Having trouble viewing this? Visit the updates archive

Live at Other Music: The Dirtbombs (Episode #14)

Detroit's Dirtbombs are a two bass, two drum set squall of a rock and roll band, fronted by Mick Collins who's not only one of the best voices in rock, but also a stellar songwriter and an all-around musical iconoclast. The group has spent a long career shrugging off the "garage rock" moniker that lazy critics always try to pin on them, with a series of adrenaline-fueled singles and albums of furious soul, punk, R&B and yes, even raw (garage) rock. But their live show has always been where their legend was made, so we were thrilled when the band agreed to stop by the store when the passed through NYC touring behind their dark new album We Have You Surrounded, on In the Red. They played the record from start to finish, climbed on the racks and swung from the light fixtures...really! Afterwards, Collins sat down to talk about the album, his belated entry into the Detroit Techno scene, and a few other things that were brewing behind those wrap-around shades. Check it out!

-Josh Madell

Watch The Dirtbombs "Live at Other Music"»
Listen and Buy The Dirtbombs Other Music Digital»
Produced by Dig for Fire [www.digforfire.tv] »

Upcoming Live at Other Music Episodes:
July 11- Antipop Consortium

Watch earlier episodes of Live at Other Music with My Brightest Diamond, Blood on the Wall, Black Lips, Taken By Trees, Toumani Diabate, White Williams, Richard Hawley, Celebration, Vampire Weekend, The Clean, Tinariwen, No Age, and St. Vincent

This Week's Free Song Download

Broken Social Scene Presents: Brendan Canning
Hit the Wall
Arts & Crafts
$0.00!
Listen & Download

FREE SONG DOWNLOAD of "Hit the Wall" by Brendan Canning off of his upcoming album Something for All of Us, out July 22nd on Arts & Crafts. Canning is a founding member of Canadian indie rock collective Broken Social Scene, and let's it all hang out on his debut solo album; lo-fi, acoustic material, good old-time rock n roll, and psychedelic excursions meld together to create another great record in the BSS-related canon. Genre-hopping of the highest order by a hugely talented songwriter...check it out!

This Week's Featured Downloads

Noa Babayof
From a Window to a Wall
Language of Stone
$9.99
Listen & Buy

Striking work by this Israeli singer-songwriter, possessing a willowy, chilling voice and milky lower register, delicately accented in the style of a femme Nick Drake channeling Nico, that lends a spectral presence to this gorgeously arranged set. Orchestrated by Greg Weeks (Espers), From a Window to a Wall blends a tapestry of acoustic guitars, strings, harmonium and minimal percussion into a style both classical and popular, recalling the glories of early '70s folk productions of Joe Byrd. "Marching Band" showcases Ms. Babayof's innate talents in uniting disparate styles of folk -- here, a rambling, Americanized rhythm guitar bisecting frozen C93-style neo-folk -- while elsewhere, as in "At Your Death," Mr. Weeks' string charts soar and swell behind her breathless choral passages, giving way to the gentler notions of Nick Cave's less-recent murder balladry. Thrilling both instrumentally and in its welcoming, outstretched ambiance, its gentle, mildly unsettling facades chase the sun down with a bewitching drive.

-Doug Mosurock

Various Artists
Eccentric Soul: The Tragar & Note Labels
The Numero Group
$19.99
Listen & Buy

Another amazing soul set from the Numero peeps, this time in the form of a 50-track double CD chronicling the little-known Tragar and Note labels out of Atlanta. Ranging from Modern/Northern soul dancers to deep Southern sounds and nice helping of good ol' R&B, this volume of Eccentric Soul manages to cover almost the entire spectrum of black music at the time (1968-77). Such a massive buffet of treats, you won't know where to start!

Various Artists
Micron Music Presents: Every Mouth Must be Fed
Pressure Sounds
$9.99
Listen & Buy

This roots collection from reggae stalwarts Pressure Sounds shines a light on the Micron label, a seminal yet under-appreciated Jamaican imprint from the mid-'70s that specialized in upbeat riddims and dub versions. Unlike many retrospective compilations that alienate the uninitiated and don't satiate die-hards, Every Mouth Must be Fed features accessible tracks like Junior Byles' reworking of the Motown classic "Ain't too Proud to Beg" as well as deep rarities ("Our Rights" by the Defenders and Tommy McCook's "Tribute to Muhammed Ali") that will satisfy the most entrenched dub-heads. Active from 1973 to '76, Micron Music released records by King Tubby, I-Roy, U-Roy, and Joe Higgs (who's cited as a key influence to Bob Marley's aesthetic) with production from electronic pioneers Lee 'Scratch' Perry, Bunny Lee, and label co-owner Pete Weston. These artists and some of their lesser-known brethren are present on this distinctively cohesive compilation that juxtaposes more lyrical mixes with their more exploratory dub sides. The relaxed yet up-tempo mood is maintained throughout and will provide you with a crucial soundtrack to counteract the sweltering sun.

-Max Gray

Eat Skull
Sick to Death
Siltbreeze
$9.99
Listen & Buy

After a cassette and a couple of seven-inches, which are now eBay gold, these two dudes from the Hospitals finally get the chance to spread out a bit on Sick to Death. Sounding absolutely nothing like Naked on the Vague but totally amazing nonetheless, Eat Skull flail around and about for a brief half hour and destroy everything in their path. There's a good dose of 4-tracker basement punk and perfect weird pop (in that off-centre, Flying Nun/Guided by Voices way), and stuff that sounds like even more revved up Cramps ("Puker Corpse") and distilled versions of overlong Velvet Underground songs. Loving the production too, suitably caked in fuzz and hiss and static, early Royal Trux-style, if they weren't raised on junk and Exile on Main Street. My most played in '08 after Pink Noise and Cheap Time. Perfect album.

-Andreas Knutsen

Various Artists
MFSB - Mutha Funkin Sonofabitch: The Truth Behind the Philly Legend
Funkadelphia Records
$9.99
Listen & Buy

Soul aficionados will surely recognize this acronym as the group of 30 or so musicians who were responsible for executing that elegant "Philly disco sound" which made stars of the Spinners, Trammps and Teddy Pendergrass. They practically changed the face of modern music with their dance floor fusion of soul, classical, jazz and gospel -- a style that would become known as Disco. This collection, however, focuses on the time period of 1968-73, highlighting the numerous instrumental workouts that this collective recorded and barely released -- many of the songs on here were lifted straight from analog master tapes. Players on the comp include Norman Harris, Vince Montana and a young Daryl Hall (!), and while there's a lush sweetness to the music, the sound is straight-up hard funk. There's also a heavy cinematic quality pervading throughout as well, especially on tracks like the Interpretations' "Trippin," which sounds like it could be an alternate theme song to The Mack. There's not a bad tune on here and bands such as the Dap-Kings, Budos Band and the like have taken a page out of this particular brand of funk -- especially in the elegant vibes and horn lines that you'll hear on this comp. Any fans of Amy Winehouse, Nicole Willis, Sharon Jones, James Brown, etc. should find a lot to latch onto here. Excellent stuff!

-Duane Harriott