Phil Dirt - Reverb Central - PO Box 1609, Felton, CA 95018-1609 USA The Grande Bois - Haunted House
 | Well now, The Grande Bois are a highly original band. Blending surf and rockabilly and psych in ways I've not heard before, they create dramatic and dangerous music. |
Picks: Western Hat, El Meteor, Swamp Thing, Kabballah, I See The Sun, The Mountain, Space Surfer, Wax On, Have You Heard The Wolf?, Cyclone Twist
Track by Track Review
Rock (Instrumental)
"Western Hat" is a loud and intense rocker with a hard rockin' riff at the helm. The tone is more or less modern rockabilly. It's a screamer.
Surf (Instrumental)
"El Meteor" is an aggressive double picked shredder with a great beat. The infectious rhythm carries you right along as the lead guitar pounds you into the sand. Whew!
Surf (Instrumental)
Tremolo danger and haunted shimmering guitars create quite a fine sound. Excellent drums and a circling bass are perfect counterparts to this exceptional composition. "Swamp Thing" is highly original.
Surf (Instrumental)
As you might expect, "Kabballah" is all power and drive, with dark double picked guitar and dangerous imagery. Horses and thunder roll through the view before the song takes off on a race to the devil's lair. Look out!
Surf (Instrumental)
The rhythm track here is relentless and enticing, wile the lead guitar plays almost Gabor Szabo-like melody lines. The contrast between lead and rhythm section is powerful, giving the song an original sound.
Surfadelic (Instrumental)
Cycling, gently phase shifted harmonics and howling wind haunt this song. Its mysterious melody and sound create a compelling and spooky sound. There's drama and danger, and superb drums. "The Mountain" is psychedelic and surf, with a seriously big sound.
Surfadelic (Instrumental)
"Space Surfer" presents a rhythmic, spy like melody in a pure rock-surf structure. While riff dominated at times, it nonetheless hold attention. Perhaps a bit threatening, and not at all space rock sounding. The violin-sounds are very cool! The song soars and owes a lot to surf and psych.
Surf (Instrumental)
"Wax On" is born of dark, dry surf attack, and a rhythm characteristically not too far from The Scorpions' "Polar Nights." OK, that's a bit of a stretch, but its cycling pattern reminded me of it. Pretty cool, though jammy at times.
Surfabilly (Instrumental)
"Have You Heard The Wolf?" is a bouncing surfabilly number near to the boundary of psychobilly. Riff rockin' cool, with some intense whammy chords.
Surf (Instrumental)
Dark and menacing, with some really groovy tone work in the beginning, "Cyclone Twist" rips right into a double picked thrasher. Aggressive and strong, with an intense grit. The second guitar delicately circles with almost subliminal muted notes before entering the fore with warbling whammy and shredding double picked flair.