Dirty Looks

There's a rich history of American bands going to the U.K. in hopes of getting their big break, but Dirty Looks were lucky enough to manage this without having to leave New York City. Dave Robinson, one of the founders of the legendary British label Stiff Records, saw the Staten Island-based trio while visiting the Big Apple and wasted no time signing them, and judging from their self-titled debut album, it's not hard to see why -- while Dirty Looks' attack was harder and leaner than most of the acts who recorded for Stiff at the time, the songs have hooks galore, Patrick Barnes' lead guitar rings loud and clear throughout, bassist Marco Sin and drummer Peter Parker drive the band with energy to spare, and the guys know how to walk the fine line between cool and geeky with aplomb. While the single "Let Go" is the best thing on Dirty Looks, a handful of other gems can be heard here as well, including the cheerfully snarky "You're Too Old," the frantic lyrical push and pull of "They Got Me Covered," and the rockabilly-influenced curtain-closer "Drop That Tan." There's hardly a shred of waste on Dirty Looks -- the performances are streamlined and to the point, with the three players sounding remarkably tight and earnest without getting pretentious. Dirty Looks isn't quite power pop and it doesn't hit quite hard enough to be punk, but the middle ground it stakes out is a pretty fun place to be. ~ Mark Deming, All Music Guide