Reverb Central .:. Review .:.

San Francisco's latest addition to the envelope edge excursion team. Lost Lake harbor references to the Mermen, the Reventlos, Pollo Del Mar, Captain Beefheart, and the surf. Their unique brand of slightly psychedelicized surf-rock instro music is both serious and fun, haunted and crystalline. This fine new CD is not for the trad nazis, but will certainly please those comfortable at the edge.

Picks: Not Sorry Enough, Loser's Retreat, Clownslide, Still Life With Fool, Sirens, Dead Skin Circus, Under The Line, Sometimes, Del Fernando, Wreck Of The Mary Hope, Lago Perdido, Better Go, Flinch

Rock (Instrumental)

Suave slightly watery rockin' instro with a touch of Pollo Del Mar and Los Straitjackets. Its fine melody line is more than friendly. Entirely cool, almost slippery.

Rock (Instrumental)

"Loser's Retreat" has an Aqua Velvets feel to the structure, and a much more rockin' suave to the sound. Liquid smooth and exotic.

Rock (Instrumental)

"Clownslide" is a quirky stop-start chop kinda thing at the beginning, but quickly drops into a smooth groove alternated with liquid distortion. Moody and smooth.

Endless Surf (Instrumental)

Slow and silky, in a tropical bay kind way. With elements hinting of the Endless Summer theme, this much more modern piece conveys the same kind of melody imagery and sun shine innocence. An excellent track. It's very pretty and moody.

Rock (Instrumental)

Plodding silky mood music for after hours at the beach bar-bee. Mystical and haunted, and very pretty in a backdrop sorta way, at least until the break develops the tempo and power a bit.

Psychedelic Storm Surf (Instrumental)

One wonders about the title... reminds me of the sort of titles Martyn Jones used to come up with for Mermen songs. The howling feedback is reminiscent of the Mermen too. It's a very psychedelic surf-visionary piece. Huge sound and hair-raising tone. Very cool.

Rock (Instrumental)

This gentle and pretty piece sneaks into your whistling store room. You know the type. After a listen or two, you find the riff in your head, but aren't sure of its source. Slow and pretty.

Rock (Instrumental)

Slightly countrified soft rockin' fluid... quirky enough to be inspired by the Reventlos.

Exotic Surf (Instrumental)

Ah yes... this is nice. It sports exotica rhythms, smooth surfy 'n' sun melody lines, haunted island imagery, and major staying power. This is a real sleeper. It's not high powered, but it demands attention, from the cool beat and suave tone to the whammy and promise of romance.

Watery Grave (Instrumental)

"Wreck Of The Mary Hope" is a slow sad piece that invokes images of rafts adrift on an abandoned journey to oblivion. It presents hopeless visions of shoreless water without a breeze to blow you towards rescue.

Haunted Glassy Tube (Instrumental)

"Lago Perdido" sports a specter's view of an abandoned shoreline where only ghosts ride the waves. Very sad and slightly psychedelic.

Cowboy Rock (Instrumental)

Rockin' quirk 'n' turf, where the cowboys meet the cowgirls for a preamble to getting together. Fun.

Rock (Instrumental)

Blink and you're dead. Very Reventlos' like dissonant psycho breakdown music. Mean and dangerous, dramatic and mysterious, with bits of Captain Beefheart and cuckoo's nest imprisonment.