The Dirtbombs

Mick Collins is a musical genius. He's got style. He's got class. Most of all, he's got a heart of pure rock 'n' roll. He first proved this in the Gories, the dirt-floor raw Garage Rock band who set the pace for the genre. With the Dirtbombs, Collins has joined up with a larger band to make more noise than ever -- their songs are more varied than the wailing, rip-your-heart-outta-your-chest thunder of the Gories. On top of the eardrum-shattering stomp, you get guitars so blasted with fuzz, it sounds as if Davie Allan (the reigning king of fuzz guitar action) roared into the studio while the Dirtbombs were recording. Collins and the boys work in deceptively catchy melodies, stunning riffs doused in distortion and (of course) simple, heart-pounding rhythms. In the end, the Dirtbombs' songs have a wholly unpretentious, raw, gut-wailing sound that just can't be faked.