A few years ago I wrote the following about Holly Golightly, “Sometimes I’m not sure if I like Holly Golightly or if I just like the idea of Holly Golightly. Holly’s music, to me, has always seemed like something that would be played in an art/coffee house with Red walls, and full of people doing their best Alan Ginsberg impressions. Some oddity who pops up on a Jim Jarmusch soundtrack, or enjoys a day or two on top of the Hypemachine charts after Stereogum mentions it.” Like the majority of the world, Holly Golightly came into my universe via her track on the White Stripes’ Elephant album, but it was her collaborations with Lawyer Dave as “The Brokeoffs” that made me a fan of hers.

While I loved You Can’t Buy A Gun When You’re Crying and Dirt Don’t Hurt, the most I can muster for Medicine County is a solid “like”. For me, it almost seems like the band abandoned some of that “dusty old ‘45 crackling somewhere in the Midwest” feel for a cleaner, more modern take on country/western. While the results are better than most, they’re not as good as the previous two albums. That said, there are enough tracks that’ll get your head moving to make it worth an AmazonMP3 purchase.

Holly Golightly & The Brokeoffs – Murder In My Mind
Holly Golightly & The Brokeoffs – Forget It
Holly Golightly & The Brokeoffs – I Can’t Lose

Holly Golightly & The Brokeoffs’ Official Site, Holly Golightly & The Brokeoffs on myapce, Buy Medicine County

Holly Golightly and the one man band Lawyer Dave are releasing their second album under the moniker of Holly Golightly & The Brokeoffs. Last year when I was writing about their first album, You Can’t Buy A Gun When You’re Crying, I wrote that I wasn’t sure if I actually liked Holly Golightly or if I just liked the idea of Holly Golightly. While I’m still not sure if I like Holly alone as much as I like her ‘art/coffee house vibe’, I can say there is no doubt that I like the songwriting team that is Holly and Dave.

Dirt Don’t Hurt was recorded over 5 days in the middle of a 50 date tour in Spain. Using analog technology and vintage instruments, the album builds upon that “far away, lo-fi, should be heard with the crackle of vinyl” sound they had on Can’t Buy A Gun. I think the quick pace this album was recorded in really helps make it the better of their two releases because it didn’t allow too much examination up close. Rhythms sometimes get a little ragged and loose, but it’s that very raggedness that gets your toes tapping.

Bravo, Holly. Bravo, Dave. This is truly a must for the Essential Listening.

Dirt Don’t Hurt will be released on September 29th via Damaged Goods. You can preorder the album and buy the 7″ vinyl for “My 45″ here.

Holly Golightly & The Brokeoffs – My 45
Holly Golightly & The Brokeoffs – Burn Your Fun
Holly Golightly & The Brokeoffs – Bottom Below

Holly Golightly & The Brokeoffs’ Official Site, Holly Golightly & The Brokeoffs on myspace

Yeah, Yeah. After saying I don’t often listen to bands fronted by women, I’m gonna post about another.

Sometimes I’m not sure if I like Holly Golightly or if I just like the idea of Holly Golightly. Holly’s music, to me, has always seemed like something that would be played in an art/coffee house with Red walls, and full of people doing their best Alan Ginsberg impressions. Some oddity who pops up on a Jim Jarmusch soundtrack, or enjoys a day or two on top of the Hypemachine charts after Stereogum mentions it. To paraphrase, I find Holly Golightly’s albums to be rather hit or miss, and usually I have to be in the mood to enjoy the hits.

Over the past few years that has been my take on Holly and her extensive catalog. Then You Can’t Buy a Gun When You’re Crying came along. Holly Golightly & the Brokeoffs are Holly Golightly and a guy that goes by the handle Lawyer Dave. Under this moniker Holly seems to have abandoned the garage rock sound that could annoy me so very much and has embraced stripped down country and blues while keeping that “far away, lo-fi, should be heard with the crackle of vinyl” portion of her sound that has always appealed to me. I could not help but like it, and it leads off with my favorite song of the year so far, “Devil Do”. If you are a fan of the music I feature on this site you owe it to yourself to check out this cd. I’m glad I did and it is going onto the Essential Listening list.

In closing, I would like to quote The Tripwire, had it not been for them it may have been July before I listened to this cd:

This record hurts like a fork in the eye. It’s got the rugged face and calloused hands of a cowboy with the worldly sophistication of a big city Pinkerton. It is recommended that you only listen to this record alone, in the dark, with the safety off.

Holly Golightly & the Brokeoffs – Devil Do
Holly Golightly & the Brokeoffs – Time to Go
Holly Golightly & the Brokeoffs – Jesus Don’t Love Me

Holly Golightly & the Brokeoffs Official Site, Holly Golightly & the Brokeoffs on myspace, Buy You Can’t Buy a Gun When You’re Crying