Las Vegas Grind is a compilation series put out by Crypt records featuring bawdy instrumentals that were more about honkin sax than reverbed guitar. That series helped identify a different style of rock & roll instrumental that might have otherwise been shrugged off we came to get a little more obsessed with genres and focus on this idea of "surf music". If you need a reference point, Tequila would fit nicely into Las Vegas Grind, though I'd suggest just grabbing those compilations, they're really great.

The Unnaturals have been showing New Orleanians what instrumental rock & roll is about since before I found my way to a local frequency, and we're lucky to have such a unique group stick around this long.

Mark Malibu and the Wasagas were a second wave surf group up in Toronto that have recently reformed. I won't pretend that I already knew that, but I believe this is their second LP and their first recordings since 1981!

Here's the latest from everybody's favorite Russian instro group. While their general sound isn't much different from their recent albums, it's not all draculas and coffins: you've got some pleasant steel guitar thrown into "Hula Drag-u-La", and you've even got a batman theme on "Chupacabra vs Batman". For whatever reason, we get another version of Popcorn with "Children of the Popcorn" (Zombie Shopping had "Popcorno"). I've listened to it a few times but all I really have to say is that it's Messer Chups -- you know what to do.

This is the second longplayer from Tsunami Experiment and though it plays less long than their last one (8 tracks vs 15), I get a better sense of emotion here.

Argentina's Megatronadores impressed me with their first EP Wedwedn. It had a great wide open and free-floating feeling to it while still keeping a significant heft and drive. I had a feeling that with their follow-up they would only expand and try new things, and sure enough the result is a expansive, extremely creative work that makes for a wonderous listen even if its tether to surf is pretty thin.

For 25 years Spain's Los Coronas have been pumping out first-rate surf records. It's been 4 years since their last LP Adios Sancho and Señales de Humo (Smoke Signals for us english speakers) builds on that sound, but even after one listen I think it exceeds their last effort.

When I saw people talking about getting this album from The Southern Surf Stomp this past weekend, I was wondering how long it would be until I could get a copy. Not long it turns out!

Like their name itself, Los Seitans have a sound that's almost evil but ends up just having fun. They've got a trashy sound and a lot of horror themes, but keep finding their way back into something less dreary.

On their third release I think Los Ultraman finally found their groove. Their last two releases showed moments of interesting ideas that never quite found their way into something that worked for me. The opening track "Non DNA Man" immediately shows off where they've gone: a pastiche of familiar surf riffs with wild saxophone riffs slowly getting wilder and more effect-driven, eventually spiraling into some Sun Ra spaciness before kicking right back into gear.