The Dirtbombs are, put simply, one of the most awesome rock 'n' roll bands in the world. Their setup is a thing of beauty: two bass guitarists, one fuzzed up and one clean, two drummers offering a pounding, pummeling freight train of rhythm, and Mick Collins as the turbocharged hood ornament on the whole thing, effortlessly picking up every thermal like some kind of hulking badass rock 'n' roll superman.Ultraglide In Black was their magnum opus, a covers record that mined all-but-forgotten soul classics and cult rock 'n' roll hits and give them a Dirtbombs makeover. It's a monument to pure, primal, gut-wrenchingly powerful soul-driven rock 'n' roll. A modern classic, and a must-hear post-millennial record.It's a shame that, for all it's virtue, nothing they have produced since has quite recaptured the same majestic form. Their latest album We Have You Surrounded, severely lacks conviction and clarity. The sound palette is the same, but the songs lack hooks and blur together, the couplets are forced, the delivery plaintive, and the politics clunky. This album plods where it should effortlessly glide.I always criticise critics who lament what something isn't rather than focussing on what it is. But in this case, the decline in the quality of the songwriting from The Dirtbombs' past glories is the defining characteristic of the record. And no matter how much you love them, there just ain't no getting around that. 50%[Download The Dirtbombs music]Links The Dirtbombs [myspace]