Alabama is a hotspot for instro music. Louisiana is... well, it has some. Mississippi, to my knowledge, has Buddy & the Squids. This is the second release by the lone Mississippi group, and it's more ambitious than their last, with a progressive Mermen-ish sound to it. Unfortunately shortly after the release of this record the band has geographically split up, with their drummer Daniel Guaqueta heading up to California (where he tells me he's been hanging with The Mermen's guitarist...Read more
Reviews
Post date: 06/11/2015 - 07:38
I have played a TON of Los Tiki Phantoms on my radio show. They don't necessarily bring anything new to the table, but damn if it isn't ROCK SOLID. "Y El Misterio Del Talisman" looks like it's going to be a mainstay as well, with more upbeat sun-soaked skate-punk surf rock just dripping with fun the whole way through. Check out the video, you'll get it.Read more
Post date: 06/04/2015 - 07:17
Are The Phantom Operators starting to settle on a Western sound? We've had an album called Metal Mariachi Music and now a total of 4 consecutive songs going for a lonely, desolate, spaghetti Western angle. I think it works! These two are on bandcamp for free/pay-as-you-want, and they've said they have an LP on the way.Read more
Post date: 06/04/2015 - 07:05
The Metallica reference on the album art isn't just a gag; this is a cover record and Baleia Mutante's tends to go a little outside the normal surf favorites. On this one we've got instro covers of Nirvana, Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, The Dead Kennedys, and the Live and Let Die Theme. Though you can buy the album on CDBaby, they've also got a number of full-length tracks on...Read more
Post date: 06/03/2015 - 22:51
A while ago Satan's Pilgrims held a kickstarter to fund a trip to Europe and their compilation of singles, live cuts, and unreleased tracks titled "Frankenstomp". That album has found its way into a number of hands since the kickstarter, but for those of us that didn't go that route, we can now buy it too! I've heard great...Read more
Post date: 06/01/2015 - 07:43
Every Trabants release has stuck out to me so far, and this is no exception. Or rather, this is also exceptional. You know what I mean. I'm not sure if I can pinpoint exactly what it is, they just seem to be one of those bands where everything lands in the right place. The drums aren't necessarily showy, but keep things moving in the right way, and really know how to add some punch when they need to. They've always got a good helping of variety and fresh ideas on every album, and the...Read more
Post date: 05/31/2015 - 23:22
Early this morning my car was parked in North Carolina, where I drank many interesting sodas and hiked some beautiful mountains for a weekend. After a long day driving back here, I found that North Carolinans the Monterreys had made their new album available to those of us that didn't get to catch them at the Instro Summit. One of these years.
This is the first LP from the Monterreys, following an eponymous EP, and I've seen a few great words about it already. Thick 'n heavy surf...Read more
Post date: 05/28/2015 - 06:47
Gee Whiz! The Mighty Swells have been dripping songs onto Soundcloud and Reverbnation for years, but finally went ahead and made a long-player. They've got a well polished very trad sound where the fun finds its way through. This LP is predominantly covers, but originals like "Lone Rhino" and "Mr Infiltrator" really hold their own amidst the time-tested classics. Apparently they've got another LP of originals on the way!Read more
Post date: 05/22/2015 - 16:29
Burt Rocket's Savage Iceland came out in 2009... has it really been that long!? Burt's stuff is very 60's rooted and reverb drenched. I would use the word "mysterious" in context of his previous LP, but if the track "Boss Board" is any indication, this one might be more rocket-fueled!Read more
Post date: 05/22/2015 - 08:10
Puta Madre Brothers are a pretty oddball group. A three man one-man band (each member plays guitar and drums simultaneously), their sound is pretty unique. There's a semi tex-mex sound, but with an off-kilter beat, and all sorts of what-not thrown into the blender. It's not entirely instrumental, but it's instrumental enough. Here, have the description from...Read more
Post date: 05/20/2015 - 07:58
This is the third LP from Wisconsin's The Revomatics (second studio LP). I've only heard "Live at Lucky Joe's Tiki Room" but it was a blast the whole way through. From the previews, this seems like a slight departure: darker, more mysterious, more thunderous. Now I've got no issue with bands trying to go straight for a sound from the early 60's and leaving it at that, but it's also cool to hear a band push themselves and work out a sound of their own.
