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Dirty On Purpose: Hallelujah Sirens

Rating:

(North Street Records, 2006) With the May 2006 release of the debut full-length from New York quartet Dirty On Purpose, the band has thrust itself into the company of such indie rock greats as Sonic Youth, Yo La Tengo, and My Bloody Valentine. That’s not to say that Hallelujah Sirens is of a level of quality comparable to Daydream Nation, Painful, or Isn’t Anything. Indeed, far from it. What that really means is that the band shares an aesthetic with those greats, one of finding pop nuggets in layers of hazy atmosphere and of preferring sinewy guitar lines to chunky power chords.

“No Radio” starts the album off in just such a fashion, as harmonized male and female vocals tell the tale of a couple in love as they watch the sunset, while droning guitars and waves of feedback fight to cover them up. The band then stumbles slightly on “Your Summer Dress.” Although the melody and instrumentation certainly aren’t unpleasant, neither are they memorable or particularly interesting. Where the band hits its stride is with the quiet, sad “Lake Effect,” in which the song’s protagonist resolutely sings “Better to go far away / Better to back up your threats than stay / Better to go while the going’s okay / You wanted to be far away” over an acoustic guitar, piano, and a violin. Fortunately, the band was able to avoid the pitfall of schmaltz, leaving the third track as one of the strongest. Following directly on its heels is another strong track, the Sonic Youth-esque “Light Pollution,” which would have fit right in on Rather Ripped (which is better than Quinton thinks it is). From there, the band rolls right through the rest of the album with only one bump in the road, as the propulsive “Car No Driver” leads into the almost-hypnotic verse of “Always Looking,” which sounds like it eventually drains down a sink. Maybe that was the sound of inspiration draining away, because the weakest song on Hallelujah Sirens, “Marfa Lights,” follows, as the band throws out a tuneless, aimless rocker drenched in reverb that never develops into anything interesting. But then, right when you think things can’t get any worse, the band goes any records something like “Monument”…and completely redeems itself! “Monument” is a bit of a curveball from Dirty on Purpose, an instrumental in the middle of the album that serves its own purpose, not that of interlude or momentum breaker. The effects-laden guitars and driving rhythym section of the song combine to make one of the strongest tracks on the album, despite the lack of lyrics to keep things interesting.

The mood of Hallelujah Sirens is consistent throughout - simultaneously wistful, regretful, and optimistic. The lyrics tell stories of common nights made uncommon by the company kept, of dying relationships and moving on afterward, and of being so bored you find yourself chasing ghosts. But what really ties the album together (much like the Dude’s rug tied his living room together) is the band’s ability to meld pop songcraft with less traditional production techniques. As just the second release and first full length from the band, the album suggests great promise for the band. Maybe, given enough time, the band will craft its own masterpiece.

 1. No Radio
 2. Your Summer Dress
 3. Lake Effect
 4. Light Pollution
 5. Car No Driver
 6, 7. Always Looking
 8. Marfa Lights
 9. Monument
10. Kill Our City
11. Fake Lakes

Buy album

– Kevin

This 35-beets review was posted on December 2nd, 2006. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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Dirty On Purpose: Hallelujah Sirens

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