Week 11 - Dertybird - Pure Analog

DERTYBIRD

Pure Analog

When Dertybird went into the studio to record Pure Analog, they could have used all of the high-tech equipment that surrounded them but then they wouldn’t have come out with such a gem of an album.

They chose to record live to tape, almost a lost art in recording today. But by kicking it “old school” they did both a nice nod to their southern rock predecessors and brought their live sound to a studio album. Sometimes it’s better to listen to your musical elders.

The band kicks through nine tracks in about 36 minutes. The songs are a nice mix of guitar jams and ballads. “Edna” gets things going nicely with a classic “she done me wrong” jam. I could listen to the Black Crowesesque “People Change” all day long.  They slow it down for tracks like “All I Ever,” “Feels Like Money,” and the rebound relationship themed “Laura Lee.”

I’ve got two favorite tracks on Pure Analog and they happen to be the last two songs on the CD.

“She Likes It” is a poppy little groove that caught me with the line “They say a woman has the right to change her mind / She likes to exercise it.” Although “People Change” is the single, this is the track I’d pick for radio release, as it’s the one that sticks in my head.

The last track on the album is “Hurricane.” It’s a beautiful ballad that has that introspective feel to it. It’s a good closer for the album. “I don’t want to be alone forever / I just want to be alone for now / Just give me some time to be alone / you know we’ll work it out.”

The recording is raw, the vocals falter a little but that adds to the overall sound. I’d hate to hear it more polished. Dertybird subscribes to the old “be for what is” standard and it works for them. It’s great to hear the new batch of Austin blues-infused southern rock bands like Dertybird, Noble Dog, and Uncle Lucius. They prove that great music is still out there.

Dertybird plays with a couple of amazing performers, the legendary Pinetop Perkins and the amazing Carolyn Wonderland, on November 25 at Antone’s. You’d do well to make it to that show. Visit dertybird.com for more information.