Product Review
Not exactly dance-pop as commonly defined by Erasure or the Pet Shop Boys, Dirty Vegas's self-titled album nonetheless fits into the genre. In fact, "trace-pop" is arguably the best definition, as it is the likely offspring of Madonna's Ray of Light and Electronic's seminal From URB Magazine
Realize it or not, but you and most of mainstream American society are already intimately aware of UK trio Dirty Vegas. Thanks to the increasingly interesting world of car commercials mining the best of left-field electronic music for their soundtracks, we now have the world's first band to debut as part of a Mitsubishi campaign. Their electro-heavy "Days Gone By" will instantly invoke images of that hot brunette in the sexy cap dancing her cute little butt off, pop-lock style, from the heavily rotated advert (apologies to those with better things to do than watch TV). So when track 4 rolls around, prepare for anyone within earshot to ask, "What is this song?" Marketers around the world simultaneously weep with joy.

For the most part, Dirty Vegas play up the notoriety by not straying too far from the template set by "Days Gone By," with dance-intensive tracks like "Throwing Shapes," sharing the Mitsubishi song's thick psychedelic undertones, gurgling electro bass tones and slightly treated vocals of Steve Smith. Still, these fellows have their eyes set on more than just the dance floor, as they delve into straight pop-rock songwriting on numbers like "All or Nothing" (think an album track from mid-period Genesis. If you can't, your dad might have some in the den) and an acoustic version of "Days Gone By." From there the album kicks into cruise control, riding the easy-listening thump of "Alive" and the higher BPMs of "7am." So you want to go for a ride?

Timothy Brown

Like most people I heard about Dirty Vegas through the Mitsubishi Eclipse commercial which featured the electronic dance hit, Days Go By. And while that song is really quite enjoyable, radio killed it after excess airplay. That's the main reason why I bought the album; to hear what else Dirty Vegas had to offer. What I heard, however, sort of surprised me. Now I'm not saying that I was disappointed... NO WAY!... it just shocked me to find a lot of acoustic and folk influences in addition to the dancy funk vibes expected. I actually feel that "Ghosts" is his most impressive song on here just because of its showcasing of both worlds with an acoustically folkish beginning that breaks through to infectious tech-pop. "7AM" and "The Brazilian" actually carry the hardest techno/trance beats with consistant flows that will turn your room into an all-night dance party while "Throwing Stones" has more of a progressive house sound that's quite addicting. I must explain, though, how this album is not entirely a dance album but rather trance-pop with the aforementioned acoustic guitars and folkish-pop singing. His voice even resemles that of David Gray...(at least to me...) My absolute favorite song, however, would have to "Simple Things Part 2" which samples some vocals from Pink Floyd's "Another Brick In The Wall pt. 2". I also really enjoy the acoustic version of "Days Go By" which is a break from the overplayed mainstream version. Overall I feel that Dirty Vegas's debut album definitely has potential it just falls short when it comes to originality. I still recommend this album but when it comes to dance music there are much better things to choose from, such as Leftfield's LEFTISM, Kylie Minogue's FEVER and The Crystal Method's VEGAS. Don't let that disgruntle you, though, because this really is a good album. It's just not the best in its genre. Comment | Permalink | (Report this)