Just over twenty-six minutes into
Metal Moon, the debut album of San Francisco-based outfit Dirty Ghosts officially caught my attention. The anthem-rock guitar riffs of "19 in '71" stop on a dime, giving way to silence. Then it begins: the drum machine, the head nodding, powerful vocals from lead singer Allyson Baker. What transpires is three minutes and thirty seconds of, well, decide for yourself.
"Steamboat to Concord" has been called "minimalist electro," but there is more to it than that. There's a strong hip-hop element courtesy of Aesop Rock, who serves as the album's co-producer and Baker's partner in crime in Dirty Ghosts since former member Carson Brinks quit last year. Aesop's influence is all over
Metal Moon, which is a very good thing. Some of Brink's influences have been reworked, or removed all together, and as is the case with "Steamboat to Concord." This is also a good thing.
"Steamboat to Concord" features psych-pop and blues influences as well that give the track gravity without overpowering the natural weight of things. It sounds like something you've heard before, something embedded in the back of your mind. It also sounds really damn good.