Source: Discogs

Dirty Bird by The Meices is a thirteen-song alternative rock album. All of the songs are filled with punchy guitar, emotion-filled vocals, and a full, clean sound. Some of the songs are supplemented with unorthodox instruments in addition to the guitar, bass, and drums. Piano is added to the twelfth song on the album, “Leave Me Alone,” and a horn section shines in the album’s first track, “Wow.” None of the songs are similar, but they work well together and come together to make a great album. 

Dirty Bird was released on February 27, 1996, on the label London Recordings. The Meices formed in 1990 in San Francisco and released three albums together before disbanding in 1997. They fall under the garage, noise, and alternative subgenres of rock. The album was produced by Gil Norton, known for working with rock bands like Pixies and Foo Fighters. It was co-written by the band’s lead guitarist Joe Reineke and bassist Steve Borgerding, who sings one song off the album (“Leave Me Alone”), and leaves the rest to Reineke. 

Norton does a beautiful job producing the album. The sound quality is clear as day, and every single song is clean- from the stops and starts to the timing of the three instruments as they play together. Joe Reineke’s vocals are rough in a way, able to go from yelping in a chorus to smooth enunciation in a verse. The backing vocals on the chorus of songs like “Hey Fella” fit perfectly, and the backup shout-singing in “Wow” and “Hold It” is clean and easy to sing along with. The melodies (and harmonies) are catchy and playful, and seem like they would be fun to sing and play live. With that, the songwriting adds to the playfulness of the album and its unique sound. The guitar has a bright sound throughout the album, and the bass sounds thick and full, especially on “Hey Fella,” where listeners are gifted with multiple freestanding bass riffs. The drums are tight and hold every song together, while also giving them great energy and drive. In other words, all three instruments work perfectly together and create a rock-solid album, through and through. 

This album deserves a five out of five rating. Unfortunately, The Meices did not have a long career, but in their short time together they made amazing music. The highlight of their time together is this album (which is hard to find digitally, but not the fault of the band). Each song is a masterpiece in its own way, and has a special quality that separates it from the boring, standard, mainstream rock bands. The sound is clean and the production quality is top-notch, giving all thirteen songs a satisfying feel where listeners can pick out all of the parts but still hear the songs as a cohesive piece. The vocals match perfectly to the instruments, and is overall an amazing 90’s album that most have never heard of.