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Thursday, July 28, 2011

DIRTY WHITE TRASH "Life In The Redlight"


(c) 2011 DWT Music

  1. Breakin' Down The Walls
  2. Get Dirty
  3. Sweet Addiction
  4. Hollywood Honey
  5. Queen Of Sleaze
  6. Freaks And Weirdos
Sin--Vocals
Lyxx--Guitars
Thrusty--Bass
Crash--Drums

This is what I love about the music scene now...and also what I hate about it.  Because of current technology, ANYBODY can put out an album on their own, no labels required.  The internet gives you an instant sales opportunity through iTunes and Amazon, and your marketing department is Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, etc.  Now, the reason I say I hate this is because there are some REALLY CRAPPY bands that have no business thinking they are recording stars putting out inferior, sub-garage quality music.  On the flip side, you have a band like Dirty White Trash that has definite talent, a handful of very well written, very catchy songs, and the drive to do things their own way, even if a big label isn't going to give them a hand.  So, I guess I will take the good with the bad because when you hear something as good as Dirty White Trash, you can get past the garbage that isn't filtered out by a label.

Dirty White Trash, as the name would imply, is pure, unadulterated sleaze, plain and simple.  These four Brits know the sound they are after and they get right to it from the get go with "Breakin' Down The Walls".  Big gang-style choruses, hard-hitting drums, and some great, high-speed rhythm guitar push this song along before Lyxx lays into a frenetic solo that should have most listeners snapping their necks.   "Get Dirty" slows the tempo just a tad bit but does so with a bump-and-grind rhythm that sticks in your head in a "I swear I have heard this before!" type of way.  While this appears to be the band's stab at something at least remotely radio-ready, this may still be my favorite track on the disc...or that distinction may belong to "Hollywood Honey", which seems to be the band's ode to a smoking hot hooker or groupie they may have come across. 

While those listed above are my favorites, no songs on this album are weak.  The lickity split quick "Sweet Addiction" is full of raw power and grit, clocking in at just over 2:30.  This song just rips from note one, with my only complaint being that the solo is just not long enough for me to fully appreciate.  "Queen Of Sleaze" could have been written by a hungry young GnR back in the day, but there are absolutely no vocal similarities between Sin and Axl, as Sin tends to have a bit more snarl to his voice and doesn't have nearly the high-end screech that Axl could pull out at any given time.  EP closer "Freaks And Weirdos" has a Crue-ish feel to it, harkening back to the "Live Wire" era, and pretty much sums up how the band feels about themselves, which is not a bad thing, as they seem to wear this distinction with pride.  This is an excellent track to close with and leaves listeners screaming for more.  

I can only come up with three complaints.  First is the length of the EP (just a hair over 20 minutes total), but I knew that going in (doesn't mean I can't want more music!).  Secondly, the production is just a tiny bit thin at times, lacking some of that big production bottom end to the drums that I think would really bolster the overall sound.  These complaints are minor, especially since I knew going in that I was taking a chance on an indy EP, so my expectations weren't really all that high.  To say that Dirty White Trash meets or exceeds what I was hoping for is not giving this English quartet enough credit.  My third complaint is one that is going to come up any time a band releases download-only material:  GIVE ME A CD!!!  Call me old-fashioned if you want, but I want something tangible to hold in my hands.  Perhaps a CD is in the making, but for now, the only way this material is available (that I am aware of) is through Amazon and also at iTunes. 

This is an excellent little sleaze teaser that has me anxiously awaiting a full-length project in the very near future...hopefull also in CD format!

Rating:  Crank this sleazy project to 8!

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