There’s nothing quite like a new release by Dirtbag Republic. I mean in music I know what like, and so far everything these guys have put out I love. So if like me you marvel at the Hanoi Rocks on a daily basis and have a huge love for band like The Dogs D’Amour and gravitate towards the Sleazier, Punkier side of the street then you probably thought that all the great music died out at the end of the 80’s. Well I have to inform you it didn’t and these guys are the real deal… I do have to apologise for the delay in the review though, I’ve been cranking this one so much I burned through three lots of digital downloads…
This time I just feel like I’m being thrown headlong into a Rock and Roll party that is already in full swing… ‘I Don’t Care’ the track that kicks off the fourth record by the band has the sleazy DNA of The New York Dolls and is a great way to start. But just as you’ve found the last drink the soundtrack shifts with ‘Wait a Minute’ coming in and getting you nodding – it’s a retro rocking goodtime singalong barroom ditty where you can see the first feint glimmer of early morning sunshine creep through the windows after a wonderful night of mayhem. Maybe my favourite album opening of the year so far…
‘Bipolar Rollercoaster’ that follows is a more traditional 70’s rocker just like vintage self-penned Sweet with an infusion of Blues; whilst ‘I Fought Them All’ is punkier, spikier, angrier; and ‘Here I Am’ is lighter, breezier with a touch of country via Johnny Thunders with a great chorus and made to singalong to.
‘Bad Decisions’ the title track is one of my favourites here, savvy and streetwise, a tale of unwise choices and glorious consequences. ‘Streetlight Parasite’ by way of contrast has a more Stones vibe channeled via the Bluesier end of the 80’s Hollwood scene. It’s a damned catchy one and just the sort of track you can imagine rocking along to Jack in hand! Definitely a favourite amongst a strong set of contenders.
Deeper in ‘Hard in the City’ keeps that Bluesy vibe going and delivers another ace that’s sheer barroom rock and roll; and ‘Smotherin’ Me’ is lighter, airier, opened by a strummed acoustic with a Johhny Thunders via Tyla wail. A great comedown song that cuts through the harder rockers, a tale of decline and the passing of time.
It all sets up nicely for ‘Cocaine Heart’ a mid tempo sleazy masterpiece that really sums up why I love these guy so much and what real Rock and Roll sounds like to me. It’s raw, it’s dirty, it’s smoky, bluesy and from the heart. That just leaves us with ‘Light Your Fuse’ the closing track that revs it up in style with a flurry of opening guitar and Punky ‘Foot to the floor’ attitude. It’s the prefect end to one of the best sheer Rock and Roll albums I’ve heard this side of the millennium. Dirtbag Republic is a band that may sound anachronistic, but they sound it in all the best ways.
It’s easy to build a groove and put together songs that sound like they came from the glory years of dirty sleazy rock and roll, and so many have done that over the years, but so many of those bands have failed fail because they are only a pastiche – a thin veneer of sound without the soul or the depth of their heroes. They lack the real dirt beneath the fingernails that those who truly understand it and truly believe in it can hope to understand. For these guys that fate seems inescapable. Dirtbag Republic are one of those rare bands that completely understand and one of the very few that could have rubbed shoulders with those Rock and Roll greats on even terms.
This might just be Dirtbag Republic’s most complete Rock and Roll album so far. That’s a big, big call I know…
9/10
