The Dirt of Luck

The Dirt of Luck
Studio album by Helium
Released	April 1995
Recorded	1994
Genre	Indie rock
Length	44:17
Label	Matador [1]
Producer	Helium Adam Lasus [2]
Helium chronology
Pirate Prude (1994) The Dirt of Luck (1995) Superball E.P. (1995)

The Dirt of Luck is the first full-length album from American indie rock band Helium. ^{[3] [4]} It was released in April 1995 on Matador Records and was produced by Adam Lasus.

Recording

The album was partly recorded by Timony and Devlin, before bassist Ash Bowie joined the group. ^[5]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[6]
Chicago Tribune	[7]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music	[8]
MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide	[9]
Orlando Sentinel	[10]
Pitchfork	8.0/10 [11]
The Village Voice	[12]

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." ^[13] Rolling Stone called the album an "off-kilter pop opus." ^[14] Gimme Indie Rock: 500 Essential American Underground Rock Albums 1981-1996 called it "a beacon of progressive noise-pop." ^[15]

Track listing

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

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) ^[16]

Technical personnel

• Adam Lasus - Producer, Engineer
• Greg Calbi - Mastering
• Kendall Meade - Artwork

References

1. "The Dirt of Luck". store.matadorrecords.com.
2. Niesel, Jeff. "Singer-Guitarist Mary Timony Revisits Helium's Music in Advance of Reunion Show". Cleveland Scene.
3. "Helium". Trouser Press. Retrieved October 15, 2020.
4. "Helium | Biography & History". AllMusic.
5. Thompson, Dave (October 15, 2000). Alternative Rock. Hal Leonard Corporation. ISBN   9780879306076 – via Google Books.
6. Phares, Heather. The Dirt of Luck at AllMusic
7. Ryan, Mo (June 29, 1995). "The Dirt of Luck Review". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on December 21, 2012. Retrieved October 24, 2014.
8. Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 4. MUZE. p. 227.
9. MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1999. p. 539.
10. Gettelman, Parry (August 11, 1995). "Helium". Orlando Sentinel . Retrieved November 27, 2017.
11. Schroeder, Amy (May 24, 2017). "The Dirt of Luck". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved July 6, 2017.
12. Christgau, Robert (January 23, 1996). "Consumer Guide". The Village Voice .
13. "For '90s indie fave Helium, a simple reissue became a second act". Salon. May 18, 2017.
14. Exposito, Suzy (June 9, 2017). "Helium's Mary Timony Talks Two Decades of Offbeat Indie-Rock Excellence". Rolling Stone.
15. Earles, Andrew (September 15, 2014). Gimme Indie Rock: 500 Essential American Underground Rock Albums 1981-1996. Voyageur Press. ISBN   9780760346488 – via Google Books.
16. https://www.discogs.com/release/467493-Helium-The-Dirt-Of-Luck