Splashdown is when a spacecraft hits the water upon reentry into Earth's atmosphere. When astronauts go from space to surf. It's a great name for the splashdowns, who mix a semi-trad surf sound with a sense of cosmic wonder and adventure. Think The Spotnicks doing Rocket Man rather than Man... or Astro-man?, with a non-aggressive, thoughtful surf approach and not much reliance on out-there effects. There's a surprising amount of variety too. My favorite on here is "Springboard into Space" which achieves that sense of outer space sparseness and intrigue despite a brass complement. That's followed up by a jazzier "Apollo 1/4 to 8 - Apollo 8" and there's a latin jazz influence on "Joe Cube Meets the Splashdowns Uptown". The sound production here is excellent too, especially those punchy drums and crisp cymbals.
CDs can be got over at Double Crown Records
