Phil Dirt - Reverb Central - PO Box 1609, Felton, CA 95018-1609 USA  | France's Wangs portray surf with a garagie feel and a sense of humor. They are trad based, and use some pretty obscure references in their writing. Vocals include a splashy version of that venerable old rockabilly classic "My Girl Is Red Hot" that was so roundly trashed by Sam the Sham and the Pharaos, a garagie "No Chance," and a party yakking and mighty fun Mexican variation called "A Zaza Tiquettes Chaufees." |
Picks: Wangs Stomp, Gotcha, Twist In Chinatown, Cruel Sea, Princess Lee, Space Frog, Salam Malekoum, The Attack Of The Tang Brothers, Yukkum Yukkum, Shaolin vs. Ninja
Track by Track Review
Surf (Instrumental)
dark reverb charm, riff surfin' sixties surf feel, and sparkling guitar work. The guitar bridges are inspired by Ronny Kae and the Saints' "Drums Fell Off A Cliff," and are a great addition. Excellent.
Surf (Instrumental)
Tradewinds' "Gotcha" is darkened with reverb, made more tribal, and hints of Pete Curry's tone. A fine choice of an obscure cover.
Surf (Instrumental)
"Twist In Chinatown" is a splendid surf tine, fluffy and fun, sparkling with a playful riff. Is this really a cover? It's mighty familiar sounding, like from one of the Midwest bands.
Surf (Instrumental)
Mike Maxfield's often covered tune gets a fresh face from the Vampires' make up artist. A rockabilly beat and a faster pace with variations on the riffs and new embellishments comes from the heart of surf. To draw a comparison, I'd have to say you might imagine Drew Weaver doing it this way.
Surf (Instrumental)
This is a very pretty surf 'n' reverb instro, with warm ringing chords and delicate guitar. Warm island images and thundering danger on the waves. The mix doesn't really do justice to the excellent writing.
Surf (Instrumental)
Amphibian Astronauts, warts in space, the bad imagery abounds. Bouncy surf is what it really is, like some of the happier Surf Trio tunes, with a a fine melody riff, and lots of fun. This is excellent.
Surf (Instrumental)
Excellent middle eastern themes and exotic moods. "Salam Malekoum" greets you with a western tourist feel in local garb. An interesting variation on the desert sands sounds.
The Attack Of The Tang Brothers 
Surf (Instrumental)
Fast behind the bridge twang, chunky, mean, and a little quirky. "The Attack Of The Tang Brothers" doesn't have an eastern sound, but does have lots of reverb and surf.
Surf (Instrumental)
Dark surfabilly sludge, a Cramps-ish progression, and low-E gloom.
Surf (Instrumental)
Pitting one against the other, "Shaolin vs. Ninja" is a heavily damped reverb rhythm track with an interesting pace and structure. The melody riff is satisfying trad in style. Deliberate and chunky, and pretty cool.