Dirty On Purpose
My secret, snobby, music-self dreams occasionally of seeing a band long before they make it big, so that later on, when everyone is buying their cds, I can say, "I saw them in a smokey little room with only 30 other people way back in the day!" Yeah, I'm silly, vain and geeky, but I'm just being honest here. The band I saw tonight, Dirty On Purpose, will hopefully make it big someday and fulfill my geeky dream.
I went to see them for two reasons. One, it was a five dollar show. Two, the free track of theirs on Pitchforkmedia sounded interesting. I'm really glad I went.
They seem to be a little young, and lord knows they are a bit derivative, but for a small, unknown band, they write some pretty good songs. They remind me a little of some of the mid-nineties alternative bands like the Smashing Pumpkins, "Pablo Honey" era Radiohead, or even Hum.
Employing keyboards, bass, two guitars and drums, they put more layering into their music than I'd normally expect from a band playing the backstage at the Black Cat. Three members of the band trade off vocal duties, with occasional, dreamy harmonies floating over their sometimes quiet, sometimes frenetic guitarwork. In their live show, their drummer dominates their sound. Although he overplays a bit at times, he really drives the band forward, giving them more of a backbone and a lot more energy than what comes across in their recorded work.
I dig them quite a bit. Check them out if they hit your town. If you like the sample I linked to above, think about buying one of their EPs. They aren't going to blow away anyone yet, or be proclaimed rock-saviors (thank god), but they're definitely worth paying attention to. Rock on.
Posted by Mr. Eff on 08/04/2004 || link