You can preview some of the...Read more
Post date: 05/20/2015 - 07:40
Great lineup for a split EP, each band from a place where surf just won't quit. Los Galerna take the first half of the split at a fast pace. Their sound is pretty standout mix of distinct percussion, quick-pickin' guitar and honkin' sax. It's got great punch and really comes together! I'm a little more familiar with Mexico's The Cavernarios, and they definitely hold up their end. They start with a blistering fuzzy number, then move to a pretty one, and end with a sunny twister.
Whole...Read more
Post date: 05/14/2015 - 10:35
Just a few weeks ago I was listening to The (Fabulous) Wailers' "Tall Cool One" LP and thinking "Why are there not thousands of bands still making this stuff?". I just wanna stomp and twist and dance and leave my music at that!
The Satin Chaps get it! They've got some swingin' organ, honkin' brass, and percussion ready to make you move. Too bad two tracks aren't even enough to work up a sweat, but they're both right on target!
...Read more
Post date: 05/13/2015 - 08:09
Los Plantronics are a gift from the Norse gods. Their previous record "Organic Voodoo Soup" was a knockout, but also a bit experimental. Often that means strange and moody, but I really mean it wasn't strictly surf, dipping into soul music, boogaloo etc. Check out the song "Cin-a-Delico" from that album for a surf track that tries to be a whole lot more.
Well, here we are with an album with "Surfing" right there in the title, and though I doubt anybody was worried, I'm here to tell...Read more
Post date: 05/11/2015 - 07:50
The Wrecks House appears to be the brainchild of Leon Daniel, who played for the Monterreys. This is definitely a departure from that sound: much spookier, slower, and mysterious-er with a whole lot of spy sound.Read more
Post date: 05/06/2015 - 08:20
Luau or Die have been a part of the Toronto surf scene for a good while now (there's videos going back to 2009 on Youtube) but for us way far away from Toronto, we can dig this EP. "Dead on the Floor Vol. 1" is comprised of four originals and a cover of "Llorando Se Fue" (I had to...Read more
Post date: 05/05/2015 - 07:46
Recently I talked about how excited I was to hear a new EP from Travelers of Tyme. What I didn't realize at the time (tyme?) was that that was just a prelude to a brand new LP. True to their form, Chronomads is eclectic, mysterious and strange, with all sorts of instrumentation and sounds unique to each song.Read more
Post date: 05/04/2015 - 07:29
Always great to see a surf band with a hefty brass section! Los Coyotes are about equal parts 3rd-wave ska and surf, a combination you don't hear very often. And I think it's working! This is a fun EP, though only 3 songs. Looking forward to hear where a combo like this goes next.
...Read more
Post date: 05/03/2015 - 12:12
I like to think that I do a pretty good radio show, but having a surf radio show in New Orleans hasn't really started a movement or anything. I know of only 4-ish surf groups in Louisiana, and that's counting some of them as halves. One of those is Baton Rouge's Rondo Hatton (who I'm 99% sure formed with zero influence from my radio show).
Rondo Hatton started as a side project: each of its members have been on countless Louisiana...Read more
Post date: 05/02/2015 - 07:16
Demon Vendetta's previous LP "Guardians of the Bitter Sea" was absolutely excellent, with one track "Black Skull: Master of the Dark" that will probably be a mainstay on my Halloween show until forever. I had listeners genuinely tell me they were creeped out by it!
So naturally I'm thrilled to see another one. Vigilante Surf is just as savage as the record that came before it. But it takes more than just a mean tone to make a good horror surf record: there's a number of twists and...Read more
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