Reverb Central .:. Review .:.

With many surfable tracks, this volume of the Twangy Guitars, Silky Strings series will surely get you going. It's not surf per say, but it does present some fine music with infectious rhythms and melodies. Think of it as a left turn off the surf interstate - a slight diversion where you don't lose sight of the main drag.

Picks: La Playa, Tribute To Buddy Holly, It Wasn't Love After All, Spying Game, Quicksand, Black Jack, Starlight Time, Smells Like Teen Spirit, Spanish Stranger, Pearlfisher, Whispering, The Sound Of Lapland, Summer Kisses, Winter Tears, Fuzz and Wild, Cruel Sea - Medley, Song Of Delilah, Dead Man In The Forest, Toska, Ballad, My Little Lola

Euro Surf (Instrumental)

"La Playa" is a surfable Euro piece with one foot on the beach and the other in hank Marvin's living room. Bouncy and fluid, with a very pretty melody, and a fine damped break. Quite an enjoyable island adventure.

Rock (Instrumental)

Buddy Holly's style is in evidence, morphed with rich Hank Marvin-esq guitar styling. The rhythm guitar is right on. Quite a nice tack.

Euro (Instrumental)

Ah, yes, the morning after... "It Wasn't Love After All" is a sad song of let down and passing optimism. Beautifully played.

Euro (Instrumental)

Great drums, glissandoes, bumpin' energy, and big whammy drive "Spying Game" through a surf and spy blend of surf and Shadows. Delicate damped breaks, long echoed lead guitar, and an almost Shig and Buzz feel. An excellent track!

Euro Near Surf (Instrumental)

Lots of energy and drive bring out the amped side of echoed guitar with great drums. A rockin' adventure in whammy and warmth. The almost vicious vibrato adds an urgency, as does the rest of the break, which is pretty intense.

Surf (Instrumental)

An edgy glissando, lots of surf elements, double picking, and dry ocean rage permeate "Black Jack." It's surf the way the Ventures did it before discovering reverb, but with much more flair. I like this a lot!

MOR (Instrumental)

"Starlight Time" is a slow and moody piece, with long echoed guitar notes and a softrock rhythm track. Very pretty.

Rock (Instrumental)

Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" has been instrumentalized a few times, but I can't say it's been done with more intensity. Think Ventures on steroids at the Tractor! Great fun.

Rock (Instrumental)

Long echoed guitar plays a floating melody line over a rock drum track with dry chorded rhythm guitar. It sound eastern European, and is in the Hank Marvin mold.

Rock (Instrumental)

Great bouncing energy run through "Pearlfisher." it's a mighty infectious track, with a sense of floating and vacation adventure.

Rock (Instrumental)

With the moody eastern Europe feel of a Russian tragedy, "Whispering" flows smoothly with a stoic sense of keeping on. Long echoed guitar and dry acoustic accompaniment over a light rock drum and bass track.

Rock (Instrumental)

"The Sound Of Lapland" sports some very fine guitar work, full of emotion and long decay. While this is essentially an MOR track, it's rock credentials are strong enough to keep it in the forefront. Beautiful and powerful.

Near Surf (Instrumental)

This great melody is arranged with great semi-military drums and rich textures. A very engaging track with a strong melody, "Summer Kisses, Winter Tears" demands multiple plays. Great!

Fuzz (Instrumental)

Inspired by 'King Fuzz' Davie Allan, this track is fuzzy, biker-esq, garagy, raunchy, loud, and just too cool! Stereo fuzz attacks throughout! Great stuff!

Near Surf (Instrumental)

A completely different take on the whole idea, "Cruel Sea - Medley" romps with more intensity and texture, and when you add the long bottleneck notes and great drums, well... it's irresistible. Tribal and commanding.

Near Surf (Instrumental)

Stereo echoed guitars in different octaves shed a different light on this song. Lots of whammy and even a bit of chorus. The damped break is quite interesting.

Rock (Instrumental)

"Dead Man In The Forest" is a somewhat thick track with a spaghetti western like melody and long echoed guitar. It also has a nearly carnival edge from the production of the second guitar. Richly textured and cool.

Rock (Instrumental)

An infectious rhythm guitar runs above the distant echoed lead, making the plaintiff lead seem sadder. Pretty and interesting.

Rock (Instrumental)

One might expect a ballad from the title. One would be correct, if you recognize the ballad qualities of H.P. Lovecraft's' "Keeper Of The Keys," were it just slowed down. The operatic pomp and sadness of the song, along with the bass line is what brought that reference forward. Very pretty indeed.

Near Surf (Instrumental)

Now this is a cool track, with an infectious rhythm and very cool melody. Very surfable, you can hear a number of possibilities for surfbands like Pollo Del Mar, Slacktone, or the Space Cossacks. that doesn't take away from this fine track, but rather attests to the power of the song. Very cool!