The Dirtbombs: Party Store

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The Dirtbombs have always loved their covers and with 2001’s excellent soul and R&B rethinking, Ultraglide In Black the group showed their prowess in this realm.  2011 is apparently now the time to tackle songs from the Detroit Techno scene of the 1980’s.   While there was a direct line drawn between The Dirtbombs retro garage shake and the soul of their cities 60’s and 70’s this techno connection is a bit more tedious causing the efforts here to vary in quality. 

The opener “Cosmic Cars” substitutes Cybotron’s funk keys for a gritty guitar shaker; it also cuts the original running time in half moving things along at a brisk pace which helps.  A Number of Names “Sharevari” gets a pretty faithful re-working not really adding much while Rhythim is Rhythim “Strings of Life” trades piano fills for six strings spicing up the original with some speed, hand drums, skittering sound and bite.  “Jaguar” and “Alleys of Your Mind” don’t leave much of an impression but “Good Life” (which might be the most well known song covered) cranks the synths and drum machine before revving up the guitars and bubbling funk, in the end presenting the most complete linking of styles. 

The most ingenious song presented here however is the Innerzone Orchestra’s cover of “Bug In The Bassbin”.  Expanding the original to over 21 minutes The Dirtbombs have gone for it all with a patch work of free-jazz, drone, synths, rumbling drums and warbling guitar solos.  This is the farthest from techno the group has gotten on Party Store, paying more of a tribute to Miles Davis and the historic Detroit double bills of The Sun Ra Arkestra and MC-5 then any dance club filled with neon colors; a bold move all around.      

Will fans of 80’s techno really gravitate to this album and will Dirtbomb fans embrace the sound? Who knows, if nothing else the group at least opened up a scene to a new generation of listeners who can now hunt down the originals on Youtube and compare. Party Store continues expanding The Dirtbombs sound and while their roots will always be in the garage it is perfectly clear that their tuned in ears have always been in the air.           

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