Everything Volcano Kings has released has warped surf in exciting ways and done so in such an expert way that it seems like it must come easy. Despite the title, this is surf guitar before it's crime jazz and noir, but it you can find that pounding forward-moving drive of crime-jazz and some smoky mystery from a noir. But then you've got "Mechanical Beast" like some sort of steampunk wild west soundtrack and some cyberpunk electronic mayhem on "Night Life". They're all over the place, but everywhere they go is great.

I love Jean Claude Van Damme, so I want to thank Timecop Beach Party for linking him to the surf world via his movie Timecop. But putting the King of Kicking aside, this album came outta nowhere and surprised me. Timecop Beach Party play fast and their tone often dips into pretty heavy territory, but the overall mood is fun and light-hearted. I really think it all comes together especially well in their song "Set Phasers to Chill". Give it a listen for yourself