For lack of a better term, Detroit’s own Dirtbombs are a beast. When Mick Collins and his crew put out a record (and there have been many) you don’t know what exactly it is you’re going to get until the needle touches the groove. And this, my friends, is a very good thing; the thrill of the unknown is what makes The Dirtbombs one of the premier “underground” rock bands happening now.
The output of the band since its inception has been both prolific and diverse; 1998’s Horndog Fest is an annihilating homage from beginning to end to Michigan’s favorite sons, Iggy and The Stooges. Ultraglide in Black, on the other hand is an album of MoTown, Soul and Funk covers that shows fans where the band’s true love lies.
The Dirtbombs latest release, We Have You Surrounded, is a scuzzed out bastard hybrid of Mitch Ryder and The Detroit Wheels crashing head long into the freaked out craziness of The MC5. Lead guitarist and vocalist Mick Collins drives the band (Ko Melina- fuzzy bass, Ben Blackwell- drums, Pat Patano- drums and Troy Gregory- drums) like a manic evangelist preacher at a tent revival pushes the congregation to the point of ecstasy. When Collins sings ” We got one foot in the cosmos” on the album’s opener, “It’s No Fun Until They See You Cry,” he means it. His bullhorn distorted vocals and ripping guitar work make the listener believe that they are a rocket bound for the furthest reaches of the great unknown. And when the double bass, dueling drummers that are the force behind “Ever Lovin’ Man” kick in, you’d better damned well better believe Mick is the man; if you don’t, he’ll beat you into submission.
We Have You Surrounded comes on like a party mix tape played at the last bash before the end of the world. Unlike fellow Detroit rockers The White Stripes, who have tried mixing exotic instruments and styles with their blues influences, failing miserably at times in the process, The Dirtbombs don’t ever step too far outside of their comfort zone. They are smart enough to know where their bread is buttered and on Surrounded, The Dirtbombs slather it on thick, giving you all of that greasy goodness.
“Ever Lovin’ Man”
