Phil Dirt - Reverb Central - PO Box 1609, Felton, CA 95018-1609 USA The Black Hornets - InstroSurfin' With The Black Hornets
 | InstroSurfin' With The Black Hornets contains some good songs, many of which suffer from unsympathetic production. Some arrangements are pretty well thought out, others seem developmental. It has a demo quality about it in many respects. These early tracks suggest a band that will be very interesting over time. |
Picks: Jiantesque Tornado Instro, Night Run, Picturehouse Heaven, Riproar, Take The Bend, Wall Of Death
Track by Track Review
Cafe Racer Rock (Instrumental)
The beat is part surf and part rockabilly, and the guitars play a more frat riff rocker than surf melody line. The odd echoed production on some instruments creates a sense of bad timing that may not be real. "Cafe Racer" is not very interesting.
Rock (Instrumental)
Whammy chords and dark surf riffs with grumbling tom toms and bass. The sound is pretty amateur and murky, but below the haze lies a fairly dangerous song.
Jiantesque Tornado Instro Rock (Instrumental)
Crude sound seems to go with the throbbing tremolo and rootsy melody. Part surf, part primitive rock, "Jiantesque Tornado Instro" has the descending riffs from The Scarlets' "Stampede," and much of the early rock danger that goes with it. Pretty cool despite being derivative.
Rock (Instrumental)
A fifties stroll with echoed drums and graveyard eeriness. Throbbing tremolo and long Link Wray-ish spaces for drama. Minimal and menacing.
Surf (Instrumental)
A spaghetti western guitar and melody, a bouncy desert beat, and a fine melody line on tremolo guitar. Despite the relatively poor production and aural quality, "Picturehouse Heaven" is effective in a distant inevitable defeat kind of way. Very cool!
Surf (Instrumental)
"Riproar" is a mid tempo number with whammy chords and a fun melody riff. The muted non-Fender reverb guitar creates a surf feeling. This is the surfiest track on the InstroSurfin' album.
Seamed Stocking Stroll Rock (Instrumental)
The title suggests a rockabilly song, and low and behold the upright bass and after dark stroll mean just that. Echoed guitar plays a mean riff while echoed drums mess it all up.
Surf (Instrumental)
Two guitars darken the shore with a surfish number that's primitive, but built on a cool riff. Some nice changes and a sunny disposition.
Surf (Instrumental)
Echoed drums and a surfish reverb portray a cove after a storm where the danger lingers. "Wall Of Death" is among the better written tracks on the InstroSurfin' album. The arrangement is well developed.