over a week. Interestingly, despite the band being American, the US release date is later than the rest of the world, a full day behind the UK release which is itself a few days after several European countries.

I had a chance to hear the forthcoming new offering from the Dresden Dolls (now signed to Roudrunner), titled Yes, Virginia. The name is a reference to the most reprinted newspaper editorial in history, a response to an eight-year-old girl’s inquisitive doubts about the existence of Santa Claus. The kindly editor Francis Pharcellus Church assuaged her fears, assuring her that Santa Claus was quite real. But then again, so’s Cthulu.

I first saw the Dolls when they supported Nine Inch Nails on the With_Teeth pre-release tour. Something about their sound crept under my skin immediately. In some ways their ecclectic stageshow can detract from their music, with their unnecessary penchant for removing their clothes (though fortunately not when I saw them). Visually though, their appearance and act is definitely inventive and drummer Brian is particularly enigmatic.

The style, which they classify as Brechtian punk cabaret, shines through on the new album and from the cheerfully tongue-in-cheek opener about sex changes it’s quite clear they’re up to their old tricks. As lyrically and rhythmically creative as their last release with clever wordplay that belies an acute understanding, it shares many of the same flaws too. While its occasional peaks soar, the rest varies from competent to dull — their slower numbers are far less successful than previous examples. When they can actually produce a truly consistent record, they’ll certainly be a force to be reckoned with. For the time being though, Yes, Virginia, while not nearly living up to their self-titled debut, is still worth a spin. Due April 17th.