DIRTY VELVET “Far Beyond The Moon”

Fastball Music, 2023

Music: Alternatywny Rock
Website: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100076167258796
Duration: 36:13 (10 tracks)
Country: Switzerland

The name of the band is DIRTY VELVET. On the cover there is an eye crying a bloody tear, levitating against some celestial body. The music on the album is raw, sometimes even simplistic. We get what the band plays at the concert. No extra flavors, choirs, keyboards or other bells and whistles. The sounds like, in my opinion, punk music of the 70’s with a strong alternative twist straight from SONIC YOUTH. As the singer recorded, it stayed that way. We won’t see autotune or big post production here. If the texts were shortened by repeated lines, a maximum of 3 pages in the booklet would be enough. The solos give the impression that someone is playing them with an elbow. In other words, kitsch chases kitsch and drives kitsch.

That was my first impression. And even though everything I wrote is true, I liked this record. This is just pleasant to listen to. The songs are diverse: from punk rhythms, through medium tempos, to ballads. The singer has a voice that reminds me of Joan Jett – such a mannered lady with a hoarse voice. Her vocals have an old-school reverb overlaid on most of the songs. Solos, despite the quality of their performance, fit into the convention. Riffs are often “creeping”. By that I mean the way bands from the 70s like IRON BUTTERFLY on “In a gadda da vida” or CREAM on “Sunshine Of Your Love” were played. The whole thing is kept in check by bass and drums, which often play repetitive trance rhythms.

I must admit that on a daily basis I do not move in the musical areas presented by DIRTY VELVET. Not all songs bought me, but they are short enough that I don’t feel like skipping anything while listening. The album is quite short, which leaves the listener with a slight hunger (and that’s good!). My favorite track that caught my attention from the first listen was “Fight Together” – later it turned out that the band chose this song as a single. A good choice!

Despite the cognitive dissonance that I experience when launching this release, I can say that the music has defended itself with its honesty. If someone likes dirty alternative rock, I recommend DIRTY VELVET!

Tracklist:
1. Moon
2. Bastards
3. Another Reality
4. You N’ Me
5. Queen Of Decadence
6. Message
7. Fight Together
8. No No No
9. Forbidden Fruit
10. I’m Standing

Line-up:
Ekaterina “Katy” Koukharets – vocals
Pascal “Sly Cuts” Sauty – guitars
Garrincha “Garry” Maillard – bass
Gilles “Gyles” Di Domenico – drums

Rate: 6.0/10