Phil Dirt - Reverb Central - PO Box 1609, Felton, CA 95018-1609 USA Impala - Kings Of The Strip
 | 2nd CD from this Memphis surf band. They just get better & better! Very trad sound in a spunky gritty sorta way. |
Picks: Incident On The Tenth Floor, The Hearse, King Louie Stomp, Nothing More Than Murder, Penetration, Venus Flytrap, In Transit, Epilogue
Track by Track Review
Incident On The Tenth Floor Surf (Instrumental)
Crunchy double picked and whammified surf rage, with wailin' drums and high energy. The melody seems like cross between the Eddie & the Showmen and Dick Dale styles, with elements of "Banzai Washout." Excellent raw spunky surf.
Surf (Instrumental)
Lee Hazelwood's exceptional composition "The Hearse" is delivered with speed and power. It's pure raw garage surf. Nothing really new, but the subdued middle section is a nice way to vary the otherwise straight ahead arrangement. Cool glissandoes abound.
King Louie Stomp R&B (Instrumental)
Free of any references to Richard Berry's classic rock anthem, this is a basic R&B riff stomp, jumpin' and rompin', but no more than a progression waiting for a melody.
Surf (Instrumental)
Evil slow distantly reverbed sound enhances the sadness of the melody, bringing the nagging omen of tragedy just beyond the light into focus. The shimmering vibrato of the second guitar adds to the nerve ending stimulation. Very moody.
Surf (Instrumental)
The Pyramids' over done classic, with only the replacement of the Ventures' string swipes with heavily vibratoed slowly let chords to separate it from the pack, that and the excellent use of the sax as a textural filler. Pumped and fun.
Rock (Instrumental)
Riff rock, like many of the Northwest instros of other eras. High powered glissandoes and surf tones nearly hidden in the organ swirl of chord progression thinking. Solid energy, but not much to focus attention on.
Surf (Instrumental)
Excellent double picked guitar work, choppy damped picking, swimming whammy, and lots of ambiance. Mostly a riff, but quite effective.
Detective Surf (Instrumental)
Detective movie ethics, sassy sax ambiance, surf guitar rhythm, and long sustained guitar note leads. This is a tasty aside from the usual street lamp trench coat fare.