Dirty River Boys - Science of Flight

So I've been hinting around that I got the new Dirty River Boys album, Science of Flight last week. It isn't officially released till September 11, but thanks to the Kickstarter project they did a while back, I was able to get my grubby little hands on it a few weeks early. Last week was full of new releases and I think between those and doing some swaps with a few friends, I wound up with around 200 new songs in my iTunes. Normally this would be a great thing, but I'm finding myself feeling guilty for all the music I've gotten because it's all been pushed to the back-burner as Science of Flight has taken full stage.

It couldn't have come at a more perfect time either because the Boys were in town Friday night at the Blue Light. After listening to the new album on a loop for about 72 hours I was ecstatic to see these songs and all my other favorites performed live.

Even after stalking them on YouTube for months and knowing a good handful of the songs already on this album, I'm still beyond impressed and it's now resting in my top 3 albums of 2012. One of my favorites right off the bat is the Tom Petty-esque "Heart Like That," a wanderlust tune that I can't get enough of. Even though "She" will always be my favorite DRB song, this one is close behind. They have a way of singing songs girls will relate to without being cliché.

Speaking of not being cliché, did you know there is such a thing as a summer song that doesn't mention cut off jeans, corn fields, trucks or motorboatin'? At first I was a little nervous when I saw the title "Summer Sweet Summer," but they had me at "I'm gunna take her by the hand, spin her till she's mine." This one has everything it takes to be the perfect summer song without being overdone. I think it will be a radio hit next summer.

Science  really shows this four-piece band's diversity with everything from a perfectly-fitting and well-deserved Townes Van Zandt cover of "Lungs" to the upbeat, jazzy "Medicine Show." Another one of my favorites is "Riverbed Wildflowers," a slow song about moving on and of course I love the title track - it's such a pretty song.

"Letter To Whoever" and "Road Song" keep my blood pumping and make me dance in my spinny office chair or cause other drivers to think I'm having a seizure because I just can't sit still. I think "Raise Some Hell" is going to be a huge hit live because it was already received well when I saw them at Blue Light this past Friday night.

That was a damn good show. The crowd was the best I've seen in a while with everybody being back in town now that school's started. It was the first time in a long time I've had to fight for my place on the front row. There was a group of "Man Fan's" bro-ing out on the front row and at first I was annoyed but I figured if you can't beat 'em, join 'em, so that's just what I did.

The Boys kicked off with the first track from Science of Flight, "Dried Up." It's got that unmistakeable Dirty River Boys sound and is one of my favorites from the album. It's fun to listen to, fun to sing along to and just a damn good song that a lot of people can relate to. They played most of the new songs, and even though only a handful of people got the album early, it was obvious that everyone loved the new stuff. They played a good mix of older songs too like "My Son," "She," and a really cool version of "Carnival Lights" that built up really slow and then finished off strong with the entire crowd singing along to every word.

Part of what makes their live shows so entertaining is the crowd interaction. If putting the "Dirt" in Dirty River Boys doesn't pan out for Travis, I see a very promising future as a nightclub DJ. He just has that voice and charisma and constantly keeps the crowd going. When they played "Boomtown," one of their biggest hits, he commanded the entire crowd to jump, chant and harmonize with the band. I doubt there was a drop of beer left in a bottle after that song because everyone was fist-pumping and jumping up and down the entire time.

They also keep you guessing. Constantly switching places, switching gears and going back and forth between Marco and Nino singing lead. I love that CJ always sings a few of his songs. You never know what to expect next so you better pay attention or you might just miss seeing an upright bass being played like a guitar. Hell, one of the best moments was the encore/grand finale song. They covered the greatest Old Crow Medicine Show ever "Cocaine Habit." I've heard many people rave about how excited they were to hear that.

There were a few songs they didn't play that I was wishing they had. "Six Riders" is one that I've been listening to on YouTube for a long time and I was excited to hear it but never did. Also, "El Pescador", the last song on the album will take you by surprise and for a minute, you may think you accidentally switched it to the AM Tejano station. I have no idea what the words are, but I love it. My friend Carter kept requesting it Friday night and afterwards we found out that it's actually Nino's dad singing on the album. I think this one could be a HUGE hit live. It would be one of those unexpected things like Josh Weathers covering Whitney Houston or Josh Abbott turning "Oh, Tonight" into that annoying song by Fun. that winds up being a crowd favorite.

I'm telling ya, this band is going places! I think this Science of Flight is going to skyrocket the Dirty River Boys into a whole new territory. They have such a unique sound, but are still incredibly diverse. They have a huge, loyal fanbase, but there are still people waiting on the sidelines that are fixing to jump on this bandwagon. If you're one of those - please go get this album on Tuesday and see them at your earliest possible convenience because it's time to get DIRTY!

Pre-order Science of Flight here, here or get the autographed CD and a shirt here.

"I never know what they're doing..."