Review: Dirty Dishes - Guilty
By Brittany Oblak, Contributor
[Exploding in Sound; 2015]
Rating: 7/10
Key Tracks: "Thank You Come Again," "Androgynous Love Song," "One More Time"
Nirvana and Radiohead are raging inside of Boston natives Dirty Dishes, fighting hard for control of this sonically confused duo. Their latest effort Guilty transitions from In Utero to In Rainbows over the course of nine songs and it is a gargantuan spectrum of sound, to say the least.
In their last effort, 2012’s The Most Tarnished Birds, they certainly embraced their more experimental side, sounding more like Radiohead and Minus The Bear. However, as exemplified in their 2010 single “In The Clouds,” they certainly aren’t laggards in the shoegaze trend in music and they definitely are cashing in on that on this album.
“I want the music to create the mood rather than the lyrics. The lyrical content just has to agree with the sound of the song,” said lead singer Jenny Tuite in a 2011 interview with The Harvard Crimson. Given the large number of instrumentally induced chills experience, they did a damn good job.
The first track “Thank You Come Again” is as saturated and fuzzy as a moldy peach. The intro and chorus are so reminiscent of “In Bloom;” it takes you even more by surprise when Tuite comes in with her high-pitched-without-being-annoyingly-squeaky vocals. This track is right on par with shoegaze peers with the static yet soaring guitar and almost disruptive guitar breaks.
This continues into the second song with an even heavier guitar, making you think that the album’s definitive tone has been set, but aha--just you wait and see. Before the total tone change in the album, we get one more hazy bit of goodness called “Androgynous Love Song,” which is as lyrically self-deprecating as someone who does actually just gaze at their shoes all day probably would be.
“Locked in my basement where it’s dark and safe / I think I’ll stay here ‘till I waste away,” crawls out quietly over a low, steady guitar that resounds to the point of sounding like it’s sick of itself, reflecting some lyrical self-loathing.
Fifth track, “Dan Cortez” opens with the lyrics “You’re still sleeping…” and it is glaringly obvious that’s exactly how they want you to feel--like you’re in a dream. This is where the album makes its transition into being more Yorke than Cobain, sonically plunging into what’s more sonic and sweeping, akin to Radiohead’s “House Of Cards”. The vocals are sparse and lyrics almost inaudible, doing what we assume the band had in mind given the aforementioned interview--letting the sound sweep over you while the lyrics are just a compliment.
On that note, the next track “Dinner Bell” has no lyrics but just about every sound audible to the human ear, from birds to what sounds like an extraterrestrial spaceship (Maybe it’s the one that left Tom DeLonge behind? We may never know at this rate.)
“One More Time” may be the most lyrically satisfying song, as it sounds like the vocals were plucked as perfectly as the guitar. A tale of now-estranged love that must be redeemed, Tuite sings, “I’ll kill you with kindness,” dripped over bright but anxious chords. The album closes with the trippy and haunting “Sugar Plum Fairies,” which will literally make you feel like you’re in a loop-dream after you drank two bottles of NyQuil. It’s as whimsical as its namesake while still being slightly creepy.
Despite being an immensely enjoyable sonic rollercoaster ride, possessing incredible musicianship and many distinguishable influences, it’s hard to claim this whole album as one piece. There is no concise theme, message or sound, making it difficult to understand the piece overall. This band could get away with every sound they incorporate and experiment with, but it may be better suited in different places.
It’s something like the combination of Pizza Hut/Taco Bell--both are good in their own ways for individual reasons, but when you decide you should get a stuffed crust pizza and a Crunchwrap Supreme, you’ve overindulged. You love them both equally and at designated times, just not together. However, Guilty is still an amazing album and here’s hoping to see a lot more of this band from here on out.
