I'm not a big fan of prototypical sayings, but the phrase 'If it ain't broke, don't fix it' came into my head as I listened to Dirty Beaches album, Drifters. The mans made a killing sampling tunes from the 50's and 60's and molding them into something straight out of a David Lynch film. Only, he really hasn't changed. I guess, why would he? If what he's done has worked so far, why try to change that?
"Night Walk" is a haunting little number that feels at home at some awkward party you were invited to, but that only 4 people showed up for. It's unsettling, but not scary, like most of his songs are I feel. Others like "Casino Lisboa" and "I Dream In Neon" reinforce his golden-age song sampling prowess, nearly beating the idea out of your head that maybe he created every sound in those songs.
Thankfully, he does deviate from his typical song style to deliver a few tracks better suited for the movie Drive. "Mirage Hall" and "Elli" sound like they were ripped right out of an old VHS tape to some terrible action movie. They're fun, if not a big long, at least giving the album a sense of depth and not the same tried and true sounds over and over. "Landscapes In The Mist", the last track on the album, simply feels like filler material, which, as I've stated in a review before, is not something I take a liking to.
Drifters is good for fans of Dirty Beaches, and may be good enough to sway some haters off his path, but that's doubtful. I've complained about bands changing their style before, but when you're almost given the same album time and time again, it begins to get a little bland. I mean, hey, maybe their right. Maybe there is such a thing as 'Too much of a good thing'? - Shane
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