DCist’s music staff gushes about the best new local music

A man, his amp, his pedals and his guitar: it’s a sparse setup usually common to acoustic singer-songwriters. That said, the Dirty Beaches set felt a world away from an episode of VH1 Storytellers. Much as a good filmmaker uses elements that the audience can’t see to create a sinister atmosphere, Alex Zhang Hungtai’s economical setup effectively created an eerie soundscape moreso than if he’d overwhelmed us with dense layers of sound.