Dirty On Purpose - Hallelujah Sirens

Genre rock Publisher North Street Records External Links Official Dirty On Purpose Website Official North Street Records Website

There aren't too many descriptions about Dirty On Purpose's second full length Hallelujah Sirens that hasn't already been culled up from the critics handbook of oft-used phrases. Even their label's website North Street Records can't come up with anything better than, "'Dreamy indie-pop with lush wall of sound guitars and occasional accents of distortion,' (somebody else wrote that once, we can't come up with anything better)."

Hallelujah Sirens is a cliché-ridden album with the quiet-loud-quiet-crunch template of early nineties alternative underground rock updated with some space-crunch Rum Diary buildups and a coated sheen of Built To Spill influence.

The only reprieve from the repeated patterns is the hazy-brass line played on the opening track "No Radio," that has the album heading in a different pop direction than it ultimately veers into as the horns never make another appearance again on the record.

"Car No Driver," carries a Pumpkins riff with steel-barrel drumming and muted vocals that never come into focus, a mesmerizing piece of work suitable for head bopping background noise during long stretches of work or study when you don't give a damn about vocals or lyrics but just need some driving noise with a little bit of melody to keep you focused on killing time. "Monument" is an instrumental barnburner deserving of a few listens and "Light Pollution" is a pretty good mellow tune. Other than that, the album holds together fairly well, but there really isn't anything groundbreaking or extra special to be found on Hallelujah Sirens.