Dirty Americans certainly live up to the name as this album has some of the dirtiest riffs I have heard in a long time, and I mean that in a good way. Turn the clock back 30 or 40 years to the late sixties/early seventies and Dirty Americans would not have been out of place as they meld the vibe of Led Zeppelin with the groove of Grand Funk Railroad and throw in a little bit of Black Sabbath for good measure.

Album opener 'No Rest' starts off like 'Queens Of The Stone Age' with an infectious riff that buries itself in your head and just won't let go for the entire song. 'Car Crash' gets the funk out as the bass drives the groove and a simple melody and lyric sits atop the beat. The title track 'Strange Generation'  also boasts a riff straight out 70's and somehow the melody reminds of something that Enuff z' Nuff used to write back in the day. 'Burn You Down' continues with the trend of memorable guitar lines, the chorus is simple and not overstated and the guitar solo makes use of what sounds like an old fuzzbox..

Fifth song in is 'Time In Space' which starts of all slow and with the guitar following the vocal melody until the tempo is picked up and heads back into stoner territory. 'Give It Up' meanwhile slight slows the pace down without causing the listener to lose interest  as it switches between acoustic verses and electric choruses. 'Dead Man' wanders firmly into Led Zeppelin territory sounding all mystical with a touch of Eastern Promise.. 'Control' sees some nice guitar/bass  interplay but is possibly the weakest moment on the album to my mind, but this leads into 'Deep End', an acoustic led song that simply reeks of class. There is a touch of southern rock in there somewhere, a little bit of blues and a whole lot of vibe.. Definitely the highlight of the album.  'Way To Go' mixes that dirty guitar sound with a melody that again lives in a distant decade. 'Light-Headed' & 'Chico' fall into the stoner rock category with rumbling bass and the obligatory dirty guitar riff and then the album closes out with 'We Were Young' another laid back number that showcases a fondness for the sound of the sixties. another cracker.

Overall this is an excellent album, the sound is somewhat muddy, but I would guess that is intentional given the style of the music. In this day and age of samples, drum loops, DJ's and computer driven music, that an organic record can sound fresh and exciting is somewhat surprising, but most welcome.

Let us know your views on 'Strange Generations'

Track List

No Rest
Car Crash
Strange Generation
Burn You Down
Time In Space
Give It Up
Dead Man
Control
Deep End
Way To Go
Light Headed
Chico
We Were Young

Line Up

Myron - Lead Vocals
Jeff Piper - Guitar
Patrick Beaver - Bass
Jeremiah Pilbeam - Drums