Dirtbombs

Party Store

In The Red

CD $12.00

02/01/2011 759718520026

ITR 200 CD

3X12" $17.50

02/01/2011 759718520019

ITR 200

MP3 $9.90

02/01/2011 759718520026

VINYL INCLUDES FREE DOWNLOAD COUPON!!! Nearly ten years after their critically-acclaimed album Ultraglide in Black helped kick-start a renewed interest in all things Detroit and rock ’n’ roll, The Dirtbombs release the de facto companion piece entitled Party Store. Where Ultraglide was a covers collection of ’60s and ’70s soul gems centered on the ideas of African-American identity and politics of the era that made an impression on a young, pre-musical Mick Collins as he listened to them on 45s in the family basement, Party Store is an assortment of live-band interpretations of classic Detroit techno music of the ’80s and early ’90s—songs Collins digested as they were originally released, when he was already making waves with garage-punk legends The Gories. The subject matter runs the gamut from materialistic future-disco braggadocio (“Sharevari,” originally by A Number of Names) to cold, post-industrial isolation (“Alleys of Your Mind,” originally by Cybotron) through the instrumental optimism of a worldwide house classic (“Strings of Life,” originally by Derrick May). All these themes encapsulate the climate of Detroit both now and at the time of their initial release. Let it be said clearly: this record addresses both the past and the future of Detroit. The players’ recreation of the sequenced, digital rhythms and melodies stems from an Oblique Strategies card pulled during the recordings: “Humanize something that is without error.” They do so with a crisp, krautrock-like precision on originals that all featured drum machines, sequencers and synthesizers. The two clear standout tracks are “Good Life” and “Bug in the Bass Bin.” Collins recontextualizes the upbeat modern dance élan of the former, originally by Kevin Saunderson via his Inner City outfit, to echo with post-punk zeal as the zest of doubled harmonies resonates throughout. “Bass Bin” (originally by Carl Craig as Innerzone Orchestra) features modular synthesizer programming by Craig himself and is the album’s pièce de résistance. Clocking in at more than 21 minutes, the track’s original light jazz underpinnings are diffused into a martial, militaristic backbeat coupled with fire-raining feedback screes from Collins’s trusty Kent guitar.