Despite my 15+ year long radio campaign, surf music has never caught on in New Orleans, and my chances to talk about a local group are rare. In fact, Gitkin is not surf. It's the sort of passport psych* similar to groups like Khruangbin, Glass Beams, and BALTHVS, and it's been working! Once a side project from Brian J Gitkin's role in Pimps of Joytime, Gitkin (as a musical entity) has become a bigger focus, with major festival spots and international tours.
Blog Stuff
The Babalooneys are keepin' it hot! It's been just under two years since they slipped in with their surf traditionalists' dream LP Late to the Party. And Goin' For It has no intention to mess with a successful formula.
Right off the bat "Waveline" starts with one of those chords that flushes your ears with a feeling. It's a great all-arounder -- upbeat, pretty, with intricate guitar and a little bit of sax to keep things light.
The Desolate Coast's previous album Without a Planet felt like it was destined to be a hidden gem of surf music. While I don't have an issue with calling them "surf music", I found myself thinking "The Cure" more than "Dick Dale". There was a melancholy mood to the record, though not without some explosive pent-up bursts, and a unique approach to a three-guitar attack with a low-mid-high formation.
As much as I love championing some of the great releases of each year, I also feel pretty uneasy about so many of the things that don't choose. I'm as aware as anybody that my taste is just my taste! So I brought in other people's taste!
As always, I give total free reign over how they want to present them. Thank you for everybody that weighed in this year, sorry it took a while to publish.
Pages
About
STORM SURGE OF REVERB
is a SURF & INSTRUMENTAL ROCK & ROLL radio show on
WTUL New Orleans
Every Monday from 4-6pm CST
Here's a google calendar to help you remember
Listen to WTUL
SSOR is not broadcasting right now, but there's always something interesting on at WTUL
Stream WTUL
Search for Stuff
Storm Surge of Reverb, like surf music in general, is a money-losing endeavor.