Phil Dirt - Reverb Central - PO Box 1609, Felton, CA 95018-1609 USA This Spy Surfs - To Russia With Surf
 | This release is much more band-like, with actual drums and bass, but it's still chemistry-free. All of the performances are very restrained. The music is much more mindless jazz noodling than any notion of surf of any flavor. I say never mind. |
Picks: To Russia With Surf, D. D. In Space, 99's Midnite Ballet, Without A Care, It's Not Over, Surfers Rainbow, Monkshi, It's Out There, Slow Bondo, Meet Dorian, Stare Away
Track by Track Review
Soft Surf (Instrumental)
"To Russia With Surf" is a soft number that's easy to listen to, but not really memorable. Sorta pretty, but without character or much chemistry.
Soft Surf (Instrumental)
"D. D. In Space" features very light weight double picking must mean that the DD in the title is supposed to be Dick Dale, though there's nothing here of his fire. The glissandos is delicate and without flair.
Soft Surf (Instrumental)
This is a slow moving number with bongos and a definite late night tired feeling. Kinda pretty, but more suited for a backdrop than a front and center song.
Soft Surf (Instrumental)
"Without A Care" is fairly engaging than most here, but lacking chemistry, it fails to grab you despite a better pace and creative use of a bell. Still, it verges on fun.
Soft Surf (Instrumental)
A single note riff precedes an energy free glissando as "It's Not Over" gets underway. This very light weight number verges on cool in a number of places, and would be served very well with some genuine band chemistry.
Soft Surf (Instrumental)
Like smooth jazz a la Mancini, "Surfers Rainbow" portrays a soft after-midnight vision. Sleepy eyes in a smoky bar with only nodding drunks left to hear. Pretty, and very effective visually.
Monkshi Soft Surf (Instrumental)
"Monkshi" is very jazzy and easy, with the sort of ideas that late fifties/early fifties jazz guitarists sometimes employed. Relatively faceless.
It's Out There Soft Surf (Instrumental)
"It's Out There" just seems very calculated, with a stilted melody line and slow pace. I couldn't get interested at all.
Slow Bondo Soft Surf (Instrumental)
Slightly dissonant, "Slow Bondo" has a tiny bit of tension that's quickly relieved. very slow and deliberate.
Meet Dorian Soft Surf (Instrumental)
Whoa - two guitars. Like a lot of the do-nothing tracks that Johnny Smith cut for Roost in the fifties, "Meet Dorian" just never gets going or develops a personality.
Stare Away Soft Surf (Instrumental)
Boy does this move slowly. It has a sad late night feel to it, with a blue-jazz underbelly. Remarkably forgettable.