I enjoyed Les Agamemnonz's debut 10". It had a good trad sound, a lot of very drippy reverb and a somewhat restrained energy that worked out well. They keep that up with Au Revoir, though they expand a bit. "Vulkanizer" (which really masters the thud from the Astronauts' "kuk") and "El Tremblador" are a bit more menacing than I remember from this band, and they pick up a wild west sound on the last three tracks. Tickling one of my favorite spots is "Tre Grazie", a great take on the Peruvian chicha sound.

If you listen to Storm Surge of Reverb regularly, you might have picked up how much I love the Peruvian take on surf. Bands like Los Belking's, Los Holy's and Los Jaguar's had a truly unique mix of surf rock, psychedelic music and cumbia that come together into something I have heard since from anywhere else in the world.

The latest from Green Cookie! The Surfin Barmaids started recording their first LP wayyy back in 1998 and they're still kickin out solid surf tunes today. This one's got a good mix of originals and covers. It's also got a limited run 10" vinyl release accompanying it.

Two Gremmy Award nominees (one of them a winner) are getting some nice reissues that should let them reach a deservedly wider audience.

While Brazil has no shortage of great surf groups, if you asked me to name the first that comes to mind, it would probably be the Dead Rocks. They've been around for about 10 years now and put out some great albums, my favorites being International Brazillian Surfs and One Million Dollar Surf Band. They're relentless promoters and have made their music easy to obtain across the world. And most importantly, who can forget those sharp outfits. After a brief Spaghetti Western stint on their last LP, they're back to plain ol' surf and doing it well.

Green Cookie's had this streaming for a while, but I believe today is the official release date! I absolutely love the art on this one by Shawn DIckinson who did The Hangee V/Angry Breed 7", some Boss Fink art and an upcoming Speedball JR 7". I've only given it about one good listen but it's tough, fuzzy at times, and all around pretty fun. Another fine addition to the Green Cookie roster!