Dirt Dress - "Perdido en la Suciedad"

5 songs in under 18 minutes. Typical EP length, yes, but what differentiates Dirt Dress' EPs from other micro-works is that Perdido en la Suciedad fills a small niche--much like last year's Theme Songs EP--that despite being small in length and stature, equivocates a much larger concept. This concept is shrouded in two key factors: 1) linear blues, and 2) hybrid rock/honky-tonk. A strange combination, but this mix really elevates these 18 minutes of music into something that impresses, rather than something that is merely playing itself from beginning to end. Towards the end of "Untitled," you get the feeling that you've just been exposed to an audition of sorts. It's something you've never really heard before, but the short length allows you to pop in a few more listens, not because you can, but because you want to. You are intrigued.

I still can't pinpoint the exact qualities that make this little ditty addictive, but I suppose you could start with the constant toe-tapping that occurs during the rhythmic ascensions and howls of "An Introduction." Similarly, "Go to Sleep" induces something like a blues-trance by avoiding typical refrains and latching onto a linear recycling of guitar. You probably don't need to go any further than that. Perdido doesn't take you in a million directions or bog you down with a sophisticated view of the blues or honky-tonk genre; it keeps you in the unique place it presents you with and keeps you there smoothly and generously for an entire 18 minutes. This is music for a crowded bar where the lager goes down smooth. The minute this comes out of the jukebox, everyone will be having a good time.