Just the other I discovered a band called DIRT POOR ROBINS on Bandcamp only to find out that it kicked some serious ass. I also discovered that their latest album came out last year, not too long ago, so I could still put in a few good words for it. There’s not too much info about the band online but, judging from what tidbits I managed to gather, it turns out that DIRT POOR ROBINS is a theatrical rock outfit hailing from Louisville, Kentucky, in the United States, and, as we speak, they are working on “a whimsical, psychedelic tragedy musical” entitled “The Raven Locks.” Now that the band has eventually popped onto my musical radar, I’ll be all the wiser to check out their future endeavors upon their initial release. Their most recent album, available on Bandcamp, is entitled “Firebird,” with a meta title, “A concept record from the Deadhorse Universe,” whatever that means. It was released independently almost exactly a year ago, in late February 2024, and its no-holds-barred, cinematic rock blew me away right off the bat. So, is it prog? Not necessarily, not in the traditional sense, but the music does resonate with a progressive air similar to the avant-pop-math-jazz act, MONIKA ROSCHER BIGBAND, albeit with a substantially smaller lineup; as the name suggests, Monika Roscher‘s avant-garde bunch is an actual bigband! These Kentucky avant-gardists deploy their crossover mayhem with the classic four-piece rock band format.
The album kicks off with “Behemoth (Don’t Blame Us),” a funky riffer that blends the sound of that early-2000s blues revivalism – y’know, THE BLACK KEYS and such – with the anthemic choruses of contemporary pop bangers. The melodic line at the end of the chorus, where the lyrics go, ”Don’t blame us,” could easily have fitted any of those good old MUSE endeavors from yesteryear. So, it seems right from the go that DIRT POOR ROBINS is on to something… The funky and stompy blues revivalism of the opener does not exactly prepare you for what comes next, though.
“Mad godS” opens with a somewhat Gil Evans-like off-kilter jazz intro only to evolve into a disco rocker! The jazz of the intro is revisited in the song’s break rather nicely – and the bassline throughout the song traverses the fine line between those legendary basslines of Motown legend Jamie Jamerson and later jazz giant Jaco Pastorius. I guess it was at this point when the band won me over. DIRT POOR ROBINS‘ take on disco is a pretty close match to the spirited contemporary disco bangers of GOLDFRAPP and ROISIN MURPHY – and the jazz frosting on top is a nice bonus, indeed.
When the ethereal ballad, “The Blur,” opens with an off-kilter melody similar to the jazzy motif in the previous track’s intro, I remember the commentary on the band’s Bandcamp profile about this endeavor being “a concept record from the Deadhorse Universe.” So, we’re dealing with a concept album, for real, I reckon. That explains the wild amounts of artistic freedom deployed in the songs. I’m not usually that much into ballads, but here, it sure helps that the song packs quite an amount of emotion into its ambient soundscapes. There’s something rather MUSE-like in this song as well, recalling some of the most anthemic moments of their 2003 album “Absolution.” The more I listen to this track, the more inclined I’m to say that it is the best damn song on the album! I guess this is the very first time I’ve said something like this about a ballad. I must be getting old?
That said, there are quite a few ballads on this album; “Cry Wolf” is quite an anthemic ballad, and then “Empty” takes on all sorts of neoclassical leanings – and does it even better than MUSE in their heyday. Then again, the selection comprises fifteen songs overall. There are a good few funky riffers, too – “Political,” “Fever Dream,” and “Holy Roller,” which comes off as a sly nod toward Marc Bolan, even with synths and all. Speaking of which, synth-pop is all over the place as well; “You’ll Never Heart It coming” represents the melancholy side of it, whereas “To the Heights” bows down to vintage Britney Spears and “The Imperishables” is turbocharged with all sorts of neoclassical flourishes.
Among the highlights of the album, “Beauty Will Save the World” comes off almost as an atmospheric aria in the vein of Sarah McLachlan. Kudos to the band – you see, it never happens that a band impresses me with ballads! Then, “All At Once” is rather ambient in its approach, too, although it isn’t exactly a ballad, more like a mellow breather, recalling IAMX (without the drugs). I guess it speaks volumes about DIRT POOR ROBINS’ knack for writing highly evocative songs that these bastards didn’t win me over with their funky riffs but… ballads?!
“So Long to Yesterday” sounds as if it were recorded in front of a live audience. These days, you can never tell, though. The song would surely slap on stage, I reckon; it is quite an anthemic arena rocker, paying homage to the stadium rockers of the 1980s. Then, quite befittingly, the title track does the honors of closing the album with an epic note, recalling the grand achievements of the Seattle legends, HEART. Well, what can I say? “Firebird” – especially the deluxe edition available on Bandcamp – is quite an everything bagel, not for the weak of stomach, but if you claim to be one of those who listens to anything, you should definitely give this album a go. It will be worth it.
Written by Jani Lehtinen
Tracklist
- Behemoth (Don’t Blame Us)
- Mad godS
- The Blur
- Political
- Cry Wolf
- You’ll Never Hear It Coming
- Fever Dream
- Beauty Will Save the World
- To the Heights
- All at Once
- Holy Roller
- So Long to Yesterday
- Empty
- The Imperishables
- Firebird
Lineup
Kate DeGraide
Neil DeGraide
Alex O’Nan
Josh Brown
Label
Independent, I reckon
Links
https://www.dirtpoorrobins.com
https://dirtpoorrobins.bandcamp.com/album/firebird-deluxe-edition
