The Dirtbombs
If You Don't Already Have A Look

To celebrate its 10th anniversary, In The Red pays tribute to one of the leading names in its roster by releasing this massive double CD by the Dirtbombs. If You Don't Already Have A Look is an intelligent collection of the numerous singles scattered around the world by our guys during these 10 years of existence, divided into a first disc of original songs and a second of covers.
For those who aren't familiar with them yet, the Dirtbombs are one of the most explosive and talented bands in the underground American garage r'n'r scene of recent years, becoming more and more of a true underground cult comparable to the one surrounding the now-defunct Oblivians.

The Dirtbombs are a shapeshifting entity that, despite frequent lineup changes, has maintained an enviable sonic consistency over the years, also staying true to an unusual lineup consisting of two drums, two basses, and one guitar. Frontman, as well as founder of the band, is Mick Collins, who was already the mastermind behind The Gories, a seminal lo-fi garage band active in the late '80s and early '90s.
Given these premises, it's easy to deduce that among the 52 tracks present, the r'n'r approach is dominant; indeed, as far as original tracks are concerned, they range from punk noise ("I'm Saving Myself For Michelle Nichols", "High Octane Salvation", "Correspondence"), to pure and hard garage ("Cedar Point '76", "Headlights On", "Broke In Detroit"), to almost catchy indie rock ("Encrypted", "Here Comes That Sound Again"). But, as demonstrated in the outstanding Ultraglide In Black released years ago, our guys give their best when it comes to reimagining others' songs.
And it's precisely the choice of covers that further testifies to the band's versatility. If names like Cheater Slicks, The Elois, and Gun Club fit well within the musical DNA of the Dirtbombs, it's surprising to find artists like Soft Cell, Yoko Ono, ESG, Adult, and even the Bee Gees on the list!
Notable is an explosive cover of Elliot Smith ("Brand New Game"), the soulful breath characterizing "I Feel Good" by Lou Rawls, and the absurd dub feel of "Mystified" by The Romantics.
As usual, Mick's vocal performance is astonishing, his voice paying homage to both the fathers of soul and the rowdy garage vocalists, with charisma somewhere between early Jon Spencer and a modern Arthur Lee.

Ultimately, an album that simultaneously represents a small Nuggets of the 2000s and a superb work of updating a sound that never faded and is waiting to be (re)discovered.
Highly recommended for those who still believe in the primal wild nature of rock.