Phil Dirt - Reverb Central - PO Box 1609, Felton, CA 95018-1609 USA  | This is a fine live recording made on March 9th, 2007 at the Noosa Festival of Surfing. Two vocal acts, which are solid on their own (Taman Shud and Beau Young) precede a superb set from thee most important Australian surfband, the Atlantics. half of the tracks are theirs, and that alone makes this essential listening. |
Picks: The Atlantics - Big Swell, Thunder Downunder, Pipeline, Night Star, Hawaii Five-0, Point Zero, Bombora
Track by Track Review
The Atlantics - Big Swell 
Surf (Instrumental)
Great twanging whammy, a round cool melody, and those great Atlantics drums. Sounding very vintage, yet first cut in 2000, "Big Swell" is a splendid song with warmth and panache. Stylish, powerful and fluid.
The Atlantics - Thunder Downunder Surf (Instrumental)
This rendering of "Thunder Downunder" sounds like a panoramic was of surf imagery embodied in sound, with gutty glissandos. The arrangement is really solid, and the energy of the performance compelling.
Surf (Instrumental)
The Chantays' ultra-classic "Pipeline" is reworked with mid tempo reverence and Atlantics twang. This is a lot more respectful than I expected, yet it's entirely an Atlantics masterpiece. The enduring power of this song is really quite compelling. Martin Cilia's tone is a fine mix of traditional surf and the Atlantics brand of whammified twang. Spooky, pure surf, and superb!
The Atlantics - Night Star Surf (Instrumental)
This is a slow moving and number with a lush melody. The imagery is of sunset beach and glassy golden curl. Quite beautiful, but not quiet.
The Atlantics - Hawaii Five-0 Surf (Instrumental)
This is more or less the arrangement that The Atlantics used on the Point Zero release. TV drama and adventure come together in this cover, and the double picked flurries and glissandos add to the surf creds.
The Atlantics - Point Zero Surf (Instrumental)
A nearly "Surf Beat" intro and tribal surf dance sound liven this somewhat jammy number. The band is clearly flying off the soaring guitar lines. Pretty cool!
Surf (Instrumental)
This is thee signature sound of Australian surf. Those drums, that stinging guitar, that classic rhythm! This is a superb performance, full of energy, style, and flair. If The Atlantics had never done anything but this one song, their place in the reverb hall of fame would have been secure! Magnificent!