The Dirt of Luck is the debut studio album from American indie rock band Helium.[3][4] It was released in April 1995 on Matador Records and was produced by Adam Lasus.
| The Dirt of Luck | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | April 1995 | |||
| Recorded | 1994 | |||
| Genre | Indie rock | |||
| Length | 44:17 | |||
| Label | Matador[1] | |||
| Producer | Helium Adam Lasus[2] | |||
| Helium chronology | ||||
| ||||
Recording
editThe album was partly recorded by Timony and Devlin, before bassist Ash Bowie joined the group.[5]
Critical reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [6] |
| Chicago Tribune |  [7] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [8] |
| MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide | [9] |
| NME | 8/10[10] |
| Orlando Sentinel | [11] |
| Pitchfork | 8.0/10[12] |
| The Village Voice |  [13] |
Trouser Press wrote: "Best of all is the opener, 'Pat’s Trick,' a distorted, percussive exercise in sexual obsession made riveting by Timony’s fluttering-yet- powerful delivery."[3] Salon wrote that "the arcing melodies on notable Dirt of Luck songs such as 'Pat's Trick' and 'Honeycomb' contort like a kite twisting in the sky, as Timony's dusky voice and noisy guitar hum add a steadying presence."[14] Rolling Stone called the album an "off-kilter pop opus."[15] Gimme Indie Rock: 500 Essential American Underground Rock Albums 1981-1996 called it "a beacon of progressive noise-pop."[16]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Pat's Trick" | 3:20 |
| 2. | "Trixie's Star" | 2:44 |
| 3. | "Silver Angel" | 2:54 |
| 4. | "Baby's Going Underground" | 6:24 |
| 5. | "Medusa" | 3:10 |
| 6. | "Comet #9" | 2:09 |
| 7. | "Skeleton" | 4:11 |
| 8. | "Superball" | 2:35 |
| 9. | "All the X's Have Wings" | 3:13 |
| 10. | "Oh, the Wind and Rain" | 5:29 |
| 11. | "Honeycomb" | 4:22 |
| 12. | "Flower of the Apocalypse" | 3:46 |
Personnel
edit- Helium
- Mary Timony — guitars, vocals; bass (tracks 1, 5, 11), keyboards (tracks 2, 3, 8), drums (track 2), organ (tracks 4, 10), xylophone (track 4), piano (track 6)
- Ash Bowie — bass (tracks 2–4, 7–10), drone guitar (tracks 4, 8), piano (track 4), keyboards (tracks 6, 10), guitars (track 12)
- Shawn King Devlin — drums (tracks 1, 3–5, 7–11), percussion (tracks 2, 5, 11), cymbals (track 6), drum (track 12)
- Technical personnel
- Adam Lasus - Producer, Engineer
- Greg Calbi - Mastering
- Kendall Meade - Artwork
References
edit- ↑ "The Dirt of Luck". Matador Records.
- ↑ Niesel, Jeff. "Singer-Guitarist Mary Timony Revisits Helium's Music in Advance of Reunion Show". Cleveland Scene.
- 1 2 "Helium". Trouser Press. Retrieved October 15, 2020.
- ↑ "Helium | Biography & History". AllMusic.
- ↑ Thompson, Dave (October 15, 2000). Alternative Rock. Hal Leonard Corporation. ISBN 9780879306076 – via Google Books.
- ↑ Phares, Heather. The Dirt of Luck at AllMusic
- ↑ Ryan, Mo (June 29, 1995). "The Dirt of Luck Review". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on December 21, 2012. Retrieved October 24, 2014.
- ↑ Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 4. MUZE. p. 227.
- ↑ MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1999. p. 539.
- ↑ "Helium: The Dirt of Luck". NME. May 13, 1995. p. 62.
- ↑ Gettelman, Parry (August 11, 1995). "Helium". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved November 27, 2017.
- ↑ Schroeder, Amy (May 24, 2017). "The Dirt of Luck". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved July 6, 2017.
- ↑ Christgau, Robert (January 23, 1996). "Consumer Guide". The Village Voice.
- ↑ "For '90s indie fave Helium, a simple reissue became a second act". Salon. May 18, 2017.
- ↑ Exposito, Suzy (June 9, 2017). "Helium's Mary Timony Talks Two Decades of Offbeat Indie-Rock Excellence". Rolling Stone.
- ↑ Earles, Andrew (September 15, 2014). Gimme Indie Rock: 500 Essential American Underground Rock Albums 1981-1996. Voyageur Press. ISBN 9780760346488 – via Google Books.