Phil Dirt - Reverb Central - PO Box 1609, Felton, CA 95018-1609 USA  | Lots of big sweeping instrumentals here to capture your heart. The sound is thick and substantial, and some of the tracks are monsters. |
Picks: Belair Ride, Pyramide Folle, Drag Race, Danny's Breakfeast, Brazil, Mr Coconut, Marvin, Camel And Elephants, Missing Link, The Great Antonio, Duel
Track by Track Review
Surf (Instrumental)
"Belair Ride" is loud and aggressive. Double picked fire and big chords, a surf beat and rock chord pattern seem all to work together well. Over-compression softens the delivery.
Surf (Instrumental)
A dribbling high register glissando opens this delicately double picked instro. It's friendly and warm, with some cool tom tom work. The melody and rhythm are attractive and engaging. While on the lighter side, it's extremely satisfying.
Surf (Instrumental)
Great drums, huge whammy chords, dark post-Duane Eddy guitar, and aggression. The tribal drums create danger and thunder while the chords threaten. This is a menacing bad boy!
Surf (Instrumental)
The melody is circular and light hearted, while the rhythm sections is well balanced. "Kill The Accordeonist" borders on goofy, but isn't. It is grin inducing.
Surf (Instrumental)
Here's an original riff with an infectious, sort of post-rockabilly beat. The break is double picked with a hint of Tijuana. There are some very cool string swipes here too.
Surf (Instrumental)
Ary Barroso's "Brazil" hasn't sounded like this before! The rhythm section rocks infectiously, and the guitar delivers the goods n a less happy way than other surf versions. This is superb!
Surf (Instrumental)
"Mr Coconut" almost laughs out loud. The whistling organ seems to be the primary grinner here. The up-glissando is deluxe. This is all fun, no muss!
Surf (Instrumental)
Muted lead guitar plays a carnival of dementia melody line as the organ whistles with asylum weirdness. The rhythm section backs up the strangitude. OK, it's not that strange... but it does have a nightmarish quality, and those up glissandos and long dribbled sequences are more than a poor surfer can bear. What that all means is that "Marvin" is one hell of a fun track that's a must hear joy ride!
Surf (Instrumental)
A muted country pattern and psychedelic organ flurries bring on a wonderful song. This has island chords and whammy, a fine circular riff, a bit of unsettled feeling, some not-right-in-the-head sequences, and more. You know the way they used to roll the camera on its axis in black and white films to simulate a drug-out? "Camel And Elephants" sounds like that at times.
Surf (Instrumental)
"Kaleidoscope" is a slow number with big twang and charm. It moves in an easy flow, with a hint of Austin. Slow double picked lines suggest the Mediterranean.
Surf (Instrumental)
I want to say that "Missing Link" is slightly lumbering, but it's not. It's more the attitude it has. It's mid tempo, bouncy, infectious, and fun, in a retrograde kind of way. Great tremolo and inventive arranging.
Surf (Instrumental)
Rolling drums and muted chords a la "Boss," along with long sustained danger chords. Imagine if Link Wray played with The Rumblers. Dark, solid, and cool!
Surf (Instrumental)
Superb drums, dark bass, and big twang! That about sums it up, except for the drama, the swirl, the spaghetti imagery, and the sweeping compression. "Duel" grows on you with some of the squished attractiveness that Django Twango developed. This keeps getting bigger and bigger and more dramatic until it ends in a giant swirl! Wonderful!
