I was reading the Montreal Mirror‘s review of Dirty Beaches’ lastest album Badlands and was so intrigued I went in for a listen myself and now I’m completely hooked. There’s a few songs that are so evocative of another era you would swear on Dick Dale’s life that it was recorded 50 years ago. Here’s the Mirror’s review:
The supernatural and harsh Badlands sounds like a lost, heavily corroded garage, rockabilly and surf rock artifact from half-a-century ago, although this highly disorienting time warp is the work of slick-haired solo, globetrotting Montrealer Alex Zhang Hungtai. He and his mangled guitar preside over eerie loops like a disheveled crooner slurring over long-forgotten standards at an otherworldly bar lost in space and time. As mysterious as finding a random box of old, jaundiced photos. (Eric Leijon)
My favorite tracks are “True Blue” and “Lord Knows Best”, and earlier today I was out-and-about in the sunshine floating through Mile End doin’ my thing, and I was so deep in the Badlands zone I felt like I was being mentally transported back to Orange County circa 1961. Take a listen for yourself and be sure to visit Alex’s website DirtyBeaches.blogspot.com. You can also find him on myspace, and to listen to (and buy) the full album visit last.fm. To read exclaim’s interview with Alex head over to exclaim.ca.
