Molotov stirs a potent mix of wit and satire

Molotov

“Dance and Dense Denso” (Surco/Universal)

*** 1/2

This provocative, witty, sarcastic and ferocious album brings to mind one question: How do you say “parental advisory” in Spanish? The bad boys of Mexican rock are back with a vengeance, slashing and burning through 11 songs peppered with curses in two languages.

The saving grace is that this Mexico City quartet is creative even at its crudest. Of course, shocking society is the whole point. “Frijolero” (Beaner) is a raw and angry indictment of racism at the U.S.-Mexico border, delivered with a deceptively genteel polka arrangement and a Spike Lee-like overdose of racial epithets.

But the group’s most scathing numbers are aimed like satirical missiles at Mexico itself. “Hit Me,” with its hypnotic hip-hop groove, skewers corrupt but untouchable politicians, drunk taxi drivers and untrained police who can’t read but demand respect.

Not to say the album isn’t fun, especially with its clever chilango (Mexico City-style) wordplay. Produced by Gustavo Santaolalla and Anibal Kerpel, the work sounds better than anything the band has done before.

After a disappointing second album, Molotov here restores the rip-roaring reputation reflected in its incendiary name. But unlike a cheap bomb in a bottle, this band has achieved a disciplined professionalism that makes its sonic attack even more menacing.

Agustin Gurza

The Minus 5

“Down With Wilco” (Yep Roc)

***

It’s a tribute to the sonic vision of Jeff Tweedy that everything he touches gets Wilco-ized, but after a dose of deconstructed country on the opener, “Days of Wine and Booze,” Minus 5 guru Scott McCaughey’s love affair with pure Beach Boys-Beatles vocal pop takes over -- as it so often does on his other ongoing project, Young Fresh Fellows.

From “Retrieval of You,” the second track of this teaming of Tweedy’s band Wilco and the veteran Seattle group, the irresistible, piano-driven thump that marks bands from Ben Folds to the High Llamas to Apples in Stereo to Tindersticks to Bikeride kicks in, but colored with soaring vocal harmonies and the painful, sarcastic-sweet lyrics that are what Tweedy and McCaughey really have in common.

These are gorgeously written, infectious, perfectly interpreted takes on the roots of the best ‘60s pop -- from “The Town That Lost Its Groove Supply,” which is so bip-boppy and fun it’s almost like an early Brian Eno solo tune, to “Daggers Drawn,” a fully orchestrated raft of studio trickery channeling “Sgt. Pepper’s” or its late-’70s equivalent, ELO. But through it all, there is the sardonic, quasi-tragic ethos of Wilco, coming through as pure song on the Tweedy-sung “The Family Gardener,” and just showing up in shards of ragged noise hung elsewhere. This is a great album that takes longtime Minus 5 contributors such as Peter Buck and Ken Stringfellow into a fresh terrain of successful country-inflected experiments.

-- Dean Kuipers

Heavy lifting by the D.O.C.’s crew

The D.O.C.

“Deuce” (Silverback)

***

Before Dr. Dre introduced Snoop Dogg as his rhyming sidekick, there was the D.O.C., a gifted writer and lyricist who sharpened the rhymes of Eazy-E, N.W.A and, later, the Death Row Records roster. The D.O.C.’s lyrics are featured on some of hip-hop’s most significant recordings, from N.W.A’s “Straight Outta Compton” to Dre’s “The Chronic,” and his debut album, 1989’s “No One Can Do It Better,” is a masterpiece.

The D.O.C.’s career as a rapper was cut short soon after by a car crash that damaged his vocal cords, reducing his once authoritative voice to a raspy growl. After a misguided 1996 comeback attempt, he adapts well to his circumstances on his third album. The Dallas-based artist reverts to the role of an overseer here, performing sporadically while allowing his new stable of rappers to carry the vocal weight. The D.O.C.’s ear for talent remains sharp, as his laid-back, clever, story-driven protege 6Two shines on many of the collection’s 20 street-themed cuts. Dre, Snoop Dogg and Ice Cube also add their brands of gangster braggadocio over explosive production.

-- Soren Baker

*

Albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor), two stars (fair), three stars (good) and four stars (excellent). The albums are due in stores Tuesday.