The guitar sound is louder, the feel is different; there are a few more grunts, a few more solos, more group "hoo hoo"s, some maracas(!), and loads more texture. But the songs on Guided By Voices' new album mine the same territory as they always have: They're little gems that are wondrous in their sheer concision. Mag Earwhig! is by far the best-sounding GBV album yet (which is news only because of the primitive nature of the band's other recordings), and it's a huge step in their evolution that opens many more doors than it closes. This is classic GBV in glorious hi-fi, revealing a depth never before apparent and some of the best songs they have ever done; despite the internal shake-ups that left a perfectly capable band in their wake, the addition of brainy Ohio cock-rockers of Cobre Verde as Robert Pollard's new compadres is a revelation. As with the best earlier GBV records, any pat description of the band's sound can't capture that magical something that makes their songs so immediately magnetic, so memorable. And as for the rumors about Mag Earwhig! being some sort of, uh, rock opera? Don't be frightened - all of GBV's records could be rock operas for all we know.