Pekka Laine's previous LP The Enchanted Guitar of Pekka Laine is a can't-miss record. The thick layers of reverb and dreamy melodies make for one of the most engrossing listening experiences I've heard in (or at least very nearby to) this genre. The only real complaint I had was that there simply wasn't enough of it. And now there's more.

From the moment they started playing shows there's been buzz in the surf world about The Scimitars, who blend surf and middle eastern music, often with the visual accompaniment of a belly dancer. There's enough reason to be excited just about the surf side of things, as Ran Mosessco's music with the Astroglides and The Sand Devils are great, and Jonpaul Balak on bass is always a big plus. They've been patient letting this sound and these songs develop, with only a single 7" released last year since they started up in 2018, and finally they're ready to debut a full length.

Sundazed has really been leaning into surf recently, with last year's Chantays - A Dawning Sun, Surfin' the Great Lakes compilation, and The Vaqueros' 80 foot Wave. All three records were either entirely or in large part unreleased material, which certainly had me excited, but there was a fair share of disappointment. The Chantays record wasn't quite as surfy as the cover art might have you believe, and I just found the Kay Bank studio stuff to be generally lackluster. The Vaqueros record was pretty good, but a lot of it was vocal. I applaud Sundazed regardless for putting them out -- release everything! Let no surf go unheard! But I was admittedly a little worried what another unreleased surf record from a basically unknown band would pan out to be.

For a band with a decidedly unserious name, The Babalooneys' craft is no joke. While there's been recent hype building up with two great Hi-Tide 7"s and a strong (I hear) Surfer Joe 2023 appearance, I had admittedly forgotten about an EP from them way back in 2012. That's a long time to wait before putting out an LP! Well, I'd say it was enough --  what we have on our hands is a true gem of the genre.

Pointbreak didn't come out of nowhere, though I have to admit that I'm scratching my head trying to think of other Irish surf groups. But what I mean is they've had about 13 songs spread between 3 EPs since 2017 (with impeccable graphic design I might add!), before dropping this 11-song LP on us. Ming Dynamite is a record that feels like the band has taken their time to find their sound, and they're ready to present it, even if they're not sure you're ready.

Not to be a brat, but when I got an email about another Messer Chups record, my reaction was "oh ok, sure"

There's just a lot of Messer Chups. I think my digital collection spans 17 releases. And I can't really blame them, I once watched a guy walk up to their merch table and buy one of each album, which is when I realized that having a big back catalog helps you make more money! But aside from one record with a lot of harp, can I really expect a new Messer Chups record to be more than just more?

Actually, yes!

While the recent Nebulas LP was close, I think the most anticipated surf comeback LP of 2024 is from Swedish trio Langhorns, who released a trilogy of LPs between 1998 and 2002. It's hard to choose a winner among these three LPs, with an impeccable sound, a mastery of mood and toughness, and versatility. Mission Exotica in particular showed a wide range of instrumentation, and some of the genre-pushing sensibilities shared by groups such as Phantom Four.

It's December, I'm very busy working on the Gremmy Awards, but I have to squeeze in a review because this was sent to me months ago before the aire was frigid. And I would guess that Chad and Cherry won't be reviewing it, so somebody has to!

The new surf label House of Tabu is releasing Archipelago: The Great Hits of the Madeira. Normally I wouldn't review a greatest hits album. There are certainly plenty of new releases that I'm not reviewing that are more worthy than talking about songs I already know. But I thought it would be a fun exercise to approach this differently: how about I make my own greatest hits and see how it matches up?