Phil Dirt - Reverb Central - PO Box 1609, Felton, CA 95018-1609 USA Collection: The Midnite Sound Of The Milky Way
 | Alec Palao compiled this compilation of tracks from the Milky Way label, with bands that shared musicians in common. Four instros of a disturbed nature and some surf influences float among some mighty primitive and real garage tracks! |
Picks: Space Race, Space Monster, Death Row, Drums
Track by Track Review
Near Surf (Instrumental)
"Space Race" is an unreleased track from 1964. It's a murky primal rock instro with a long upward pick slide opener and a rompin' sax melody line. It's much more than a fifties rocker, and there are surf elements to the guitar's rages, from low-E surf grumble to damped plucking. A very nifty track.
Horror Surf (Instrumental)
Whoa! What a demented monster! Slow, evil, murky, cries from the nightmare dungeon, and near-surf guitar noodling add up to a mighty strange song. "Space Monster" feels sort of like it was inspired by the Revels' haunted "Midnight Stroll," then strained through a bad trip and an adolescent mind. Damn, what a trip!
Surf Muerte (Instrumental)
This is one slow and dark instro, with a relentless bass run (more like a walk) and a distant chorus of the dead. More than just depressing, it verges on morose. A little insane, and a major downer with a curious sound. About half way through, a fuzz guitar rises from the dungeon, takes on a slow wah-wah, and brings "Death Row" into an early psychedelic groove. The most unusual sidebar is that this dates from 1972 instead of 1966 like it sounds!
Drum Solo (Instrumental)
Should the title not be enough to create an expectation, let me put your doubts to rest. "Drums" is a drum solo, but it's just not like anything else from the period - not Sandy Nelson, not Hal Blaine... nope, it's thick and undeniably disturbed.